Sensitivity Readers

[Ben]

This is a new one on me. Apparently publishers are now hiring "sensitivity readers" to review the works of already published authors and are editing the books based on input from these readers. The example here is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (they "fixed" the oompa loompas).

I'm wondering how this is not some kind of intellectual property theft? A publisher has the right to publish or not publish someone's work, but how do they have the right to rewrite it?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/02/17/roald-dahl-woke-overhaul-offensive-words-removed/
https://twitchy.com/brettt-3136/2023/02/18/thanks-to-sensitivity-readers-the-oompa-loompas-are-now-gender-neutral-and-no-longer-tiny/

[WLJ]

Han shot first

[230RN]

Gives new meaning to my too-often repeated phrase "the Fix is in."

[Big Hairy Bee]

Recently, Because of Winn-Dixie, a book I often teach, had an edit in which a character is reading Gone With Wind has been changed to David Copperfield.  A terrible change because GWTW had context in the story and David Copperfield does not.

Glad I have a set of the early printings.

Another book I teach, The Outsiders, also has a pair of characters reading GWTW as well. 

This is ridiculous

[Perd Hapley]

Recently, Because of Winn-Dixie, a book I often teach, had an edit in which a character is reading Gone With Wind has been changed to David Copperfield.  A terrible change because GWTW had context in the story and David Copperfield does not.

Glad I have a set of the early printings.

Another book I teach, The Outsiders, also has a pair of characters reading GWTW as well. 

This is ridiculous

Must be DeSantis's fault. He won't let kids read about reading about slavery.

[230RN]

Han shot first

... reasonably in fear of immediate death or severe bodily harm...

Justified.  Innocent.

[Devonai]

It's a topic of discussion in the self-publishing world. Some authors are hiring them to try to avoid getting "canceled." The problem is that these sensitivity readers only specialize in certain "triggers," such as sexual assault, gender norms, race relations, cultural appropriation, etc. One would have to hire multiple readers to cover all the potential problems. Then there is, of course, woke culture changing the goal posts every other day. What was acceptable last year is now an unforgivable sin.

Then, what's left? It probably isn't literature anymore. More and more authors are banding together to try to stop the empowerment of this type of thinking. Ironic, I think, that those so far on the left have something in common with those on the far right. Ban the book, cancel the author... they're in good company together.

[230RN]

“Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” --Asimov
___________________________________

And so we are faced with machine-chosen phrases related by probability tables and tied together with adroitly-selected grammarical rules.

Reminds me of the time I wrote a program to generate potential automobile and pharmaceutical names en masse with a view to copyrighting them in batches and wait for the licensing money to roll in.

Then I found out you can't copyright things in bunches like that.

So where does all this machine-generated text fall in terms of copyright law?

Terry, 230RN

[Hawkmoon]

I'm wondering how this is not some kind of intellectual property theft? A publisher has the right to publish or not publish someone's work, but how do they have the right to rewrite it?

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/18/roald-dahl-books-rewritten-to-remove-language-deemed-offensive

From reading this article, I get the impression (not stated clearly) that the copyright holder is on board with and possibly even involved in making these "small and carefully considered" changes.

[Hawkmoon]

So where does all this machine-generated text fall in terms of copyright law?

There's a member of a writers' forum I occasionally lurk on who claims that all AI-generated text is per se a copyright violation, because it has to be copying something that someone wrote some time.

He likewise claims that all AI-generated art is a copyright violation, for the same reason.

Yes, he (? I think it's a he) is serious.

[230RN]

There must be a way to automatically class machine-generated text as in public domain.

The problem then becomes, how do you prove / disprove it was / was not machine-written.

I can't tell whether Devonai's post above was machine-written or composed by a human.   (Just taking that cogent post as an example, Devonai, no offense intended.)

Terry, 230RN

[MechAg94]

There's a member of a writers' forum I occasionally lurk on who claims that all AI-generated text is per se a copyright violation, because it has to be copying something that someone wrote some time.

He likewise claims that all AI-generated art is a copyright violation, for the same reason.

Yes, he (? I think it's a he) is serious.

I am sure if you got the right lawyers involved, you could show that every word and phrase has been used in a work of literature somewhere so anything you write or say would have you owing  royalties to someone.  Isn't that more or less what goes on in the music industry?

[Ben]

Now they are "fixing" Agatha Christie.

This is all nothing more than modern book burning.

https://twitchy.com/fuzzychimp-313137/2023/03/27/please-make-it-stop-agatha-christie-word-murder-on-the-sensitivity-express/

[Hawkmoon]

Now they are "fixing" Agatha Christie.

This is all nothing more than modern book burning.

https://twitchy.com/fuzzychimp-313137/2023/03/27/please-make-it-stop-agatha-christie-word-murder-on-the-sensitivity-express/

So what's the new title? "Suspected homicide on the Orient Express"?

[K Frame]

"So what's the new title? "Suspected homicide on the Orient Express"?"

Orient? ORIENT?

YOU DISGUSTING CISNORMAL WHITE SUPREMACY RACIST!

IT'S ASIAN!

[HankB]

"So what's the new title? "Suspected homicide on the Orient Express"?"

Orient? ORIENT?

YOU DISGUSTING CISNORMAL WHITE SUPREMACY RACIST!

IT'S ASIAN!

That's TRANS Asian, you bigot!

Enough with the books, they should all be destroyed since they all offend someone. I think kindling temperature is about 451 degrees Fahrenheit, isn't it?

[230RN]

That's TRANS Asian, you bigot!

Enough with the books, they should all be destroyed since they all offend someone. I think kindling temperature is about 451 degrees Fahrenheit, isn't it?

America is committing suicide.