Talk:Nigger Heaven (Van Vechten)
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Reasoning for the disclaimer
[edit]The novel has remained quite controversial ever since its release. A lot of the reasoning for this has to do with the white author Van Vechten's insistence on using the n-word in the title of his "negro novel". But there have also been concerns about how the black characters in the narrative are portrayed, with many critics saying their portrayals are stereotypical and harmful, or that the novel was more of an exploitation of the Black community than an appreciation of it. Not everyone (within the black community or otherwise) agreed that this novel was a bad racial representation, and I'm sure there's some legitimate debate to be had on this, since Carl Van Vechten was a quite progressive man for his time despite the downsides to his legacy (a bit like Al Jolson). But let's suffice it to say that for our purposes, it is at least racially insensitive by today's standards. It would raise some eyebrows, especially because of the title, so I'm using the disclaimer to be on the side of caution. SnowyCinema (talk) 20:34, 20 April 2024 (UTC)