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Bond in motion - 60 years James Bond Exhibition

Source: Didier Messens / Getty

Welp, here’s something that might make some Black readers happy while also incurring the wrath of white tearsy white people who hate what the “woke agenda” is doing to their beloved racist and otherwise problematic platforms, TV shows, films and literature.

Ian Fleming Publications Ltd is set to release revised versions of the classic James Bond novels written by author Ian Fleming. The books are being revised to eliminate racist language in updates that will include a disclaimer on each novel that reads: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition, while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set.”

From Hypebeast:

Examples of the racial references being either replaced or removed include the use of the “n” word, which has been changed to either “black person” or “black man,” as well as some of the racial descriptors being taken out entirely. The Telegraph notes, however, Bond’s use of racial terms for east Asian people and remarks deemed sexist or homophobic stay in the texts.

“We at Ian Fleming Publications reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided our best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead. We have made changes to Live and Let Die that he himself authorised,” the company said in a statement. “Following Ian’s approach, we looked at the instances of several racial terms across the books and removed a number of individual words or else swapped them for terms that are more accepted today but in keeping with the period in which the books were written.”

The company added, “We encourage people to read the books for themselves when the new paperbacks are published in April,” which will mark the 70th anniversary of Casino Royale’s publication — the first book in the series.

Yeeeeah, sorry. But if Ian Flemming Publications thought this would be well-received news by Bond fans, the company has clearly never encountered aggrieved, white Twitter.

To be fair, Whoopi Goldberg also appears to be very upset about the changes.

I mean, in all honesty, I’m sure nobody asked for this. This isn’t “cancel culture” run amok, as I don’t imagine many activists and progressives had old Bond novels on their radar for things that need to be updated into the 21st century. Still, I just don’t imagine there are many Bond fans who don’t already have the original copies of the novels unless they were never big readers in the first place. (Which, if Anti-Woke Twitter is any indication, that wouldn’t be a surprise.)

Also, even if one doesn’t currently have the originals and are suddenly inclined to purchase them, one might be surprised by how easy they are to track down when one has the entire internet at their disposal. So, I don’t know—maybe it’s just enjoyable to see anti-woke people get upset over something that doesn’t really matter while accusing everyone else of doing the same. I guess I’m just petty like that. 

See how Twitter‘s reacting to the abrupt changes below.

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