John, how then do you get around Tarzan's first encounter with a black man?
John, how then do you get around Tarzan's first encounter with a black man?
Anon,<br>As a 10 year old kid in 1970, I did not 'get around' Tarzan's first encounter with a black man - I just read it. And that is something you might consider doing before passing prejudgement.<br><br>If you had read it, you'd realize that the black man Tarzan first encountered was portrayed not as an 'inhuman monster' by E.R.B., but rather as the noble son of a Chief. He was a warrior and an excellent hunter whose tribe had been displaced into the territory of the apes, their former way of life having been disrupted by their mistreatment at the hands of encroaching rubber and ivory traders (white men).<br><br>Again, this is something you'll only come to understand if you actually read the book you chose to comment on, but the scene does not describe Tarzan's first encounter with a black man -- it describes Tarzan's very first encounter with a human. Indeed, it was this encounter that made Tarzan realize that he was of the same race as the warrior - the race of humankind. In fact, although Tarzan recognized the hunter as the type of man described as 'Negro' in his picture-book, he identified him as 'The Archer' described in the same book.<br><br>Yes, Tarzan killed this man and others from his tribe-- not because he saw them as black, not because he saw them as inhuman, and not because he saw them as monsters -- but, because he saw them as the killers of his mother. <br><br>Later, E.R.B. introduces the Waziri tribe. They are strong, noble, intelligent, dignified and outstandingly good-hearted people. And, they are perhaps Tarzan's best and most loyal allies throughout his adventures in Africa.<br><br>If you ever get around to reading these wonderful works of fiction, you will see that for the period, E.R.B. was incredibly progressive in his views. And, much like the thoughts that preoccupy the guilty minds of those who desperately want to be considered politically correct, the villains of his stories were almost exclusively white men.<br><br>'How may we judge him, by what standards, this ape-man with the heart and head and body of an English gentleman, and the training of a wild beast?'<br>
John, I have to agree with you on this. There is no politically correct way to describe a cannible. History tells us that humans (red or yellow, black or white) have some skeletons in our closets that one should not be proud of. <br><br>Fact is, you can still find this behavior today in parts of the world.<br><br>I have seldom been offended by watching the Three Stooges. I realize that not all middle aged white men are idiots...
I totally agree with John and WG. Those people who find in E.R.B.'s books a stance on racial issues are looking to deeply into the story. The Tarzan books are just that, stories meant to entertain, not to teach a prejudiced point of view. The books are fun and interesting, and no one should concentrate on a single point like the treatment of blacks in the book. Go John and WB! Keep up the good agruements!
How ridiculous of Anonymous to use today's self-righteous fetishism of language to bash E.R.B.'s book written almost 90 years ago. It's the same kind of short-sighted intolerance that lead the Nazis to burn books they considered 'inexcusable'. I doubt that Anonymous even read Tarzan Of The Apes because there are no 'constant references' to black people being 'inhuman monsters' -- indeed, E.R.B. portrayed people of different races just as all people are: some good and noble, and some not.
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