Nolte: Woke ‘Gone with the Wind’ Publisher Adds ‘White Supremacist’ Warning

The stupid and fascist assault on Gone with the Wind marches on, this time with a trigger warning on the famous novel.

Because readers might find the book—lol—“hurtful or indeed harmful,” U.K. publisher Pan MacMillan is slapping the 1936 best-seller with the equivalent of a warning label:

The text of this book remains true to the original in every way and is reflective of the language and period in which it was originally written. We want to alert readers that there may be hurtful or indeed harmful phrases and terminology that were prevalent at the time this novel was written and which are true to the context of the historical setting of this novel. Pan Macmillan believes changing the text to reflect today’s world would undermine the authenticity of the original, so has chosen to leave the text in its entirety. This does not, however, constitute an endorsement of the characterisation, content or language used.

Someone named Philippa Gregory—a white woman, naturally—will also add a foreword that lays out the “white supremacist” aspects of the story.

I sure hope I live long enough to watch history throw back its head and laugh at these pious, uptight, fascist fools.

I’m all for disclosure. I’ve never had any problem with parental warnings or labels on movies or music. There’s nothing wrong with informing people that there’s “nudity” or “mature content.” Fair enough. But these morons are going well beyond that.

First off, this approach is naked and grotesque virtue-signaling. Oh, look at how enlightened we are! Secondly, labeling an 87-year-old novel “hurtful” and “harmful” is beyond pathetic.

Finally, and this is my real grievance, all of this is designed to tell the reader what to think about Gone with the Wind, to tell us how we should interpret it and what we should focus on. No decent person, most especially people who control art, should do that with art. You never-ever-ever-ever tell your customers or audience, This is what you should think about this piece of art.

When you interpret art, all you do is reveal who you are. You are not interpreting art. You are revealing how you interpret art. That says everything about you and nothing about the art. And when you assume the responsibility of the rights holder and/or publisher, muscling your interpretation into the artistic experience is naked fascism.

Nothing about Gone with the Wind strikes me as racial. To me, it is a Depression-era story told within the subtext of the Civil War about perseverance and survival during an uncontrollable hell-storm that destroys your way of life. These universal themes are nothing new. What makes Gone with the Wind so special and timeless is Scarlett O’Hara, one of the greatest characters in all of storytelling. Her imperfections, complications, and contradictions bring her to vivid life. She is unforgettably human and, therefore, eternally relatable.

There’s a reason why, accounting for inflation, the 1939 film is still the most popular and financially successful movie ever made. There’s a reason why 73 percent of black Americans love the movie.

And let’s not forget Hattie McDaniel’s towering performance as Mammy. McDaniel was the first black actor or actress to win an Oscar. Moreover, her character is the heart and conscience of the story. While Rhett, Scarlett, Ashley, and Melanie are unraveled by their weaknesses, it is Mammy who holds on to her dignity. She’s the rock in that family, which makes the “‘white supremacy” attack anti-science and laughably reactionary.

Are there racial depictions in Gone with the Wind that make me roll my eyes? Sure. But those few moments are nowhere near as regressive or eye-rolling as the Woke McCarthyites’ smug and childish warning labels.

WATCH: Gone with the Wind 75th anniversary trailer: 

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