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Several Norwegian newspapers reported today that future printings of the children's books by Roald Dahl will be updated to PC language and history. If you're British, you may know books such as Mathilda, The BFG, The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and a bunch of other ones.
These Norwegian newspaper stories presented lists of the original Roald Dahl wordings together with new PC wordings - but both table columns were translated to Norwegian, probably by the newspaper staff. You can never 100% trust translations, in particular when the PC-ness of language is involved.
Have any of you Brits seen any such translation-to-PC-language table in the news lately? Do you have a URL to an English-language version? (The Norwegian table had almost 50 entries.)
Roald Dahl was never intended to be PC!
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It looks as if I have to follow the link to the Telegraph in order to see the complete list of edits.
The Telegraph makes an offer of 1 month of 'free' access. So they want my email address. I have set up a quite well-working sorting of incoming email into different folders (of which 'spam' is the fastest growing one). So I said 'OK'.
They they want my credit card details to give me this 'free' offer. Sorry, that is going (far) beyond my concept of a 'free' offer.
Has anyone around here given the Telegraph their credit card details, and able to quote that word list? Or would that constitute a law-breaking copyright infringement?
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trønderen wrote: Has anyone around here given the Telegraph their credit card details, and able to quote that word list?
That would not be me. I'm not particularly interested in what is or isn't PC these days. Don't plan to follow any PC crusade and my indignation level is set to mild  .
Mircea
modified 21-Feb-23 12:53pm.
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If you are a granddaddy, and dig up the old children's books you read for your kids when you were a daddy, The Child Protection Service may come after you
If I wanted to move to the US of A (I don't!), I would have to leave behind a number of books in my bookshelves, at least one of them aimed at preschoolers. I depends on the state laws, but that preschooler book could in some states earn me six years in prison for just owning.
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trønderen wrote: If I wanted to move to the US of A (I don't!),
I worked for 25 years for a US company, telecommuting when telecommuting was not even a word and resisted my boss's gentle nudges to move to US. It's safe to assume there is no chance for me to move to US
As for grand-kids books, I managed to forever distort their world view with such pernicious stories like Dr. Seuss. My work is done! (evil grin)
Mircea
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Do copyright laws have any sway in this case? If publisher has the copyrights, then they can change the words I guess. Not a good thing.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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jmaida wrote: Do copyright laws have any sway in this case?
From the Norwegian news stories, it appears that the current copyright owners claim the right to change the artistic work because they have paid for the rights.
Norwegian copyright laws are quite liberal, e.g. as a consumer you are entitled to make private copies of protected works, such as CDs and DVDs (as a main rule; there are certain minor restrictions). But: Even if the creator sells the right to make profit from the work, say to a publishing house, he has certain rights that belongs to him forever (and to his descendants), essentially associated with the 'creative' aspects. The buyer of the rights may not use it or change it in a way that defames the original work or distorts it in a disrespectful way. Obviously, if you buy the movie rights to a novel, the different medium will mandate some modifications, but these should be made proper respect for the original.
It is not so that any person sufficiently rich to buy whatever copyright he wants gains the right to modify any creative work to suit his personal tastes.
(In Norwegian, the term for such inalienable rights is 'ideal rights'. There is a corresponding, but different English term - I used to know, but right now I don't remember it.)
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Inalienable rights are a legal principle in USA (I think in England but not so sure).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
"cannot be transferred to another or others. Incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred to another; not alienable. Incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred to another; not alienable."
That being said, it's one thing to have the rights but another defending those rights in court.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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I managed to dig up the English term that I couldn't remember: In copyright issues, it is called Moral Rights[^]. The Wikipedia article presents a good selection of the variations among legislations.
As you point out, defending rights in court can be a big problem, in particular if some international multi-billion-dollar company wants to market their mutilation of an original work in 170 different jurisdictions. As the creator, you frequently end up in a situation like in The Great Automatic Grammatizator[^].
(That "Grammatizator" story celebrates 70 years nowadays, in the age of ChatGPT. It is time to pick up the "Someone like you" anthology and re-read the story )
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 Learned something new. This has been good discussion. Thanx
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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"His BMI was higher than average ..."
"Before entering on an understanding, I have meditated for a long time, and have foreseen what might happen. It is not genius which reveals to me suddenly, secretly, what I have to say or to do in a circumstance unexpected by other people; it is reflection, it is meditation." - Napoleon I
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Or the Garfield approach: "I'm not overweight, I am undertall".
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PC is idiots trying to impose their views on others. 
One can be sensitive to others, without being PC.
Ed the Barbarian.
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#Worldle #395 3/6 (100%)
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🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜⬅️
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🎉
https://worldle.teuteuf.fr
Knew where but Had to use map to get name
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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I'm trying to understand my procrastination, I'll start first thing in the morning!
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I used to have a really bad mental health problem - I was absolutely convinced my superiority complex was smaller that everyone else's . .
Where's the door - I seldom bring a coat . .
A few are great.
I am small.
Together we are the Universe.
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"A little time, a little trouble, your better day"
Badfinger
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Using a Java-based IDE for writing C++ code.
(rant of the day)
"In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?"
-- Rigoletto
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Which one?
I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated.
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I can hear the Gods of C++ sobbing...
"In testa che avete, Signor di Ceprano?"
-- Rigoletto
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Is using a C++-based IDE to write Java code OK? If so, why not the reverse?
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.
-- 6079 Smith W.
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