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| Copyright D.C. THOMSON & Co., Ltd |
Just sat down with my anniversary boxed set of BEANO - 80 YEARS Of FUN, and am hugely disappointed to see that now the 'PC Brigade' are rewriting history. Think I'm kidding? Take a look at the facsimile cover of the first issue above. PEANUT, the little black boy who adorned the masthead has been excised from existence. The joke page which features him is also missing. (As are another 3 pages from what was originally a 28 page periodical.) So much for it having any archival value to collectors or historians.
What's the problem? The first issue has been reprinted several times over the years and Peanut has always been present, so why is he absent now? Racially sensitive perhaps? Maybe even offensive? Bollocks! A cartoon drawing of a black boy should be no more offensive to a black person than a picture of DENNIS The MENACE or FRED FLINSTONE would be to white person. What black people should be offended by is Peanut being written out of history as if he never existed.
The reprint even has a note inside saying "Some pages may contain references which are of their time, but would not be considered suitable today." Yet they omit Peanut, who - as a cartoon caricature - in no way could be considered any less suitable than any other comic strip character, white or otherwise. Take a look at him in a pic from one of the excised pages (below). He's a cute-looking wee fella whose inclusion was never intended to demean black people and surely wouldn't have been considered offensive to or by them at the time. (I think it's safe to assume that they have a sense of humour as well as perspective.)
Every single person who had a hand in the insulting decision to whitewash (no pun intended) Peanut from the comic's history should be lined up in a corridor and given a severe kicking for their seriously unsound, politically correct, pathetically patronising attitude. Remember a few years back when various council bosses and business managers issued an edict that their employees shouldn't swap Christmas cards with the word 'Merry Christmas' on them? Only cards with 'Seasons Greetings' or some equally anaemic, non-specific message should be used, for fear of offending Muslims. The Islamic community's reaction? "Don't be daft - we don't care!" This is yet another example of that kind of stupidity.
Here's how the 2008 book, The HISTORY Of The BEANO, addressed any potential controversy: "It (The Beano) has always been a child of its time, however, and as one looks over 70 years of Beanos, there is some content that would no longer be thought acceptable. When The Beano was first published in 1938 , the drawing of 'Peanut' appeared on the front cover, something that would never be contemplated today. To place The Beano in the context of the time, we keep the image of Peanut in this history but we certainly do not wish to cause any offense by so doing." See? Informative and educational at the same time. That's surely the best way to do it.
Here's how the 2008 book, The HISTORY Of The BEANO, addressed any potential controversy: "It (The Beano) has always been a child of its time, however, and as one looks over 70 years of Beanos, there is some content that would no longer be thought acceptable. When The Beano was first published in 1938 , the drawing of 'Peanut' appeared on the front cover, something that would never be contemplated today. To place The Beano in the context of the time, we keep the image of Peanut in this history but we certainly do not wish to cause any offense by so doing." See? Informative and educational at the same time. That's surely the best way to do it.
The boxed set itself is otherwise excellent and good value for money, and if you're a Beano fan, you're sure to love it. However, if you expect the facsimile of the first issue to accurately capture and reflect the spirit and humour of its time, then be aware that its archival and historical integrity has, sadly, been seriously compromised. Below is how the cover looked back in 1938. It would be nice if Thomson's could remember it for the next big anniversary bash.
