We all know the children’s books written by famous author Dr. Seuss. At some point in time, we have all read at least one book by him. Some of these including “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat.” However, some that millions of people have read will no longer be available.
On March 2nd, the birthday of Dr. Seuss, an announcement was made that six of his books will no longer be published due to racist and insensitive things. Among these includes “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McEligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!,” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.”
A majority of the characters Dr. Seuss created are white. Some claiming that he centers his books around these characters on purpose to portray white supremacy.
In a 2019 study, 50 of his books were examined and 43 out of the 45 characters of color have characteristics that are stereotypical, offensive portrayals of Asia and the two African characters both have anti-Black characteristics. In “The Cat’s Quizzer,” the Japanese character has a bright yellow face and Asian characters are carrying white males on their heads while holding a gun. The Asian characters are described as “helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant” and “countries no one can spell.” African men are wearing grass skirts with hair tied above their head, barefooted, in “If I Ran the Zoo”.
The announcement of these works being cancelled has sent a great deal of support to other books he has written. A lot of them have risen to the top of Amazon’s best seller list. However, some school districts across the country are not taking this lightly. A county of schools in Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., have decided to remove these books off their shelves.
Cancel culture got wind of everything involving the Dr. Seuss books and did not hesitate to jump in on the matter. A lot of criticism was thrown at “The Cat in the Hat” but it is still being published. Following this, Dr. Seuss enterprises said it is “committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio.”
In a statement put out by Dr. Seuss Enterprises they stated that ceasing these sales is part of their commitment to representing and supporting all communities and families. His stepdaughter, Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, spoke on his behalf; “there wasn’t a racist bone in that man’s body” and “he was so acutely aware of the world around him and cared so much” but agrees that it is a wise choice to remove these books “in this day and age.”
