Grell answers “I have long thought of this book as one of...”

Adam asked this question about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest:

I have long thought of this book as one of my favorites, but noticed some heavy racist and misogynistic undertones when I re-read it. Much of this was left out of the film. Does old fashioned sexism sully an otherwise great work of literature?

Grell You should realise that the "racist" and "misogynistic" bogeymen of contemporary culture is only a very recent phenomenon. This book doesnt encourage …moreYou should realise that the "racist" and "misogynistic" bogeymen of contemporary culture is only a very recent phenomenon. This book doesnt encourage either of these "-isms", the suggestion that the mere presence of them is enough to "sully" an otherwise great work of literature just goes to show how pervasive PC thought policing has come. I don't think a publisher would even consider picking up a novel these days which contained these two "-isms" unless they are explicitly condemned. When novels set a few decades ago, historical novels and even sadly non-fiction have to be self-censored anachronisitcally to tow the CP agenda, regardless of truth it a sign we are in Orwell's Doublespeak nightmare.

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it." is sadly a relic of a more enlightend time.(less)

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Dane And yes, when I say that your reaction is PC, I mean just that: you’ve just demonstrated a kind of orthodoxy of thought common on the right that compe ...more
Aug 05, 2021 08:14AM · flag

Willow This comment is ridiculous. It isn’t just McMurphy that is racist it’s is Chief Bromden our not entirely reliable narrator too. Also it was written in ...more
Nov 06, 2022 01:01AM · flag

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

by Ken Kesey

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