Recently, the British Telegraph wrote about Roald Dahl’s children’s novels being ‘revised and corrected,’ that is, adapted to please the dominant ideology of inclusiveness at the exclusive behest of the publisher. The later editions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (1964) and “Matilda” (1988) underwent major changes, and words such as “fat,” “ugly,” and “crazy” were removed. Why should a fat, obese person be called according to the spirit of the time? Differently thin? An ugly person, perhaps even with a misshapen face or disproportionate features, how should we define them? ‘Not really pretty,’ moderately pretty? And a madman, like the many who roam the streets of our cities, thanks to the fashion of closing mental health clinics, what shall we call him? Well in this case, we can say that the tyrants of the ‘woke’ culture are in fact madmen, because it is from them that the insane cultural censorships and castrations have come over the past 20 years, in a crescendo that seems to have no limits.
The revisions imposed on Dahl’s books are proudly presented by the publisher Puffin, which said how the rewriting of some passages, or the choice of new words were carried out to ensure that Dahl’s books “can continue to be enjoyed by everyone today.” The Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the copyrights to the novels of the writer who died in 1990, has worked with Puffin to update the texts, but assures that the “irreverence and edgy wit” of the original books have not been lost. After all, according to ignorant contemporary self-righteousness, Dahl’s classics needed to be more “contemporary” and “inclusive,” mindful of respect for all minorities as well as the “woke” faith demands. Therefore, Puffin and the Roald Dahl Story Company relied on the advice of ‘Inclusive Minds,’ which describes itself as “a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion, diversity, equality and accessibility in children’s literature.” They also introduced gender-neutral terms: moms and dads thus become “parents.” The “woke” turn of Dahl’s novels has sparked controversy.
A harsh comment came from Iranian writer Salman Rushdie, who was attacked and seriously injured last year at an event in upstate New York: “Roald Dahl was no angel, but this is absurd censorship,” Rushdie wrote on Twitter. “Puffin Books and the R. Dahl Story Company should be ashamed of themselves.” Our world has completely lost its compass, can you imagine reading the Bible, Odyssey or Aeneid, the Divine Comedy or the Declaration of Independence by sweetening some features or erasing words? From the ‘political correctness’ of twenty years ago, we have moved to a ‘woke’ world, a devastating logical consequence, the decline of the health and sanity of the planet.