Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:47PM5 comments ›
Thu Aug 20, 2009 — by Mike Gold
Tintin Banned In Brooklyn!
But it won't stop Spielberg
The Brooklyn (New York) Public Library has removed Tintin au Congo from its shelves. If you want to read the graphic novel, you've got to ask for it and risk that "what are you, a bigot?" glower from the librarian.
In an act of insane political correctness, somebody looked at the tome and bitched about how Africans are portrayed as monkeys. So instead of actually reading the damn thing, the librarians protected their professional butts and pulled the book. If you want it, you've got to make an appointment to see it.
This isn't the first time such a fate fell on Hergé's popular munchkin. Borders, the always-on-the-verge-of-bankruptcy mega-bookstore chain, moved Tintin au Congo from the graphic novel section to their adult section. Hey, that's where I go for my racist children's fiction.
Stevie Spielberg, the well-known racist director of Amistad and Schindler's List, remains on track to release his Tintin movie in 2011. Co-written by Doctor Who show-runner Steven Moffit, the movie stars the obviously insensitive Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg, Cary Elves, and Andy Serkis.
No word on whether the Brooklyn Public Library and Borders are going to hide the works of Mark Twain.
Jump to comments (5) 
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Comments (5)
Delmo Walters Jr. (3:06 PM on Thu Aug 20, 2009)
I guess they would have to also pull copies of The Spirit Archives that have Ebony appearances and/or The Monster Society of Evil collection, what with Steamboat's appearances-that is, if they had such books.
Kyle Gnepper (4:14 PM on Thu Aug 20, 2009)
And isn't Tintin himself a cruel stereotype of the redhair 'crime solver'. When oh when will we stop expecting gingers to solve all our unsolvables?
Shauna (4:24 PM on Thu Aug 20, 2009)
That is insane. There will always be something for overly sensitive people to get worked up about. By the way... I think it might be Cary Elwes, unless there is someone named Cary Elves who I have not heard of :D
Mike Gold (4:41 PM on Thu Aug 20, 2009)
Yeah, Shauna. My spell-checker didn't like Cary's real name. At least he has a "real British accent."
Los (1:45 PM on Fri Aug 21, 2009)
I don't agree with putting them under lock and key.
But egads man, the caricatures are racist. It's not being overly sensitive or insanely politically correct to point that out. Or to perhaps move that particular book from the childrens' section.
Also, going all reductio ad absurdum by implying that if Spielberg is directing a movie of Tintin and the caricatures of Congolese people in this book are racist then Spielberg must be racist is ridiculous as well. Why is this particular piece of art not allowed to be discussed from multiple perspectives (whether its a good story, whether it has racist imagery, etc)? Why all or nothing?