Episode 214: Hucklebug’s Year End Show, shout-outs, Christmas Pet Stories, Pet Stories of the Year, late-breaking shout-out, fuck-offs and you-rules (of the week, and of the year), Movies of the Year, Lowlights and Highlights of the Year.
Music: “The Hucklebuck,” performed by Sierra Rein, Lee Rocker, and Frank Sinatra.
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Happy New Year to everyone! Today’s story of the day: Someone is coming up with an edition of Huck Finn that removes the N-word and replaces it with “slave” and is going to remove “injun” as well. Part of the logic is that schools are claiming they can’t teach Huck Finn because of the inclusion of that word, so they want to be able to teach the book in school. What have we come to as a PC society? This is Bowdlerization, pure and simple. What kind of teaching moments are you going to have if you take the uncomfortable language out in order to teach it, and how ignorant are the schools that put the rule in effect that you can’t teach it as-is, because it has a bad word in it? Are they trying to pretend that history wasn’t history? Instead of fostering a discussion about the history of racism (and Twain was pointing out his society’s racism, not promoting it), you want to create a world where it never existed and can be erased by Microsoft Word’s “find/replace” function? This one really hacked me off.
I am humbled and speechless. I’ve never been the highlight of anyone’s hour before, let alone the highlight of their year!
Of course I had a wonderful time too Betster, and I still really miss your folks.
While I don’t disagree with the fuck-off to John McCain, I have to point out that the blame for putting Sarah Palin out there doesn’t fully rest on him. As I recall, his own short list of veep possibilities was Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham. It was Bill Kristol who led the efforts to get Palin on the ticket, hoping to attract the religious right.
But the real guy to blame for Palin? Adam Brickley:
http://www.slate.com/id/2198949/
One a more positive note, here’s an idea for a future topic. Name the top 10 (or 15 or 20) fictional characters that have most influenced you. It’s something that showed up as someone’s facebook post and I thought it sounded interesting. I guess anything in the realm of literature, film, tv, etc. qualifies.
I’m baaaaack! Or to be clearer, I’m on my back getting better – thank you so much for a “hands on the screen” shoutout in December. I’m slowly getting back in shape. November-December was very busy for me, but now I may have some time to do some commentariantating.
Happy New Year to all Hucklebuggers out there!
Was it me, or does Putin sound like Elmer Fudd when he sings in English?
ThePete & I have a Wii and are not yet understanding of how to join as friends with others online. He has a simply adorable version of himself as a Mii – mine’s a little nondescript, tho.
The Hannukah Song (as I know it from my caroling group) is the one that Stennie attempted to sing: “Hannukah, Oh Hannukah come light the menorah/ Let’s have a party, we’ll all dance the horah…” I’m only 1/2 Jewish, so the only other songs I know of the Hannukah faith are The Dreidle Song and Menorah, Menorah.
Not much to add, but wanted to get on the board after missing last week.
The best thing about the Brit “Fever Pitch” was, far and away, Mark Strong, on whom I’ve developed a bit of a man-crush. He tends to get cast as The Heavy, which does quite well with (see, e.g., Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes and Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood), but he really shines as the good-guy w/ a streak of menace, as in Ritchie’s RocknRolla. He also looks a lot like Stanley Tucci. If they’re ever cast as brothers, I think my heart will explode.
Also–loved the rerun. It aired during my first semester of law-school exams, when I was not in any shape to be listening or commenting.
Happy 2011 to all!
Hello
I know I’m too late for this week’s episode, but I thought you’d want to know….
http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/07/sarah-palins-alaska-no-second-season/