Censor-itivity Readers

Our kids read The Beano. Of course, so do I … a couple of years ago, I noticed that “Fatty“, of Bash Street Kids fame, had been re-named “Freddy“.

And as the Daily Telegraph reports, “Sensitivity Readers” have now been busy bowdlerising Dahl. Among the usual po-faced excisions, the word “fat” has been removed from every book.

But I’m all for fat shaming; it saves lives.

When I put on a couple of stone during a 4 years 150 mile round trip daily pre-covid commute (toxic lifestyle – up at 6 am or earlier, no / minimal breakfast, rubbish coffee “lunch” on the run, 5 hours round trip drive daily, home c 9pm, later dinner, etc), of course no woke young person would mention that my power to weight ratio had gone decidedly backwards.

No such niceties from old family friends, older folk, friends of my late parents:

“God! You’re looking prosperous!  Herself feeding you well, I see ho ho!”  etc

And I found it very useful.  As is the way when you gain weight, if you’re a bloke, you don’t realise it.  Blokes tend to have reverse body dysmorphia, in that we see ourselves as being better than we are lol: “Sure, I’m grand.”

But a few friendly OAP insults later, and you think, after the initial disbelief, “hmm, maybe the plain-talking older generation have a point“.

And that kick-starts you into doing something about it.

I’m pretty sure we have a fair few Dahls as it is, but just in case, I’ve just now ordered a new set of 2007 Dahls (illustrated by Q. Blake), full of fat, ugly and nasty people who do horrid things.

Lord save us from the humourless. For the crack, I wonder should I tip them off about Frank Zappa’s lyrics ….