Are Roald Dahl Books Racist?

[DangerousBeanz]

I've been reading a thread on a Facebook page where someone asked for recommendations for children's books. Someone suggested Roald Dahl as a good choice for characters who didn't conform to gender stereotypes, and another contributer said his books were racist.
Now I've never noticed any racism, but it kind of kicked off a bit and the recommended was told that if she couldn't see the problem she was part of the problem even though she only asked for examples of how and said she'd never noticed that aspect to the stories.
I didn't like to ask how and which books in case I got slagged off too.
So AIBU in thinking Roald Dahl children's books are fab and not racist or have I really missed something?

www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160912-the-dark-side-of-roald-dahl

I loved his books as a child but have never been able to enjoy them again since reading that he said:
"There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it’s a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. I mean, there’s always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere; even a stinker like Hitler didn’t just pick on them for no reason. I mean, if you and I were in a line moving towards what we knew were gas chambers, I’d rather have a go at taking one of the guards with me; but they [the Jews] were always submissive.”
Read more: forward.com/schmooze/349771/the-5-most-anti-semitic-things-roald-dahl-has-ever-said/

whatever they were, he rescued them from poverty if I remember correctly and they helped him run the factory. They weren't his slaves??! The books are old and from a time where people spoke and did things differently but that doesn't make them inherently racist, perhaps a bit ignorant or dated but I highly doubt oompah lompahs were ever meant to be akin to slaves!!

SavoyCabbage indeed he did. 'Even a stinker like Hitler didn't target them without good reason.'
I've read a lot of his books -especially the adult ones- and can't think of the top of my head of any racism.

He wasn't the nicest of people.

www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160912-the-dark-side-of-roald-dahl

Sorry, cross post with that link.

If Roald Dahl came for Christmas and said anything racist while eating my turkey then I'd challenge him on his views. But he's dead. Children need to know that there's a difference between what used to be acceptable and what isn't acceptable any more. Some kids shout 'sexist' when you tell them about attitudes towards Elizabeth I as an unmarried queen but it's just a fact that peoples' values have changed. It's wrong to shelter kids from that because no it's a fundamental aspect of life. How else will they understand their negative feelings about their grandchildrens' values?

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/top-academic-warns-subtle-racism-charlie-and-chocolate-factory%3famp

I found this on google... I don’t know how reliable it is, but it’s definitely pointed a few things out that I hadn’t noticed!

Did not know about the anti-Semitism. That’s appalling. But luckily not in the books.

Come to think of it I do remember a character in one of his stories racially abusing an Indian doctor. But that was a character, not the author iyswim. You can write a story involving a racist character without being racist yourself.

I had read that Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was originally written as a black child. Probably on here actually. But somehow morphed into a while child when brought to the screen.

A white child.....sigh.

Yes I read that about Charlie too.

It is well known that Roald Dahl made some rather anti-semetic comments and was very probably a racist person. However, I have not noticed racism in any of his children's books (although I could understand the Charlie and the chocolate factory argument). When I think of my favourites (twits, George's marvellous medicine, Matilda) I can't think of any potential racist ideas - it has been a few years though.

Idk. I haven’t noticed it but that obviously doesn’t mean it isn’t there...

But I do think that there’s value in using children’s books (depends on the child, age etc) that are in some aspects problematic (especially if that’s because they are representative of the time they were written in) if we later talk about these things / encourage children to be critical and think about why we don’t say, do or believe things like that.

In the German version of Pippi Longstockings (Idk about the English one) Pippi’s dad is a n king. My parents explained the history of that word, why we didn’t use it etc when I was little. Which is imo more valuable than just not reading a book to a child / not letting them read it or sanitising it.

But that’s just my opinion.

Author yes. He was notoriously pro-Empire and as has been discussed, pretty anti-Semetic too. Going Solo was his autobiography and not strictly a children's read and does raise a fair few concerns about his general attitude towards the Africans who were basically his servants.

Books no, other than the reading by some academics that the Oompa Loompas are problematic (being paid in cacao beans, never being allowed out etc), but then again you can read anything into anything if you use the right critical theory for it.

Bottom line, the books are fabulous and were a massive part of so many childhoods, mine included. You can enjoy the books while condemning the author but credit to him, whatever his personal views he never used his children's books to preach or attempt to incite racial hatred.

The Oompa Loompas were indeed originally written and illustrated as black.

In the book "The wonderful story of Henry Sugar and six more", there's a short (and dark) story called "The Swan", about two boys who kidnap and victimise a third boy. Through no fault of Dahl's (as that story was written long before it happened), it was thought that it was alarmingly similar to the abduction of James Bulger, although with a very different ending. There were calls for the story to be banned.

MN has really taken on quite an obsession with race-relations as of late.

A what king?

Have you read Dahl's books for adults? He had a very cruel and twisted mind!

To be perfectly frank, I find the cacao beans to be the most problematic part of Chocolate Factory...

They are clearly addicts, and Wonka is clearly feeding that addiction. One had to hope one of the rooms the Great Glass Elevator lead to was rehab...

The N-word king, EastMidsMummy

I think he’s a Cannibal King in the English versions I read. When Pippi is in the South Seas I think it probably is low-key racist (smart Pippe saving all the ‘natives’ type of thing and everyone worshipping her and her dad) though I haven’t read that book for many years.

EastMidsMummy

www.thelocal.de/20111108/38739

In Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, when the President of the US is trying to work out what the elevator is and who its inhabitants are, he calls some of the other world leaders. It makes awkward reading - especially the “jokes” based upon the Chinese names which are parody names and it’s a bit cringe-worthy, really.

I love Roald Dahl though. The kids and I have had a discussion about how it’s rude to make fun of people’s names and that back when the book was written some people thought that stupid “jokes” about names were funny.

i think people are looking for reasons for it to be racist. Of course it isn't - its a book.