It seems to me that Twain himself would be able to masterfully point
    out the most serious flaw in the arguments of his current detractors...
    they seem to suggest by their objections that somehow the denial of the
    reality of an old way of looking at things will somehow prevent it from
    occurring again.  They leave no room for the truth that it is ignorance
    of the world around them (past and present) which tends to lead to such
    behaviors in the future.  Are they also suggesting that though THEY
    were taught these "contemptible" works, and yet did not come to accept
    racism as a "given" in life, that today's minds are somehow so inferior
    that they would be incapable of the same developmental process?
        As a secondary point on this current discussion topic, it has been
    my experience that it is not only Twain who is being less taught, but
    many other "classic" writers.  I heard a substitute in our building
    issue a reading assignment to some seniors on behalf of the regular
    teachers, adding,"these are what *I* learned as 'old' works.  My own
    background is in 20th century liturature...there you will find much
    better examples of writing about the same ideas."  This is the sort of
    attitude which erodes Twain's popularity as much as the "PC"
    crowd...indeed, this is the sort of attitude which hampers real
    education as much as any other!