6 Dr. Seuss books to stop being published over racist, insensitive imagery

[Baitball Blogger]

On what would have been famed author Dr. Seuss’s 117th birthday, the company that continues to produce his books has decided to stop publishing six of the author’s stories.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced Tuesday that it will stop publishing “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “If I Ran the Zoo,” “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs” and “The Cat’s Quizzer,” The Associated Press reported.


The reason is due to racist and insensitive imagery in the stories.

Despite the positive messages of environmentalism and tolerance, some of the illustrations used in his books to depict Black and Asian characters have been criticized. His early advertising and propaganda drawings have also come under fire over the past few years, the AP reported.




https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/6-dr-seuss-books-stop-being-published-over-racist-insensitive-imagery/BO6WGI66BJCLTJ5W5FI7PIPNUU/?utm_source=WFTV-TV%20Breaking%20News&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=78856

[Aristus]

1. Right-wingers are going to scream "Cancel Culture!".

Even though they hate "The Lorax" and "The Butter Battle Book".

I understand and respect the reasons why they will no longer publish these selected books. If right-wingers don't like it, they're free to produce their own childrens' books...

[Baitball Blogger]

3. From what I gather from the article, it's the illustrations that are offensive.

So, I imagine the book will still be published in the future with less offensive illustrations.

[SheltieLover]

5. Hopefully so!

[mopinko]

2. this is great news.

i remember reading some of these books to my kids and squirming.
this is a HOT topic w little free library stewards.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Was it the words, or the illustrations?

[GoCubsGo]

7. The illustrations.

[mopinko]

8. the illustrations.

they mention the depictions of orientals. they always hit me as hinky.

my kids are in their 30's. there just wasnt the kind of kid's books then that there is now.
we used to do a kid's book of the month club. got a lot of dr seuss.
fortunately also got some daniel pinkwater.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. Asians.

[obamanut2012]

30. Yes!

[GoCubsGo]

6. The righties are going apeshit over this.

They're claiming Dr. Seuss is being "cancelled." Ummm...no. His bazillion other books will remain available, unlike this half dozen books that I have little doubt that the vast majority of people have never heard of, let alone read.

[DFW]

19. The vast majority of us 50 or older, at least when I lived in the States

We had ALL read "On Beyond Zebra." We could almost recite it from memory, although I don't remember all of the illustrations by a long shot. The only kids I knew who hadn't read On Beyond Zebra were the ones who couldn't yet read.

[RobinA]

23. I'm Beyond 60

and I never even heard of On Beyond Zebra. And I had every Dr. Seuss printed in the early 60's. I wonder if Amazon has any copies left.

[DFW]

25. We got several, including that one, for our German granddaughters

That was last year, though. No idea of there have been any book burnings in the meantime at Amazon.

[GoCubsGo]

26. I'm 60. I never heard of it.

Or, any of the others. I started reading when I was two.

[DFW]

27. What did you read?

I started out with Dick and Jane and graduated to Dr. Seuss. I'm not one of those who started reading War and Peace in the original before I graduated to solid food.

[GoCubsGo]

29. The same things everone else was reading back then.

Started out on things like the Golden Books and Dr. Seuss. I graduated to Clifford the Big Red Dog and other Scholastic books.

[madaboutharry]

9. Can't they revise the illustrations?

If the books have positive messages why not seek permission from whoever owns the copyright to remove offensive drawings and replace them with respectful images.

When it comes to literature, including children’s literature, I am having a real issue with what is going on.

Back in the 1950’s, the publisher of The Nancy Drew Mysteries (originally written in the 1920’s) revised the entire series because of racist and anti-Semitic imagery and references that were unacceptable even for the 50’s.

Are we to stop reading Charles Dickens or Shakespeare?

I know these are hard questions but I don’t believe in book banning outside of what would be considered hate speech.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. What is the issue that you have?

[BannonsLiver]

14. Better get used to it

That’s how things are done now.

[tishaLA]

21. The people who own the copyright (Dr Seuss Enterprises)

is the entity that decided to stop further publication of the book

[RobinA]

24. No, No, No, No, No

No revisions. The item as it is or don't print it or read it. I read many Nancy Drew stories from the '40's, they were my Mother's. I don't remember any racist or anti-Semitic stuff, although maybe it was already changed. I do know that Nancy Drew has been significantly dumbed down since the '40's, and even the '60's. Sad.

[Mike 03]

12. His World War II propaganda...

A few years ago there were some articles about this that included some of the anti-Japanese illustrations. It made me cringe and see Dr. Seuss in a new light. But I wasn't aware until today that his other books had problems.

[Chainfire]

15. During WWII it was considered patriotic to bash Japanese and to a lesser degree, Germans and

Italians. I remember some of those cartoons of the buck teeth and soda-bottle glasses. I have a 78 RPM record from the era that was a recording of "Slap the filthy Jap" or something very similar. If you are going to have to go out and kill a group of people based upon their religion, race, or philosophy, it is much less painful, for the killer, to dehumanize them first.

As we attempt to become more enlightened the accepted norms of the past no longer fit our present society. I am a big believer in the 1st amendment, but I would never want to subject children to materials that were confusing or painful because they were unable to evaluate the stories or illustrations from the perspective of the norms of the past.

When my children were growing up in the 80s, we had a house full of Seuss books. I do not recall any of them being insensitive, hateful or racist, but my memory is imperfect and maybe I was not as attuned to them as I should have been.

I do recall having a book about "Little Black Sambo" when I was a child, and as offensive as it would be considered today, it did not raise any Christian eyebrows in the 1950s. Growing up in the deep South, my parents or grandparents and for the most part, school teachers, believed in White Supremacy and Christian supremacy as did almost everyone that traveled in their circles. It was not a belief that was even questioned in our communities. It was not as if the people were openly mean or hateful about it, they weren't. The people of that time and place believed that anyone who was not White and Christian were substandard human beings; people to pity more than hate, but at the same time, people who needed to admit their inferiority and conform to their status. It was a time where the poorest, white Christian bum, was considered to be superior to any black person, of any status.

We live, we learn and we try to grow. I remember a sign on the signboard in front of a Methodists Church 50 or so years ago, it said; "Directions to Heaven, turn right and go straight." Even though, I am not Christian, I liked that sign.

The Right Wingers would like to drag us back to the 50s and 60s. Those of them my age remember what it was like to be top-dog and resent losing it. Many of them passed it on to their children and grandchildren. To them, going back it would be making America Great Again. The difference is that today, they should know better. They should also know that you can never go back, time is leaving them behind and they find it difficult to adjust and it makes them angry and mean.

Coming of age in the late 60s and early 70s, I thought that times were changing for the better. As an old man, I am not as optimistic.

[kskiska]

28. Little Black Sambo was Indian, not Black.

There were tigers featured in the story, and no tigers in Africa. That one got a bad rap.

[Chainfire]

33. My memory from 65 years back is subject to error, thanks for the correction.

[tavernier]

13. Mulberry Street was one of my favorites.

I don’t remember anything offensive but I guess I’ll have to look again.

[Chainfire]

16. Our favorite was the Cat in the Hat.

There is probably still a copy of it in a box in some dusty corner of my home. I need to dig it out and review it too.

[JHB]

32. I think the one there was about...

..."a Chinaman who eats with sticks" under a drawing of a guy with bright yellow skin in full stereotypical Chinese outfit and long braid:

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

17. This is PC bullshit run amok and the enemy of art

Who gives a shit? People have gotten waaaaay too overly sensitive. These are artists not politicians and preachers. Where does it stop? Are we going to ban Mark Twain because he used the n word in his books? Are we going to ban rap music because of misogynistic lyrics? Are we going to ban Gone with Wind and pretend it isn’t a supreme masterpiece of film making? How about we ban Richard Pryor. He said a lot of edgy stuff. I have nothing but utter contempt for this type of social engineering bullshit censorship. Frank Zappa must be rolling in his grave.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

18. Easy there, tiger. Nothing is being banned.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

20. In addition...

Who gives a shit?

People who study how depictions of stereotypes in children's lit affect children. People who are depicted as stereotypes in the books. The actual people who control the rights to Geisel's work.

People have gotten waaaaay too overly sensitive.

They haven't gotten sensitive. They've just gotten loud enough to finally get you to hear.

These are artists not politicians and preachers.

Okay?

Are we going to ban Mark Twain because he used the n word in his books?

There have been a lot of discussions in YA lit and pedagogy circles about Twain and his use of the n-word. Should a book that has a word you won't even type out be part of the canon for middle-schoolers?

Are we going to ban rap music because of misogynistic lyrics?

Some radio stations don't play it for that very reason! Now what???

Are we going to ban Gone with Wind and pretend it isn’t a supreme masterpiece of film making?

Birth of a Nation and Triumph of the Will were also masterpieces. None of these films are banned, though!

I have nothing but utter contempt for this type of social engineering bullshit censorship.

Lol at censorship. Yes, considering other people's points of view is definitely the kind of social engineering that should be avoided.

[obamanut2012]

31. "PC bullshit," really?

Interesting...

[DFW]

22. We all loved "On Beyind Zebra" because of its message

Both teachers and fellow schoolkids--there were always the "know-it-alls" among them, and the beginning of On Beyond Zebra had this passage:

Said Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell.
"So now I know everything anyone knows
From beginning to end. From the start to the close.
Because Z is as far as the alphabet goes."

Then he almost fell flat on his face on the floor
When I picked up the chalk and drew one letter more!
A letter he never had dreamed of before!
And I said, "You can stop, if you want, with the Z
Because most people stop with the Z
But not me!"

"In the places I go there are things that I see
That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.
I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends.
My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!"

If you stay home with Zebra,
You're stuck in a rut.
But on beyond Zebra,
You're anything but!

Besides being full of fantasy, On Beyond Zebra begins with a message ALL school children need to learn ASAP: no you do NOT "know everything anyone knows," and nor does anyone else. What a shame to eliminate THAT from the roster of Dr. Seuss books. I suppose next, Calvin and Hobbes will fall because Bengal tigers shouldn't speak standard American English. Things can be taken in their historical context, indeed have to be, unless all we let our kids read is the Bobsey Twins.

[Baitball Blogger]

35. I don't see anything wrong or suggestive with the wording.

Must have been an illustration. But the idea the book is trying to teach has merit.

[gulliver]

34. They can stop publishing them, but they should remain available.

It's not a slippery slope to 1984 to stop publishing some books, but it would be better to just label them as having "racist and insensitive imagery" and continue publishing them. Sorry, but cringing when reading books or watching movies is part of reading books and watching movies. It's very bad for kids to take that away from them and also very bad for society.

[Klaralven]

36. They will likely disappear from libraries quickly -- they are collector's items on eBay.

[Rustyeye77]

37. More PC bull

Enough pc