There was a huge racial furore in the Kid's section today. It all kicked off. Basically we have a Tintin Rocket Spinner which contains all these Tintin comics. However, there is on comic called Tintin in The Congo. And it's racist. Very racist. It's full of these colonial depictions of black people with thick lips and notty hair running around with no clothes on, and generally acting stupid and lazy. There is, though, a disclaimer on the back that states that the book is offensive, but that it puts into context the period in which Herge writes, one in which racist attiudes prevail.
Anyway this white man, who had a black wife and two mixed race children chanced upon the book and was not best pleased. He got very angry and upset, saying how this stuff shouldn't be in the Children's section. I got a bit embarrased and said how I have no control over what we stock, and would get the manager. I basically palmed him off to the manager, who had to listen to this very irate and upset customer, who was going to sue/write a letter to the store etc.
For the rest of the day, amongst the booksellers, a censorship debate ensued as to what we stock as a bookshop, and whether it was right to remove the comics (as we did to please the customer). I mean we stock other stuff that's likely to offend, such as porn, Mein Kampf, Little Britain, Asterix, and a book of (hillarious) Sick Jokes in the Humour section. The stuff we stock in no way reflects our opinions.
I think that it's good we stock the Tintin book because it shows that Tintin has a racist history, rather than one that is suppressed. For instance Disney, Tom and Jerry and Enid Blyton with her Noddy golliwogs all have a racist history which has been quietly erased. But I understand that the customer was upset that we stocked it in the Kid's section - perhaps he didn't want his child to come across it and be confused or upset.
I was a bit annoyed with myself that I couldn't explain this to the customer, and that he couldn't reason as to why we would stock such a book. It is important to show that something has a racist history. I, for one, never realised that Tintin was racist.
To remove the comics is perhaps a case of political correctness and censorship. They are in there to contextualise the period in which Tintin exists. They are not a reflection of current attitutes to race, but past racist ones.
It is hard to get this across to someone's who's a bit angry though.
1 comment:
What I dislike the most is people who impose their opinions on others and doesn't give them a chance to air their opinions in return (which I know we can all be guilty of). It's just rude, and I find it hard to believe that people nowadays are just brought up with no manners. I find most of our customer base are just out for themselves and what they can sponge out of us.
To be honest I find the worst kind of racist, is (for want of a better word) an ethnic person who calls others racist without due cause. To me that makes THEM in turn a racist, and in my opinion that is just ignorance, and it pains me to know that their children are most likely to be brought up with this attitude as well.
How are we meant to stop ignorance about racism if we can't show people its roots or causes? Admittedly comics in the Kid's section is a bit hasty, but it's best that they learn about the world from a young age. You can't keep your children wrapped up in cotton wool forever.
Damn I wish I'd met that customer... x
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