It was altered in the 70s, around the same time the Thomas book was altered.

Amongst the people with influence who set the curriculum in England for a very long time. He wasn't some fringe artist with unusual views.

Nor can you select the worst examples of someone else's country to defend America's conduct on patriotic grounds which is blatantly what's happening here.

There's a massive Americentrism problem in the wider West that both the US left and right wingers absolutely hate being challenged, they are exactly alike on this issue as far as I am concerned.

Who said anything about "universal"?

The views of the Anglican church have been debated for centuries that doesn't negate their power and influence. Theirs was very much the voice of the establishment, ala Kipling.

So is “gay”. Language evolves. Being a linguistic originalist would be a hard and eccentric hill to die on.

Who here is defending America?

Reminding the world that Britain has done a lot of evil and exposing how contemporary Brits justify said evil acts does not equate to defending America.

Some of us can walk and chew gum simultaneously. Cute deflection though.

Isn't it "lest"? Not a native speaker so I don't really know.

huh, so it is.

I always thought it was spelled the same just said differently similar to read(red) and read(reed).

Come on, this whole thread is basically Americans shitting on Britons because Britons don't generally put American PoV goggles on when discussing racism.

Henry wasn't sorry, it was on purpose. He was celebrated. I have read the entirety of The Railway Series to my daughter twice (I do substitute in "coal" for the aforementioned slur). There is some crazy shit in there. Engine body horror.

Well, now I am going to have to go home and check my copy of Thomas. Because I totally remember that line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrTxww_AIsI

I really respect your answer, but surely The Island of Sodor should be considered a separate canon rather than more canonical than The Railway Series? I don’t have a copy, given it’s sadly been out of print for around 40 years, but does it include things like talking, sentient, opinionated steam engines? ;)

Henry the Green Engine reads:

Then I expect you were sorry for Henry who was often ill and unable to work. He gave Sir Topham Hatt (who is, of course, our Fat Controller) a lot of worry. Now Henry has a new shape and is ready for anything. These stories tell you all about it.

"Cheer up, Henry! It wasn't your fault. Ice and snow caused the accident. I'm sending you to Crewe, a fine place for sick engines.
They'll give you a new shape and a larger firebox. Then you'll feel a different engine, and won't need special coal any more. Won't that be nice?"
"Yes, sir," said Henry doubtfully.

Henry liked being at Crewe, but was glad to come home.

He is clearly the same Henry in terms of personality and memories, post-rebuild, even if he has miraculously morphed into a Black 5. If The Island of Sodor takes a more realistic approach, that’s fine, but even your quote says “rebuilt” instead of “scrapped”.

That Thomas-as-the-ship-of-Theseus meme that did the rounds on Lemmy the other week springs to mind…

I don't think Tintin is publishing anything today... Or recently. Not anything new, anyways.

The Island of Sodor was intended to be fully canon, as a sourcebook for parents reading to children who wanted more detailed information about the world of the books in order to answer questions. It’s just more in-depth.

You can think of it as the Railway Series being the simplified ELI5 version, and TIS being the “real” version. For instance, the RS only mentions Sir Topham Hatt, without the clarification given in TIS that this relates to a father or his son depending on in which period of Sodor’s history the story is set.

Being a linguistic originalist would be a hard and eccentric hill to die on.

Well good I'm glad the UK has abandoned that principle, it was getting a bit pretentious.

it was as normal as it is now. so what’s your point?

nobody is making shit up except the propagandists who spoon feed us this idea that we are so much more enlightened now we were in the olden days. i mean, look around you.

What? Gay always meant happy, jolly etc. it was repurposed and gets weird if used by its original meaning.
My good man, how queer! Just means ‘quite odd’, sounds very old fashioned, but never ever meant anything else.
What a gay day!

Gay meant happy. Then it was used as a perjorative to infantilise homosexuals in part to justify medical and judicial intervention. It was later reclaimed and has its current usage.