Dead white a-holes who wrote some good stuff

[Iron Maiden]

I've reread the Rohmer books over the years, and I think they're ambivalent. On one hand, Rohmer did make outright statements against Asians, like referring in one book to the inherent "childishness" of the Chinese people. OTOH, sometimes he used common YP tropes for a little humor at the expense of his own people. Here's an excerpt I reprinted on my blog, just to give the interested some original material.


'Slowly he extended a gaunt hand in the direction of the torture room:
"Medieval devices designed to stimulate reluctant memories."
He stepped aside and took up a pair of long-handled tongs.
"Forceps used to tear sinews."
He spoke softly, then dropped those instruments of agony. The clang of their fall made my soul sick.
"Primitive and clumsy. China has done better. No doubt you recall the Seven Gates? However, these forms of questions are no longer necessary. I can learn all that I wish to know by the mere exercise of that neglected implement, the human will."'


There's no question in my mind that every time Rohmer writes Fu Manchu, he makes Fu the smartest and most interesting man in the room. This isn't necessarily true with some of his other Asian masterminds. They're clever and resourceful, but they don't have Fu's incredible sangfroid.

Yes, I think that's why his books were so popular at the time. I think Rohmer was pretty well off but the wiki says he made bad business investments. It wasn't so much that Sir Denis Nayland Smith was that great of a lead character but it was Fu Manchu that appears throughout the series that drew me into it. As I recall his appearances were quite brief in some of the novels but just the unseen air of menace and danger. It wasn't great literature but it was an old fashioned page turner.

[Trey Strain]

Say something derogatory about any other group, and you'll lose your livelihood and your life will be ruined. Say something derogatory about white people and it's "Haw, haw!" and you get slapped on the back. That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.

[Carabas]

One of these days he'll aquire the ability to read other people's posts, but today is not that day.

[Trey Strain]

And if anyone doesn't want to hear that, it's only because they know it's true.

[ed2962]

Say something derogatory about any other group, and you'll lose your livelihood and your life will be ruined. Say something derogatory about white people and it's "Haw, haw!" and you get slapped on the back. That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.

This is demonstratively not true. There's any number of people who have criticized black public figures for being either racist or sexist. There are many people who have successful careers by being "politically incorrect."

Donald Trump is in trouble now, but he won the Republican nomination by criticizing other groups of people.

[ed2962]

No, but the OP centered the topic upon dead white writers, rather than upon all dead writers who had racist beliefs. It would have been smarter just to say "dead racist writers." Then, if the only writers mentioned by posters were white-- well, then, that would be totally on the posters who responded.

Sadly, I myself wouldn't be able to add any non-white racists writers to the mix, since the only one I can think of at the moment is still alive.

Oh, wait, does non-fiction count? If so, I'd add Eldridge Cleaver to the list. If that doesn't break with the OP's intent, of course.

Hmm...I wouldn't argue against Cleaver being problematic.

[Kieran_Frost]

Mark Twain was the first name to spring to mind. Rudyard Kipling too. Both great writers, massively influencing generations.

[wjowski]

Say something derogatory about any other group, and you'll lose your livelihood and your life will be ruined. Say something derogatory about white people and it's "Haw, haw!" and you get slapped on the back. That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.

Yes, we get it. Are you going to actually contribute anything to the discussion or not?

[Filament]

Saying something derogatory about any group, including white people, will jeopardize you at work nowadays if you're doing it on company time or property. Any group, at least outside of certain areas of the Deep South. When it was ok over a large part of the country, it was due to white a-holes in high places condoning it.

[The Negative Zone]

Say something derogatory about any other group, and you'll lose your livelihood and your life will be ruined. Say something derogatory about white people and it's "Haw, haw!" and you get slapped on the back. That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to consider our posts and not post the same thing a third time.

[Mark Thrust]

Maybe our health-care plans can be expanded to include free counseling for people who read this literature and suffer trauma from it. The University of Florida is doing something similar.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-costumes.html

I guess I am an out-dated Leftist, because the stuff that these neo-liberals are pushing reeks of regressive, 1950's level of censorship.
I mean, grow a pair, FFS.

[Mark Thrust]

One of these days he'll aquire the ability to read other people's posts, but today is not that day.

Well, the title of the thread IS poorly worded, and seems to use a racial component that isn't needed.
It just as well could have been titled 'Dead a-holes who wrote good stuff'.

[Kai "the spy"]

I said it's perfectly OK call white people a-holes, and if you say that about any other group, then all hell will break loose. That's simply a fact, and I stated it.

And now you're "offended" that I stated it? Not only is it not offensive to say that, but if anyone says anything about it, then that's offensive?

You've got all the bases covered there, don't you?

But how long can you keep that up? At what point will more and more people start calling you out about it?

Then what will you do?

Oh, yes, I'm sorry. Whatever gave me the idea you were complaining?!

Speaking of political correctness, substitute any other ethnicity in the thread title and see how that goes over. That's why PC culture is so stupid and tiresome.

Yes, that is totally a fact.

Why is it cool and hip to say things like that about white people, and horrendously offensive to say the very same things about other people?

That's so unfair, right?!

Don't try to defend it, because there's no defense for it. And if you think it's OK, then all you've done is to support my point. I said it was perfectly OK, didn't I?

Ooh, a real "gotcha there".

Say something derogatory about any other group, and you'll lose your livelihood and your life will be ruined. Say something derogatory about white people and it's "Haw, haw!" and you get slapped on the back. That's Alice in Wonderland stuff.

It's a fact, and you're just saying it. Again. And again.

And if anyone doesn't want to hear that, it's only because they know it's true.

Okay, let's get serious here for a second. What you are complaining about is a double standart, but the complaint is based on the idea that there's a clean slate between all races. It completely ignores the history of white people oppressing, enslaving and mass-murdering people of other races on a massive scale, and it ignores the fact that there's systemic racism against blacks, asians, hispanics, Indeginous Americans, and so on. Whatever reverse racism there is, it's mostly a reaction to all the horrible stuff non-white people have had to endure thanks to white people.

Take it from a German. If members of your people have committed acts of oppression and even genocide because they viewed members of other races as inferior, and people call them a-holes?! They're kinda right.

[Trey Strain]

Do the people who fanatically enforce such stupidity really think it's having the effect they desire? Or do they fear in the back of their minds that it's having quite the opposite effect? I think they do fear it, or more accurately, they know that it is, and that's what explains their witch-hunting hysteria.

[worstblogever]

Wait, did someone say, "Alice in Wonderland"? Maybe it's a good time to remember that Lewis Carroll is a dead white author widely believed to have been a pedophile.