Cancel Culture and Dr. Seuss
The phrase “cancel culture” has been showing up a lot more lately, and I can’t get over how racist people’s responses are, and they don’t see it. This post initially started as a rant in my journal, but I decided to share it because I think there is a lot of confusion about the “why” behind it all.
A recent example: Beloved Children’s writer Dr. Seuss. It’s come out (to the public’s attention) more recently that much of his past work was very racist. He was a political cartoonist in the early 1940s and wrote very demeaning cartoons about people of color. Also, you can see some negative stereotypes in a few of his books. Africans are portrayed as monkeys, and Asians are drawn with exaggerated slant eyes. As a result, Dr. Seuss Enterprises has decided to pull six books (out of over 60) that contain this type of content from publication.
Let me point out here that Dr. Seuss was embarrassed by a lot of this work later in life; it was not something that he stood by and was proud of. I understand that he was most likely unaware of his impact at the time and how hurtful it was to other people because, during that time, different cultures’ feelings and experiences were not considered. That’s just the fact of it. He was not raised or taught to think of any narrative but his own.
We know better now, don’t we? So the logical next step is to remove these works from mainstream culture (i.e., Don’t read them to your kids at night and perpetuate these stereotypes) and put them in a museum. They should be moved from active mainstream culture and used as an example of a time in our past that we do not want to return to. We’re not talking about burning books; we’re just talking about not continuing to sell them and acting like they are a-okay. By continuing to sell these books out of respect to a great author (because why are we punishing his legacy when “he didn’t know any better”), we are protecting his memory and worldview above everyone else’s and perpetuating the cycle of the white (only) narrative.
This type of talk offends people. Unfortunately, I clicked on the comments section of an article that addressed this issue regarding Universal Orlando because at least one of their rides in Seuss Landing takes text from one of the offending books. The article just stated that they would reevaluate whether that should be changed. Which, honestly...I believe it would only be changing the script that runs in the background of one ride. Seems reasonable. They aren’t burning Seuss Landing to the ground or getting rid of Grinchmas. People were so angry, calling names and encouraging violence. It was a visceral response to something that seemed responsible behavior and relatively benign. I love Seuss Landing, and I can’t see these changes impacting my experience negatively in any real way.
On some level, I get it. When I heard about this, I thought, “Oh, no. Not Dr. Seuss!!” It’s not Christmas without the Grinch. I love The Lorax and its message so much. What about the book given out to every graduate for the last 30 years, “Oh, The Places You’ll Go?” Rethinking Dr. Seuss for many people completely reshapes many childhood memories and significant events like graduations. It’s hard work to accept that. But...then I keep going. What if I had a child who was black? I curl up with them to read a beloved Dr. Seuss book, and to my horror, we turn the page, and they see a depiction of themselves as an animal staring back at them. Is that the kind of message I want them to absorb, that this is how the world sees them? This has been the reality for people of color. A 7-year-old sees this author celebrated every year at school, has part of a theme park named after him, and is the quintessential children’s author, yet he portrays them grotesquely. How terrible.
With that thought in mind, does it seem that big of a deal to pull six books off the shelf (4 of which I’ve never even heard of and none of which we own)? Or to update an amusement park ride? No way. Please, fix it.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is, who am I to say I’m not willing to make the tiniest of sacrifices (adjusting my worldview to admit that a beloved author made some big mistakes) to ensure every child feels included and valued? That’s where I conclude that it’s just racism, pure and simple. I don’t want to be in any way inconvenienced. People who are offended need to suck it up (like they have had to do for decades) and let me keep my idyllic childhood memories. Quit bringing up things that make me feel uncomfortable. I see so many comments about how people need to get over it and stop being so sensitive without stopping to think if they are the ones who are avoiding hard truths.
It’s unconscionable, and I wish more people could put compassion above their reaction of feeling attacked, which is why I keep talking about it. I didn’t know before; I didn’t realize what I was doing with my words and reactions. I was a natural product of my upbringing and culture. This is what they mean by America having systemic racism. I didn’t know better. Dr. Seuss didn’t know better. But now we do. So let’s follow Maya Angelou’s advice and do better.