Millionaire Finn

I kinda have a dual topic today only because I have two things floating in my head and I would really hate to try to spread them in to two different blogs when in reality I just want to write. In the background in my life right now I have been cultivating my bio for grad school. I am about to start a 4th draft and I think writing about something other than my past is called for.

The other day I thought about what would I do if I won the lottery. The $330 million jackpot for Mega Millions was something so tempting that it seemed everyone wanted to play.  I personally did not play, but I wonder what if I decided to and I won. Let's not even think about the fact that the odds are so against anyone winning that you have a better chance of getting killed by a vending machine.

What is up with world today? Did I read correctly that a publisher is currently making a version of Huckleberry Finn that takes out the N word? I find this to be so incredibly insane. This is worse than censorship to me, this is more like rewriting a literary work. It is almost like editing history because we want our young readers to be able to stomach the harshness of the past. 

I do not need $330 million to make me happy. However, I would love that type of money to establish a legacy for myself. I find it odd that most people who end up winning these lotteries end up blowing all their money within a few years. I would never do that. I do not need to live a rich life because all I want to do is live comfortably. Sure, I would pay off all my debts as just a starter, but I would help those that I care about the most too.

Huckleberry Finn uses the word "nigger" 200 times in the book. I can hear that word the same amount of times on a drive from Syracuse to New York listening to nothing but Hip Hop. I am not saying that I should be hearing this world, but that is the reality of the world we live in. Besides, it is important to keep that word within the novel because of the context of the story as well at the time period. Are we supposed to let children believe that slave owners were nice to their slaves?

Clearly I would pay off my house. I would pay off my dad's, bother's, and mother's too. I would also pay off my tia's house. I would set up a college fund for my nephew and I would definitely go to grad school with no worries at all. I would start up my own business that centers around the art of creative writing. What I find funny is that I am not sure how much material things I would own. I have no need for a huge mansion nor do I need a new car. I would be practical and use the money to enjoy life. More importantly, I would continue to work in some way.

What kills me the most is that Mark Twain is classical author and to change a single word of any of this literary works is an abomination to the art of creative writing. That is like editing Leonardo da Vinci's art work because it is some how considered offensive. Yes, I am taking offensive to this because a writer produces work the way it is intended on being read regardless of the text. There is no need for "radio edits". If you do not like the word then cross it out. Changing it is not acceptable. 

I often think about the song "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars. Sure, I would love to buy all things I never had, but I would love to make my mark on the world. I would love to have a building on the Syracuse University campus names after me. The Otero Center for Afro-Latino Studies. Now, tell me that does not have a ring to it! Alas, I think money just makes us a large version of ourselves and I am not sure the world is not ready for me yet...lol

P.S. If I did win a ridiculous amount of money, I would buy that publishing company destroying Huckleberry Finn.