“Ten Little Indians” play cancelled after NAACP protest
***See update***
***
Following on the heels of the Denver diversity debacle, here’s another p.c. brouhaha of the day (via the Cincinatti Enquirer, hat tip – OrbusMax):
A widely performed school play has been canceled by Lakota officials after a recent meeting with a local NAACP official.
The internationally acclaimed play – Agatha Christie’s “Ten Little Indians” – was to be performed by students at Lakota East High School this weekend.
But Gary Hines, president of the local NAACP branch, recently complained to Lakota officials that the play, based on Christie’s 1939 mystery novel, was inappropriate for a school production.
Hines said the book’s original title and cover illustration used for its initial publishing that year in England was a racial slur toward blacks and included a cover illustration of a black person and a hangman’s noose.
“The original title was ‘Ten Little (N – - – - – -),’ and it is important to say that because that was the actual title,” Hines said Monday.
The title of the international bestseller was widely changed after 1939, and school theater productions in America have performed the murder mystery play as either “Ten Little Indians” or “And Then There Were None” for decades since.
Hines claims that a lack of racial diversity among Lakota’s students and teachers allowed the play to be chosen despite the history surrounding its original title.
“It’s a lack of diversity knowledge on their part. Diversity is not a way of life in Lakota,” Hines said.
Hines has a vested interest in manufacturing p.c. outrage. Guess what he does for a living? He’s a diversity consultant “who operates GPH Consultants – a diversity training company – in West Chester Township.” Of course!
I smell a cheesy diversity training video in the works…
***
Dan Riehl has some background on the evolution of the title of Christie’s play.
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Just do a play called 10 little lesbians and you’re covered. No complaints
What a load of p.c. garbage. Agatha Christie’s play is wonderful and the several movie versions (in black and white) are awsome.
To turn around and not perform a true work of lititure(?) is the real crime. All this false indignation over so called insults and what may or may not be offensive is a crock.
The real losers in this are the students for not geting to perform.
New Title suggestion: Ten Little Liberals.
Plot: how dollars mysteriously keep disappearing from our wallets whenever they are around. That’s diverse, right?
Manufactured outrage about racism to line the company’s coffers. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Conflict of interest? Only if it is a conservative. Nothing to see here folks. Move along now!
(Afterthought) I knew we were in trouble once they started banning Samuel Clemens. If he were alive today, I bet money he would be jumping well clear of Calaveras County.
Rosie O’ showed how to hang from nooses.
Oh, for goodness sake. If the NAACP is going to use history as an excuse, why are they not fighting for;
The Bible being a text book in school
Prayer in school
The Ten Commandments in school
…
I mean, by their reasoning, the children should know.
Err…..pay me or else, or as this clown sells it, diversity…
tsk, tsk……
Now here’s a title for the play that no one (on the left) could object to…Ten Height-Challenged Whitey’s…
Was the original title “10 Little nig–rs” offensive, or are people after 1939 just cowtowing to the diversity/PC police. “Come on,it was just a title, loosen up”. How far should you take the anti-PC agenda. Cleaning up a pig, and changing it’s name doesn’t take the stank off of it. I wouldn’t complain to the press, or protest, but I wouldn’t watch this play, or let my kid be in it.
Soon there will be no Goldie locks and the three little (Mohammed) Bears. Redheads will be upset as well as peta.
Life is hard and -everyone- discriminates. Let’s be honest.
Conveniently, however, only caucasians seem to be capable of discrimination.
Okay – I drive past this high school every day on my way to work, and it is a good school and in the ‘in demand’ school district in the area. Personally, I just think the outrage is manufactured over jealousy that Mr. Hines & his LULAC & CAIR buddies don’t have more control over the district.
Although, I guess they’ve gained a smidgen more control now, haven’t they?
This happened near my hometown. It is crazy. Many are upset about the cancellation and you have the usual diversity drumbeaters screaming about racism. The big problem is that the area is affluent, mostly upper middle / upperclass. Given that, of course they are all racists. I have seen the play, the movie and read all of Agatha Christies novels. I didn’t see racism in any of them, but I look at the world with a different set of glasses.
Wow…so now we get to pick and choose when we change the history of the country to suit our needs? Since when is it important to change the titles of things back to the original racist form to show how bad it was?
Does this mean we need to change all the restaurants named Lyons back to the original “Sambos” just so we can have manufactured protests to change the name of the restaurants to something less offesive like, say, Lyons?
It is unbelievable that the school district, the local paper, the school board and parent association went along with this bullying. It is a completely pre-fabricated excuse to protest something that had already been taken care of. The school should re-instate the play and ban any member of the NAACP from admittance for having a racist title for an organization (using the term “Colored People” in their name. Very offensive.)
In the idiotic PC world/country we live in today, Ten Little “Anythings” would draw fire because somebody somewhere can find a negative or offensive spin to it.
This country better chill and fast on this nonsense or we really will have riots over stupid meaningless drivel. If you think about it, we are getting closer to the Religion of Perpetual Outrage as Michelle as calls it. At least we aren’t barbaric in response to this crap but that might not be too far off.
Stop caving in to the race pimps, PC police, and diversity whores….or else America.
#15 — if the restaurants change names back, do you think we could get the Girl Scouts to go back to calling the best cookie ever invented Samoas instead of that sissy little replacement name “Caramel DeLites”?
Maybe it was the use of the word “little” that offended them – could be construed as an assault on their manhood.
#18, I think you just endangered Little Bo Peep. They will be going after that one next.
The title refers to the island that the story takes place on, not the people in the story.
“An oddly assorted company isolated in the only house on Nigger Island are one by one murdered and there are thrills and suspense in plenty”
The shame here is the school district succumbing to hyper-boil and manufactured offense. 10 minutes of research on the internet would have shut down the complaint and the students would have been able to enjoy putting on and watching a wonderful story.
I question everything this man has to say.
You can’t judge a book by its cover…
How about Ten Little Rose Law Firm Files?
And then there were none.
Did the Lakotas give permission to name the High School after their “tribe”?
30 pcs — NICE!!
Those files (with Hillary’s prints all over them) are like Jason – everytime she thinks they are dead and buried, they just keep coming back to life.
Yesterday it was about bears and the Religion of Perpetual Outrage.
Maybe the NAACP should change their name to the National Organization of Perpetual Outrage (NOPO).
It’s just another way to keep the racism candle lit so they can justify their existance.
10 Million Little Illegal Aliens
And then there were none. Just may be there’s a way after all.
Thanks MissMarciLyn!
This is stupid, squared.First,banning a piece of theater for any reason is an outrage in a country that values freedom of speech,and self-expression.Second (as Dan points out,Christy was English.Third,how many people knew what the original was?
How far will the race-baiters go to get some notoriety?
However some rap “artist” can name a song the same thing and it will shoot straight to the top of the charts. I wonder if it was the nooses that he really objected to?
You are most welcome.
I’m recently local with this guy (he’s in my county) and I already can’t stand him, but I didn’t know about the 2002 rigamarole — not that I’m surprised!
Just A Grunt,
It’s a lack of diversity training that he objects to. If only we would all sign ourselves up for a class or two – all of our problems would just disappear. Poof and they are gone…
Note how Hines says “Diversity is not a way of life in Lakota.”
If you read the forward in Orwell’s 1984 (I forget which edition), it says how newspeak is supposed to erase the ability to even think crimes against the state. The language describing diversity as “a way of life” certainly is reminiscent of that feeling.
I suggest that Mr. Hines look at freedom as a way of life. Also, I wonder if GPH is exactly 51% female, and a direct cross section of America racially. If not, I guess it’s not “a way of life” for GPH either.
Gary Hines is the Douglas Ford of the diversity-training industry.
I’m sure the wonder people of Lakota felt like their “way of life” was just fine until Mr. Hiney blew into town. People like him care nothing about race relations. But you can bet bottom dollar that he’ll use it as his platform. What a disgrace.
wonderful people
Hmm, by not supporting his allegations of racism against the district, is not Hines now an accessory to their racism?
Actually, I suspect Hines is racist all on his own, but I’m thinking of ways to counter sue.
Harassment should be viable means used to counter sue.
Charlie, #26, yes, I love it.
The noose on the cover reminds me, it could be called Ten Little Columbia Security Videos
…and then there were none.
I guess he felt like he had to protect his phony baloney job by inventing an outrage. Maybe we can send him to Darfur, Sudan, Saudi Arabia to impart a little diversity training there with as many of his colleagues as we could send with him. A diversity final solution program (great way to thin the liberal herd).
When the NAACP so involved in education we need not wonder why 60% of their favorite minority will be high school drop outs. Or the value of having two N words that require redact in a country that has laws guaranteeing freedom of speech (and for those so offended freedom of speech is much more important than their callus feelings). Or the diversity enrichment the NAACP introduced by explaining Michael Vicks sub-culture of dog training.
Indeed, the NAACP is an organization worthy of disrupting the education process with their feelings and perfect example of diversity being the mother of incompetence.
Were they “ten little black indians”?
Why does anyone give the NAACP the time of day anymore? They’re the biggest group of racists in the country. Maybe they’re the ones who need diversity training. It’s time for them to leave the 19th and 20th centuries and catch-up with the rest of the world. Of course, that would cut off their source of income.
How about, National Organization of Militant Oliogarchy and Perpetual Outrage? NO-MO-PO. Even Sharpton, and Jackson could rally around that…even if they don’t know what NOMOPO stands for…it just sounds so good!
right_on I think you’ve got it!
I’m glad I moved out of West Chester. My sister graduated from the original Lakota HS before things became PC. (speling correction: Cincinnati)
aarrggh! (SPELLING)
In order to satisfy the NAACP’s ‘cultural concerns’, the play when performed,henceforth will be presented as “Ten Little Pickaninnies”
Call it “10 little girls on birth control from school” and it will win awards.
ammo john — I know what you mean; I’m in Fairfield Twp and have friends with kids in Lakota, and they said in the last 5-7 years it’s gotten terrible with all the PC-ism and propaganda
I played Anthony Marston (the first dead Indian:)at a local dinner theatre back in 1982. The whole cast was white:):):) Lovely people, lovely mystery. Agatha Christie beauty.
Screw diversity if this is what it conjures up.
Think what would happen if it were called “10 Little Mohammeds?”
gemini….would that then be worth 400 lashes??
Is there anything left that is not viewed as “racist” anymore?
E Pluribus Unum (out of many, ONE) is the opposite of “diversity.”
I get madder every day!
“10 Little Conservatives”. That way, each one that dies, will get a standing ovation! A hit play, sure to get bids from all the hollywood studios. Or, if that is too obvious, how about “10 Army Soldiers”. That would surely get the support from the Dems…not to mention Code Pink. The next debate will be full of questions to Obama and Hillary on how they would have killed them….oh, yes, and supported them at the same time.
The original reasoning behind the book sounds racist to me. Not to mention the spook on the book cover.
Change the title back to “10 Little Nigg—”. It’s just a name right, why give in to those with the victim mentality? What about all the easily offended diversity and political correctness bobledeboo? Why the political correct name change after 1939? When is it okay to be offended without being called a professional victim or a hustler? Isn’t anyone OUTRAGED about the cowtowing to political correctness by changning it to “indians”?
Hmmmmmmm, whatever, I’m just entertaining myself here, I know what comes next. Post over.
I’d just like to chime in and say welcome to Reggie Dunlop! Do you know where the Palm Isle is in this town?
While I cannot understand why the “N” wod was found offensive by this race-baiter, yet the Indian word was not, I still want to know the reasoning why, after nearly 70 years he felt the need to tell everyone what the original name of the play was and then have it cancelled and banned based on that concept. It seems to me it would have saved him a great deal of time and effort to have it banned on the current name alone, though it does not serve his purpose. It also does not have anything to do, necessarily, with the show.
this is a prime example of ignorance running amuck. It is the knee-jerk Liberalism at it’s finest. It is what happens when a bunch of busy-bodies get together and decide to do something about something in order to prevent a problem from never happening that has never happened in 70 years.
I wouldn’t recommend holding your breath for this to change any time soon. I am afraid you will just turn a funny blue color. And I do not believe you are covered by the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People at that point. they are a pretty select group. I will only support them when they elect a white person as their president to show just how inclusive they are.
I for one never knew it was originally called that. I know times were different then, but still, very odd. I have seen at least one of the movies, and there’s nothing racist about it that I remember. I love Agatha Christie and it’s disappointing that she called the book by that name.
How about “10 Honest Politicians”? And then there were none… It would be a very short play.
30pcs re: #36,
Forgive my ignorance, I went to public schools in Blue York. But is Mr. Hiney what was called a “carpetbagger”? I never really understood the term, but I heard it used a lot when the Clinton’s moved in.
I did a search on this to determine the nature of the racist title (shown in other comments). Even though a little shocked, I noticed that the offensive title was only used in *England*, and was changed prior to entry in the U.S. due to sensitivity about the term. Can anyone confirm this? If correct, and given the time since this happened, doesn’t this deserve a little discretion?
Buck I, I suspect there are a couple of posters here who would be more than happy with a return to the original name.
Yeah. I’ve been there. For years I though “Sweet Home Alabama” was a racist song. A Youtube commenter set me straight, and I did some research. I was so glad to be wrong. Now, I don’t have to feel like and Uncle Tom when I rock out to Skynard.
People you look up to can disappoint sometimes though.(I’m looking at you Woody Allen).
#58/Buckeye…..
Stanford Indians had to be changed to Cardinals. I’d be upset now that it relates to the Church…..ooops…wrong Cardinal:):)
Could be, they must be closeted. Or there are no anti-Black racists on MM which is refreshing.
Hey what’s with Coach Dorrell, his team can beat the Big Boys, but lose to the bottom feeders. If he wins against USC and then the bowl, he might save his job. It’s a curious situation. My Buckeyes may get a shot at the title afterall, but I’m afraid either WV or Missouri would run us off the field.
#66
Wrong Cardinal…I just spit a little bit of water on my keyboard. I hope it ain’t broke. Funny though.
Next we will lose the Dallas Cowboys because of what they did to Stanford. Not PC enough.
Hey Buck as a Native American I do not take offense of the subject at hand. We often call each other “Indians” and there is no problem and there is no problem when Non-Indians refer to us as Indians. We have been called Indians for centuries and I am sure there are some natives that do take offense, but here the majority do not. As I said in an earlier post few weeks ago I am glad that the Euros conquered North America and not a muslim power that really would have made things worse.
As 25% Native American I was not taking offense at the title either. As far as the comment about people wanting a return to the original title, I would like to know what made you think that, as i am not aware of any racists, closeted or otherwise, on this site. As a matter of fact, in past postings, there has only been showings of outrage towards any showings of racism in the past, so I think that statement of yours might just be more telling than you want it to be.
Remember, it isn’t just whites that are the racists.
Interesting Garyt: (Wait a minute you’re THAT Garyt…nah, nevermind that’s in the past)
I have joked above about mascots, but I’ve often wondered about the “indian” mascots. I look at the Cleveland Indians mascot, Chief Wahoo.(not to mention the flippin “redskins”) He’s red in color with a feather, and a bit stupid spit eating grin on his face. I think it’s ridiculously offensive.
Imagine:
The Cleveland Blacks- Dark, dark, brown, big pink lips, kinky afro, and a sambo grin.
The Cleveland Jews- big nose,big lips stereotypical curly sides, and maybe go the hasidic jew route
Cleveland Yellowmen- extra slanted eyes, yellow skin, stereotypical bowl cut, cheesy smile.
Cleveland Mexicans- Stereotypical speedy Gonzales hat, goofy grin.
I think every group and description I listed would be extremely offensive, and politically incorrect if you must, but no city or organization could ever, ever get away with it. I think it’s because these groups are respected for their political influence. Why do you think Native Americans get the shaft? How are you able to get away with a Chief Wahoo cariacature, and and a Redskins, name, but nobody would dare try something similar with another minority group. I don’t know many Native Americans, so I’d like to hear your take. I think the disparate treatment is abysmal, but I gave up getting excited about it, because nobody seems to care. What’s your take?
Get hooked on phonics at your local Walmart Ret, or maybe the sight is faulty in your right eye. My bad if that’s the case.
I agree, or my god I agree, I agree. I had a little tongue and cheek with Dakine, but my original 2 posts have to do with the question of when it’s okay to be offended. If some people here are treating the former title as trully offensive, why? When is it okay on MM.com for conservatives to be offended, by White on Black racism? If the former title applies, then why isn’t it considered cowtowing to political correctness by changing the name. Is racial offense only non-mocked if it takes place over 50 yrs ago. Obviously my question was treated as rhetorical by all, but a couple people, but Oh well, I guess it only entertained or interested me. That’s okay.
Go ahead with the Billy goat, bridge schtick. I’m just responding to your post to impeach any possible lies about non-responsiveness in the future.
Back to the bridge deal now.
Well Buck as a believer in Christ, He takes away alot of the sting of what the world offeres. Knowing we have eternal salvation and that knowing Peace about it makes me not to worry about your worldly problems. Sure natives blame others for the booze, unemployment, drugs, but there is away out of that life without blaming the whiteman.
The US Constitution at one time indicated Black People were worth 3/5th a person for the purpose of the number of Representatives a state may have in the House. Therefore, the US Constitution has a racist history. Therefore, the US Consitution is an inappopriate document. Therefore, the Constitution is now annulled. Because the Constitution is now annulled, Slavery of Black People shall return, Women lose the right to vote, hecek, everyone lsoes the right to vote, All Newspapers and TV news channels shall cease to exist. All other television networks now belong to the Government. Everyone must pay 75% of the their income in taxes, and all Gays and Lesbians are to be killed on sight.
(The sad thing is, some people believe this will really happen tomorrow, except for the reason the Consitution is annulled.)
I wonder if the University of Delaware would help out with the production of the play, they could donate the use of their theater….