No… Dr. Seuss Is Not “Cancelled”
Another day, another “controversial” story to debunk!
I understand why people see the headline “Dr. Seuss Ceasing Book Sales Over Racist Depictions” and get emotional.
But I think there’s a lot of unnecessary worry about this idea. So let me help!
Yes, there are six books that will no longer print. This is because Dr. Seuss Enterprises has independently decided this.
After an investigation was done, lead by appointed educators, there were six books identified as portraying “hurtful” images and depictions.
These 6 books are: “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” (1937), “McElligot’s Pool” (1947), “If I Ran the Zoo” (1950), “Scrambled Eggs Super!” (1953), “On Beyond Zebra!” (1955), and “The Cat’s Quizzer” (1976).
It was said that these books contain offensive images that portray Asians and Africans “in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”
There are about thirty-nine Dr. Seuss books total, meaning that the rest are in the clear.
This decision was made by Dr. Seuss Enterprises themselves. They are not feeding into the idea that Dr. Seuss was racist or that he should be “cancelled”.
Instead, they say it’s more about protecting and preserving the legacy. They statedm
Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure [the] catalog represents and supports all communities and families.”
Of course, feel however you wish to feel. But I truly don’t think this is as burning of a topic as the internet makes it out to be.
All of the big ones, like “Cat in the Hat” and “Green Eggs and Ham” are “safe”.
I think Stephen Colbert put it best in this clip:
