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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2021 15:11:19 GMT -5
It's not as if the books are being made illegal. It's not against the law to own, read, or sell any copies of these particular volumes you have in your possession. And I don't think they're 'pretending' that those books didn't happen. It's just that they have decided they don't want to sell them any more. That's their right. Just because they own a thing (or two) doesn't mean they HAVE to sell it.
And while I'm here, the missing space in the title of this thread: "There I said it"on any subject in the world
is really starting to get on my tits. There, I said it.
Gah! Why have you done this to me? Now I’ll see this all the time. Argh! Regarding Dr. Seuss’s more controversial books, I can totally understand why they would not want them on bookshelves anymore. It would be cool if they took a page out of Disney’s book though who shows their old cartoons with a disclaimer about outdated portrayals, and maybe sold annotated versions to schools and colleges to discuss the issues from an educational standpoint. Disney shows some of their outdated materials, not all. I doubt if Song of the South will ever see the light of day again, at least not while current Disney ownership is in place. Disney has still taken a number of things off the market. -M |
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Post by impulse on Mar 7, 2021 15:43:34 GMT -5
That’s true. Song of the South is probably best left in the vault, honestly.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 7, 2021 17:30:48 GMT -5
I was at my favorite local gaming shop yesterday digging through a box of "3 for $1" bulk Magic: The Gathering cards looking for things that have gone up in value that I could buy cheap and sell. One of the employees and one of his buddies were sorting through a big box that a card collection had come in when the friend says "hey, there's this big pile of cardboard here in the bottom. What should I do with it?", to which the employee replies "oh, just throw it out."
I picked my head up for a second, then said "hold up a second." Walked over and it was a stack of about 75-100 backing boards, which I told them. The employee looks in the box and says "oh, there's this bag of plastic bags in the box too." I responded "those are comic book bags, which go with the boards."
He asked if I wanted them, and when I asked "how much", he said "dude, I was literally going to throw them away. Just take them.".
So, I wound up with free comic book supplies yesterday, and I was running low on both. Sometimes, it IS possible to be in the right place at the right time.
There. I said it.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2021 17:46:10 GMT -5
That’s true. Song of the South is probably best left in the vault, honestly. Except, it isn't. They still sell it in Asian markets, where there is not outcry about the racism, since their own racist views about other cultures support the themes in the film. Like I said, Dr Seuss Entertainment has decided to remove them which is their right; but, I think the specific book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, is so big a part of Dr Seuss' history that it would seem a better to idea to use it as a learning tool, than try to erase it. The others I don't think are as significant and won't be greatly missed. Other works have been through this, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which depicted the Oompa Loompas as black pygmies, in racist images. The illustrations were altered in later editions, which was some improvement, but those were just spot illustrations. Seuss is purely visual; but, this is one offending scene in the work, which I think justifies alteration into something more culturally sensitive or a special edition with material to explain to kids why the image is wrong. As a bookseller, I sold things that made me cringe. We carried Little Black Sambo in the childrens department, which is way worse than any of the offending images in the Seuss works. We also carried books that presented more positive images. We sold Mein Kampf and Elie Wiesel's Night. We sold Rush Limbaugh and Gandhi. The whole thing kind of reminds me of the origins of the book burning in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, which started because of objections to books because they offended a certain groups sensibilities and led to everything eventually being outlawed. It is a slippery slope when you start saying "I don't like this, take it off the market!" You can just ignore the work. I just don't think erasing the past fixes the problems of today, as we have to see our mistakes to learn from them and make a better tomorrow. |
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Post by impulse on Mar 7, 2021 18:13:49 GMT -5
Thanks for the interesting take. I don’t necessarily agree that the owner choosing to no longer produce and offer it for sale is equivalent to the government rounding up and burning all copies, but good point on preserving for historical and educational purposes. I am back to wanting my annotated version for education ha.
And wow. I didn’t realize Song of the South was still sold anywhere in official channels.
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Post by impulse on Mar 7, 2021 18:19:48 GMT -5
After I moved several years ago to a new city, I kept my subscription at my LCS through their mail program. Basically, they would bag and board them for me and mail them to me, just charging me for the supplies and shipping on top of the price of books. They included their own flyers with upcoming books so I could update and add things to my pull list. I missed going to the store and the social aspect, but the actual buying of the books was a much better experience this way. They were in better condition because I didn’t have to worry about actually keeping up with the bagging and boarding. I think gains in terms of time spent and comic book collection quality more than pay for them selves.
Sadly I had to cancel my subs anyway about five years ago for financial reasons and lack of space. But this was definitely a great way to do it.
Captain’s post about bagging in boarding reminded me how much time I spent in my life begging and boarding comics and how I like not doing it anymore. Silver lining!
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 7, 2021 18:32:28 GMT -5
Thanks for the interesting take. I don’t necessarily agree that the owner choosing to no longer produce and offer it for sale is equivalent to the government rounding up and burning all copies, but good point on preserving for historical and educational purposes. I am back to wanting my annotated version for education ha. And wow. I didn’t realize Song of the South was still sold anywhere in official channels. I'm not saying it's the same thing, but the path to government censorship often starts with cultural concerns from various groups, who eventually use their influence to force government into action. Government action is usually the end result of the road, not the starting point. The Comics Code Authority wasn't a government group; it was an organization started by the publishers, themselves, to keep the government out of it and they ended up creating something that did the government's work for them and stifled creative expression within comics for more than a generation. It's also not a Right or Left thing, as the same calls come from both sides. Both the Nazis and the Communists imposed censorship and there have been things banned for both conservative and liberal concerns, or challenged. We used to highlight this argument during Banned Books Week, when we highlighted works that had been banned or challenged and the reasons for the ban or challenge. They ranged from offensive language, like the N word and patronizing attitudes in Huck Finn to "a fictional account of Noah's Ark would just confuse children," for Madeline L'Engle's Many Waters, to The Diary of Anne Frank being "a real downer." No, I am not making that up; censorship calls can come from something as ridiculous as that. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 7, 2021 18:36:41 GMT -5
Sadly I had to cancel my son anyway about five years ago for financial reasons and lack of space. But this was definitely a great way to do it. This cancel culture is really getting crazy. Still, you’re probably saving enough money to offset any tax benefits you’d have been getting. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2021 18:52:31 GMT -5
I love the Progressive ads with the guy trying to prevent you from becoming your parents.
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Post by The Captain on Mar 7, 2021 18:53:49 GMT -5
After I moved several years ago to a new city, I kept my subscription at my LCS through their mail program. Basically, they would bag and board them for me and mail them to me, just charging me for the supplies and shipping on top of the price of books. They included their own flyers with upcoming books so I could update and add things to my pull list. I missed going to the store and the social aspect, but the actual buying of the books was a much better experience this way. They were in better condition because I didn’t have to worry about actually keeping up with the bagging and boarding. I think gains in terms of time spent and comic book collection quality more than pay for them selves. Sadly I had to cancel my son anyway about five years ago for financial reasons and lack of space. But this was definitely a great way to do it. Captain’s post about bagging in boarding reminded me how much time I spent in my life begging and boarding comics and how I like not doing it anymore. Silver lining! While I still do bag almost everything, I actually don't board any comics except all Silver Age or anything published after that worth more than $20. Actually need to go in and update my WCA run due to the Wandavision bumps. Probably won't hold the excessive value long-term, but even if they settle back down to the $20 range, it's still a hell of an uptick from the $1 that I am sure I bought all of those books for. As for bagging, the exceptions to my rule are all DC books that I buy from the $1 bin. They're for reading only, so if they don't come with a bag already, they're not getting one. |
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Post by junkmonkey on Mar 7, 2021 19:43:02 GMT -5
Sadly I had to cancel my son anyway about five years ago for financial reasons and lack of space. But this was definitely a great way to do it. This cancel culture is really getting crazy.
Beat me to it. |
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Post by Batflunkie on Mar 7, 2021 20:18:04 GMT -5
And wow. I didn’t realize Song of the South was still sold anywhere in official channels. I think the last physical release was on Laserdisc sometime in the 80's and it's highly coveted and it's what you'll usually find out in the wild if you know where to look what with DVD Bootlegs, online piracy and all that
I do remember Zippity-Do-Dah appearing on a one of the Disney Sing-A-Long VHS tapes in the 90's
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Post by impulse on Mar 7, 2021 21:17:29 GMT -5
Sadly I had to cancel my son anyway about five years ago for financial reasons and lack of space. But this was definitely a great way to do it. This cancel culture is really getting crazy. Still, you’re probably saving enough money to offset any tax benefits you’d have been getting. Ha! Thanks for the reminder to proofread my posts more carefully. My comic subs are long since cancelled, but I am happy to report that my son is doing just fine and is asleep upstairs. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Mar 8, 2021 9:03:01 GMT -5
(...) Like I said, Dr Seuss Entertainment has decided to remove them which is their right; but, I think the specific book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, is so big a part of Dr Seuss' history that it would seem a better to idea to use it as a learning tool, than try to erase it. The others I don't think are as significant and won't be greatly missed. (...) I'd contest that claim; personally, I've always thought both McElligot's Pool and, especially, On Beyond Zebra are way better than Mulberry Street. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2021 10:11:05 GMT -5
While I still do bag almost everything, I actually don't board any comics except all Silver Age or anything published after that worth more than $20. Actually need to go in and update my WCA run due to the Wandavision bumps. Probably won't hold the excessive value long-term, but even if they settle back down to the $20 range, it's still a hell of an uptick from the $1 that I am sure I bought all of those books for. As for bagging, the exceptions to my rule are all DC books that I buy from the $1 bin. They're for reading only, so if they don't come with a bag already, they're not getting one.
I bag everything....if it's a fairly worthless book (like most Archie from bronze up), I might double or triple bag. I don't leave anything exposed....you never know when those insects that love to nibble on paper come crawling out of nowhere and have a bite.
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