Any of You Ever Read a James Ellroy Novel?

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They can be quite the eye-opening experience.  Though they are written nowadays, they are set mostly in the 40’s through the 60’s, and the racial language is shocking.  All blacks are “niggers”, “coons,” “boogies,” “jigs”, etc.  Mexicans are “spicks,” “wetbacks,” “taco benders,” or “beaners.”  Homosexuals are “queers,” “fags,” “dykes”, “swishes”, you name it.

Ellroy uses these words in his books not because he’s a racist, but because that is the language of the people in the time and place that he writes about.  As a reader, I know the difference between a book this is “racist” and one that is merely racially honest about the time-period it chooses to play in.

But anybody siding with the censors in this Huckleberry Finn debate would probably claw their eyes out if they tried to read Ellroy, because no historical context would forgive the fact that the “n-word” was used by his characters.  In fact, the way that I just used several epithets for the purpose of illustration would sent these people into paroxysms of outrage.  For some, the use of “nigger” is never justified.  Except sometimes it is, whether the use be intended to evoke history, or a certain cultural dialect, or any setting that is not exactly the same as the one the reader lives in.

I understood this when I read Huckleberry Finn as a child.  I had teachers and parents willing to discuss these things with me, and I never called black men “niggers” (and I even had a jagoff stepfather at the time who was pretty free with the racist jokes and comments).  With just a little bit of effort, it was made clear to me the difference between the novel and reality.  Now, I know it’s easier to just white-wash it all and pretend it never happened, but wouldn’t it be more rewarding to start a conversation about why Huck calls Jim, his friend, “nigger”?  Wouldn’t it be healthier to explore and understand the racial politics of that time and place?  Isn’t reading about being exposed to different worlds?

Censorship is always evil.  Good intentions don’t make it any less so.

Let’s all grow up.