Date:  Fri, 15 Dec 1995 11:03:39 -0500

From:  Ronald Butters <amspeech[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ACPUB.DUKE.EDU>

Subject: Re: Two versions of AMERICAN TONGUES?



There are at least two versions of AT. The original contained footage of

a white person uttering the word "nigger"; ths drew so many objections

that they removed it. There may have been other editions as well, but I

know that this happened. The use of that particular racial slur so

distracted audiences that they missed everything else that was going

on--including (ironically) the film's implied message that the power of

racial slurs is incredible. We have thleorginal version in the Duke

library, and when I show it to students I always warn them lthat the word

will be there and that there is a reason for it (and I explain the

rerason). Otherwise, it takes a whole week to straighten things out.