FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,463 
|
Post by FinalGwen on Feb 28, 2023 9:25:29 GMT -5
Ultimately I don't see how much shelf life the books have other than as a curiosity, there's nothing to really learn from them, if people want dumb James Bond action they're more likely to rewatch the films, and the publishers know that with the backwards attitudes in the text their potential audience is dwindling and dwindling.
I'm not even sure this is an attempt to appeal to diverse audiences, it's more likely just get as many tabloid headlines as possible so that people remember 'oh yeah, there were actually books of those' and blame 'wokeness/political correctness' for any flaws rather than the massive media corporations that want more money, and buy them whenever they give up on the changes. I'd call it a dogwhistle but I'm too gay to use the word whistle according to Fleming.
|
|
|
|
Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Feb 28, 2023 15:19:11 GMT -5
Ultimately I don't see how much shelf life the books have other than as a curiosity, there's nothing to really learn from them, if people want dumb James Bond action they're more likely to rewatch the films, and the publishers know that with the backwards attitudes in the text their potential audience is dwindling and dwindling. I'm not even sure this is an attempt to appeal to diverse audiences, it's more likely just get as many tabloid headlines as possible so that people remember 'oh yeah, there were actually books of those' and blame 'wokeness/political correctness' for any flaws rather than the massive media corporations that want more money, and buy them whenever they give up on the changes. I'd call it a dogwhistle but I'm too gay to use the word whistle according to Fleming. I mean, the character evolving as society progresses isn’t inherently bad, Bond’s always been malleable to a degree and future films are likely going to be gradually different from Fleming in some way (like all Hollywood adaptations). Connery Bond could be downright fiendish compared to Brosnan or Craig’s. I was just noting for many people, there’s a neutral-leaning “danger aura” around the IP that I’m deducing is part of the draw (especially since his often archaic way of thinking becomes part of the plot in later films). |
|
|
|
Post by The Summer of Muskrat XVII on Feb 28, 2023 20:21:02 GMT -5
Whoopi Goldberg of all people went off on a pretty good rant about this. The basic jist was we need to learn from the past, not run from it. Reading stuff like this makes us better people by reflecting on what’s wrong with it, not pretending it never happened. And Fleming was not a good person, dude was racist, homophobic and misogynistic. But erasing history is never the answer, On one hand, I get that, but on the other, it's not really erasing history when the originals are readily available. The books sold well, there are many, many copies out there, and probably not that difficult or expensive to get for someone who's motivated to read them in their original form. The issue is more that James Bond continues to be a name they want to keep pushing and making money off of, but the people putting the books out really don't have the desire to slap their name on them in their current form. More cynically, though, this does get people talking about the books, and some people will peek in out of curiosity. That’s a valid point, saying “erasing history” was a little strong. But I stand by the general concept, own the flaws of the work and have a disclaimer. Obviously a lot of the shit in Bond books and movies over the years isn’t acceptable in 2023, Connery spends a significant portion of You Only Live Twice in yellow face for godsakes. Those early movies, and basically anything that Fleming wrote, have some issues. The movies are a product of their time, the books Fleming was already a little behind the times in his thinking |
|
|
|
Post by Hobby Drifter on Mar 1, 2023 10:44:59 GMT -5
There are however many tens of millions of the originals in publication available for next-to-nothing on the secondary market. If you absolutely MUST read the OG Bond stories as published, you’ll never have trouble doing so.
But if you’re looking to enjoy these books in a form where certain things don’t take you *immediately* out of the story, the option is there for you.
It’s weird. Back when I lived in the US, most movies shown on TV would be edited for content. But nobody seemed to have much of an issue with it. Indeed, some folks enjoyed the changes (Big Lebowski, Robocop, even the PG-rated Ghostbusters). It was just understood as a part of showing whatever movie to that specific audience.
|
|
lucas_lee
Hank Scorpio
Heel turn is finished, now stripping away my personality
Posts: 6,804
|
Post by lucas_lee on Mar 1, 2023 11:00:40 GMT -5
Its awkward hearing the OG Bond stories as audiobooks. You can tell David Tennant didnt want to say some of the horrendous stuff Bond says about women. Which makes it hilarious.
|
|
Mozenrath
FANatic
Foppery and Whim
Speedy Speed Boy
Posts: 121,410
Member is Online
|
Post by Mozenrath on Mar 1, 2023 11:20:50 GMT -5
Its awkward hearing the OG Bond stories as audiobooks. You can tell David Tennant didnt want to say some of the horrendous stuff Bond says about women. Which makes it hilarious. It's like having Huckleberry Finn in English class and getting a substitute teacher who was NOT prepped adequately on what that'd entail. |
|
FinalGwen
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Particularly fond of muffins.
Posts: 16,463
|
Post by FinalGwen on Mar 1, 2023 13:20:25 GMT -5
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.”-A guy who had a bad feeling about this ... I can't even joke about how bad a take this is. Yes, them doing a reprinting of James Bond without bigotry to try and make more money is exactly like the dictatorship of 1984 and how they narrowed the field of language to keep absolute control and make dissent impossible. |
|
The Unconquered Sun
King Koopa
He has no pants! What a heathen!
Lord of Storms and Kittens!
Posts: 11,553 
|
Post by The Unconquered Sun on Mar 1, 2023 17:11:35 GMT -5
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped.”-A guy who had a bad feeling about this i mean i would have gone with Those who control the present, control the past and those who control the past control the future.
|
|
XIII
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Posts: 18,682
|
Post by XIII on Mar 1, 2023 17:31:51 GMT -5
the wild thing about the Bond revisions is that if what I've read is accurate they only changed some things and there are still a bunch of slurs directed at Asian people and other offensive content.
|
|
|
|
Post by dirtyoldman on Mar 1, 2023 19:17:14 GMT -5
Wonder if we'll get versions of great British sitcoms such us Love Thy Neighbour and Curry and Chips....
|
|
Toates Madhackrviper
King Koopa
Is owed an Admin life-debt.
This avatar is so far out of date I might as well stick with it forever now.
Posts: 10,728
|
Post by Toates Madhackrviper on Mar 1, 2023 19:44:36 GMT -5
... I can't even joke about how bad a take this is. Yes, them doing a reprinting of James Bond without bigotry to try and make more money is exactly like the dictatorship of 1984 and how they narrowed the field of language to keep absolute control and make dissent impossible. “The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”-a guy who knew you’d take a mile if given an inch I can fairly definitively say that Orwell was not talking about hate speech censorship when he wrote 1984 lmao. But ok go off. |
|
|
|
Post by Savage Gambino on Mar 1, 2023 21:51:00 GMT -5
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”-a guy who knew you’d take a mile if given an inch I can fairly definitively say that Orwell was not talking about hate speech censorship when he wrote 1984 lmao. But ok go off. It also ignores the fact that the original copies will also remain in circulation, which, if we're sticking with the 1984 analogy, would have rendered The Party's rewriting of history entirely moot. Like, if you're looking for a copy of Doctor No wherein "Chigroes" are a major plot point, they're still there. Of course, to be fair, this wouldn't be the first attempt to compare something I don't like to 1984 or whatever popular dystopian book that left out such minor details. |
|
|
|
Post by Cyno on Mar 1, 2023 22:14:28 GMT -5
“The choice for mankind lies between freedom and happiness and for the great bulk of mankind, happiness is better.”-a guy who knew you’d take a mile if given an inch I can fairly definitively say that Orwell was not talking about hate speech censorship when he wrote 1984 lmao. But ok go off. He was also talking about censorship by the state, not a private entity making a decision about something they own the rights to. |
|
|
|
Post by Limity (BLM) on Mar 1, 2023 23:11:26 GMT -5
I can fairly definitively say that Orwell was not talking about hate speech censorship when he wrote 1984 lmao. But ok go off. He was also talking about censorship by the state, not a private entity making a decision about something they own the rights to. Silly things like context aren't important! If you squint from a distance and make your claim so general, you can't help but be right. |
|
|
|
Post by Non Banjoble Tokens on Mar 3, 2023 3:32:49 GMT -5
How about trying the gender swap technique? Absolutely everything else is the same, but now for some reason James Bond is a girl. Have I solved anything? Probably not, but it is fun to think about.  |
|
|
|
Post by Limity (BLM) on Mar 3, 2023 5:49:40 GMT -5
How about trying the gender swap technique? Absolutely everything else is the same, but now for some reason James Bond is a girl. Have I solved anything? Probably not, but it is fun to think about. The first step needs to be Idris Elba as Bond. Then we can worry about Charlize Theron as Bond. |
|
|
|
Post by Alice Syndrome on Mar 3, 2023 5:58:02 GMT -5
How about trying the gender swap technique? Absolutely everything else is the same, but now for some reason James Bond is a girl. Have I solved anything? Probably not, but it is fun to think about. Well, it would probably significantly improve that book where he rapes a lesbian straight. |
|
|
|
Post by Feyrhausen on Mar 3, 2023 6:46:30 GMT -5
I can fairly definitively say that Orwell was not talking about hate speech censorship when he wrote 1984 lmao. But ok go off. He was also talking about censorship by the state, not a private entity making a decision about something they own the rights to. Texas is currently trying to block you from being able to read or find any information about a certain subject on the internet. But yeah, a book publisher voluntarily editing a property they own to make more money is what sets these kinds of people off. |
|
