the caution is confined to the audiobooks and seeks to provide context, stating, “The first book in the Discworld series – The Colour of Magic – was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.”

That's it. That's the whole "story".

Penguin Random House delineated that the notice should not be misconstrued as a trigger warning, but rather a note meant to situate the reader in the timeframe of the book’s origins.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. That whole site smells.

[–] SomeoneElse@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

THANK YOU. Wtf is this fake outrage about?!

[–] Rangelus@lemmy.nz 1 points 1 year ago

A perfectly reasonable way of handling this IMHO.

[–] BrikoX@vlemmy.net -2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Their titles are shit, but the context is that it wouldn't been needed before.

[–] SomeoneElse@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

the context is that it wouldn’t been needed before.

Before like in the past? Of course it wasn’t needed in the past. Times change, what is considered offensive evolves. It’s a good thing to have a little side note saying “Just so you’re aware this author isn’t a racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobe. The terms used in book were not considered offensive at the time of publishing and no disrespect or insult was intended”. Including notes like that are pretty important so that we can enjoy older media in the way it was intended and not make important works taboo because they don’t conform with today’s standards.

I’m in my 30s and there’s already a lot of words I used in childhood that are considered offensive now. And I’d put money on the likelihood that some words I use now won’t be considered appropriate within my lifetime. That’s not censorship, it’s progress.

[–] SheeEttin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Yeah, because times change, of course it wasn't needed before. When Huck Finn was new it didn't have that kind of reminder either. It does now due to different attitudes toward slavery. (Yes, even though it's partially satirical.)

If anything, a reminder that things were created in a different time, and should be viewed through that lens, should be given far more often, not less.