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© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.6 Dr Seuss books won't be published for racist images
By MARK PRATT BOSTON©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
70 Comments
Toasted Heretic
You said I was wrong about the historical context. My link proves otherwise. Perhaps you should occasionally do a bit of research before jumping in there.
You'd have to ask a liberal.
As for comics and cartoons? Remind us what we're discussing here. Oh, yes, comics and cartoons.
So you do take them seriously enough to encourage breaking the law. A bit hypocritical for someone who claims to believe in law and order.
Like you calling for women's clothing you disagree with to be banned?
Incidentally, and returning to comics, you have also claimed to have been collecting Captain America comics since the first issue.
A reminder to all interested parties, that the first issue was published 80 years ago, this month.
Lazarus Knows
"Scientists have found new ancient Egyptian ruins that shine new light on the life and death of Cleopatra. Archeologists date the ruins to, I dunno, maybe 1974? Pretty old, anyway."
bass4funk
Thank God for the Black market which is already happening, so these people are making the books more popular than ever, good.
As well as you can’t stop the supply and demand, if they could, we wouldn’t have a drug problem.
Strangerland
I should add, the above post is all really not relevant, as no one cancelled Dr. Seuss. The people who own the rights decided that they wanted to exercise their right to not publish these works anymore. Anyone who has a problem with that is an authoritarian who thinks they have the right to tell others how their rights must be exercised.
Strangerland
As if the Republicans don't. Take a look at any Republican who DARED point out Trump started an insurrection. They're all being cancelled. And that's just the most recent example of right-wing cancel culture.
The left-wing cancel culture sucks. It's an unfortunate response to decades of right-wing cancel culture directed at homosexuals, minorities, those who dared think that a society should provide health care for their people (cough cough pandemic cough cough), those who opposed their wars, and anyone who disagreed with their increasingly extremist viewpoints. It was only natural that the extremist right wing stances were eventually going to push some leftists to extremist left-wing positions in a misguided attempt to prevent their societies from becoming authoritarian republican dictatorships. Which has only made the far-right double down, causing further polarization of the left-wing extremists.
So now America is stuck with two extremes both ripping apart the fabric of their society with their 'you're either with us or against us' mentality. If America ever needed to be made great again, it's after four years of Trump's efforts to polarize the country as much as he could.
bass4funk
And yet, they all seem fine with canceling and silencing dissenting opinions and viewpoints with which they don’t agree with.
Before you and I were born, so basically a long time ago, that’s my point.
bass4funk
Liberals have long been playing the race card since the civil war, have been trying to gradually move Americans into a more controlled systematic collective thinking and now we are seeing it come to fruition after 130 years later.
Lazarus Knows
Even before Trump, there was a fascist movement in 30s and 40s in the USA, called "America First". You need to learn your history.
bass4funk
Trump had nothing to with Suess and Suess or his stories have nothing to do with Trump or his America First agenda as if that is a bad thing to put your country first. Utter nonsense.
Why do liberals take them seriously?
Too much sugar, too many calories, too much fizz.
Toasted Heretic
Coke is always on the chopping block. Some people just don't leave home without it.
Allegedly, allegedly.
Toasted Heretic
Which is why I said his books should be labelled, as opposed to being banned.
Oh, and am correct about his cartoons on the original America First front.
*But for two years starting in 1941, Geisel worked as a political cartoonist for the liberal New York newspaper PM, crafting more than 400 cartoons on the subject of World War Two. One of these in particular, a drawing lampooning the non-Interventionist America First movement, has been reemerging recently amid protests against President Trump’s executive order barring immigrants and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. Geisel’s war cartoons target isolationism, anti-Semitism, and racism. They skewer Hitler, Mussolini, and a variety of American nationalists, including Charles Lindbergh and the Catholic priest and radio host Father Charles Coughlin, a fervent anti-Semite and conspiracy theorist. But they also deploy a fierce anti-authoritarianism and humanism that runs through all of Dr. Seuss’s books. Geisel’s political cartoons go a long way in demonstrating how the spirit of Seuss—zany, honest, brash, and brave—was born. They also have their own flaws, most notably their racist portrayal of both Japanese citizens and Japanese Americans. Geisel’s bigoted treatment of both only a few months before the forced internment of Japanese Americans was something many believe he tried to atone for in his later books. But the body of work he created during the war helped establish the foundations of what the writer Philip Nel has described as “America’s first anti-Fascist children’s writer.”*
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/01/dr-seuss-protest-icon/515031/
Hmmm. The afternoon of non-sequiturs is upon us. And how does your comment relate to my expression of happiness that comics/cartoons are being taken seriously?
bass4funk
Naw, I think you're a bit wrong on the history part. Seuss was a very proud American of caliber, he was just a complete Anti-racist which makes it all the sicker that the cancel culture crowd once again feels that these fools can dictate or have the right to tell people what they can or cannot read.
It is a comic, drawn by someone, it is not a living or breathing thing, it has no emotions, completely devoid of them.
Toasted Heretic
Dr Seuss had some great moments, especially his cartoons on the awful America First movement. But like other great cartoonists (Herge etc) he could be given to the mood of the times and sadly use racist caricatures.
I like to think that we've moved beyond promoting stereotypes and suchlike. And maybe the books should be labelled as such, rather than banned. Like the Gone With the Wind film, which people incorrectly said was banned. It wasn't. Just labelled with an explanation to give context. Like you hear at film festivals, or see in museums.
Delighted that folks are taking cartoons/comics seriously. Normally, a select few loud voices dismiss them. But now, everyone wants to talk about these art forms. I wonder why.
snowymountainhell
Here you go @BjornTomention: Ricky Gervais said it best Jul ‘20; “Social media amplifies everything. If you’re mildly left wing on Twitter, you’re suddenly Trotsky. If you’re mildly conservative, you’re Hitler. And, if you’re ‘centrist and look at both arguments’, you’re a coward and both sides hate you.”- Feel better, mate.
Lazarus Knows
Could you explain why the Seuss estate saying "we don't want to publish books that feature racist stereotypes" is shutting down your views?
Because it sounds like your views are that racist stereotypes are good things that should be taught to children.
However, I'm sure this isn't the case, so you must have meant something else. Please do enlighten us.
Bjorn Tomention
These progressive left nutjobs dislike everything and express their view about it all and expect everyone to accept it, but if you dont like them and express your view you get shut down and ridiculed. Hypocrites
Lazarus Knows
First the Seuss estate withdrew six books that promote racial hatred and outdated stereotypes, voluntarily and of their own accord, and we did nothing, because that was a pretty good call on the Seuss estate's part.
FizzBit
First they came for Dr. Seuss, and we did nothing.
snowymountainhell
@bass4funk Yes, “That is the point of it all” - intended to be read and people can make up their own minds.
In that context, agreed - It’s ‘Absolutely terrible!’ if ‘freedom of thought’ is cancelled.
bass4funk
That is the point of it all, is it not?
snowymountainhell
Well spoken @itsonlyrocknroll. Dr Seuss intended people to read and make up their own minds.
snowymountainhell
@bass4funk. Been waiting since 2:55p for you to clarify: ...to which, ...what, ...who?
itsonlyrocknroll
Don't resist or cancel debate, their will always be subject that politically rankles.
However brutal the subject matter, publish and be damned.
Culturally the most perceived toxic exposition must be presented in its ingloriousness to the public.
If not, what is left for open democratic opinion ?
CKAI
Yeah, exactly… No.
This isn't really democracy, but it is dollars. It's getting too pricey to keep up with the fossils. Now that the world isn't flat anymore, it's real hard to come by a proper book that doesn't lie to you about the truth of the earth is round.. So retarded is a word, so what.. I don't see anyone taking it out on their nearest cripple just cause they read some word on a website or going all psycho and burning down the cartoon studio cus they watched it in a movie or marching on a white house cus the q told me so..
Cancel away. Freedom of speech.
itsonlyrocknroll
Whether societies agree or disagree with the subject matter of Dr Seuss literary subjective, let the public decide.
Or should democracies succumb to the age old act of book burning?
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Clearly the owners of the books saw the same thing I did, they unilaterally chose to discontinue the books.
Oh, I see so bass can complain about something he finds distasteful, but if anyone else does its "cancel culture"? makes about as much sense as anything else you write.
bass4funk
Exactly
itsonlyrocknroll
These books titles must/should be on shelves for the public to make up their own mind decide whether to purchase or not.
What has 21st century democracy choice come to, the fear that the public being allowed to review a American native subject, that could be construed in a modern day political culture that prefers to cancel opinion?
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
yawn, that is your opinion. If it isn't racist, or at the very least problematic, why did the group that owns the rights to Dr. Seuss decide to discontinue printing them?
Honestly, can anyone look at this image and not see the racism here: https://i.insider.com/4f6c8139ecad04b05900003f?width=800&format=jpeg&auto=webp
bass4funk
There is nothing racist about it, liberals see racism in literally everything, I'm sure Bugs Bunny or even Coke will be on the chopping block next, just give it a little time....
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
If there was a threat, prove it. Otherwise its more conjecture from the right. Keep going. :D
nero
Sure. There was absolutely no threat of getting canceled underlying their decision to pull the books.
nero
Which country bans books ? China or America ? It is becoming important that the rest of the world look for another path free from these two.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Ding, ding, ding. No forced this company (?) group (?) to stop selling this book. They made a decision, which they believe is in their best interest, to stop publishing the books. Spare us the whining about "cancel culture" or "censorship" or whatever.
plasticmonkey
Ergo, nobody give their opinion.
blvtzpk
As Lamily states, it’s the publisher’s decision.
They can do what they want.
Anonymous
The point is to never be happy. Daily struggle sessions and Two Minutes Hate on the way.
tooheysnew
Another one bites the dust - hope the PC’ers are happy.
Ah_so
I've never read Dr Seuss, but I have concerns that they will come for Asterix before too long. His depictions of Africans played up their racial characteristics quite offensively. While not something I would like to show to children today, I would hate for the books to be banned.
plasticmonkey
This book is obviously anti Semitic. It is trying to shame Jewish and Muslim kids into eating pork.
/s
plasticmonkey
I'm a progressive person, but this is just stupid.
Anybody who's ever read Dr. Seuss books knows that there's a very strong undercurrent of understanding and tolerance. The fact that people in the 1950s weren't as sensitive as we are today about how to "accurately" depict non-whites doesn't make those people racist. They were immersed in a milieu very different from ours.
Do we now have to judge art primarily on the basis of "representation"? Lots of critics were ooh-ing and aah-ing about Crazy Rich Asians a couple of years ago because it gave "Asians" a heap of representation in a big budget movie. And it was one crappy movie. Nobody complained that it stereotyped Asians as rich vacuous Chinese--because mindless materialism is so very aspirational.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Lol How is a private company deciding they no longer want to print a book they seem racist, "cancel culture?"
bass4funk
Absolutely terrible!
SandyBeachHeaven
The PC garbage and cancelling culture is so sad.
snowymountainhell
@moonbloom. Acknowledged and understood. (We got it the first time you posted it.) Gross characterizations... Can’t imagine Hitler and Mussolini were too happy with their depictions either. Still goes on. Try watching Japanese Sunday Morning Talk/News/Debate Shows. We know they are just ‘editorial commentary’ and DON’T need censorship. Leave them be here. Such characterizations would never be tolerated in the USA.
And so, Seuss accounted for all peoples’ “frantic fervor” during wartime and their later shame. Despite the internment of their families, many brave young Japanese-American men volunteered to go to Europe and fight the the Fascists.
So, can we agree to move forward? Can we stop all the mindless ‘censorship’ that wants to revise cultures and not recognize the past for ‘what is was’: The Past.
SandyBeachHeaven
Cancel cancel culture in my opinion.
What about Duck sees spot run. Isn’t Duck an offensive word? A duck sees spot run! I run away from Ducks too.
Sorry about the auto spell on dick
Ricky Kaminski13
Cancel cancel culture.
moonbloom
(btw Glad that he did get around to apologizing thirty years later in 1976)
moonbloom
@snowymountainhell
Maybe you missed this?-
[ A supporter of the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans, Seuss used offensive stereotypes to caricature the Japanese in his cartoons ]
snowymountainhell
@moonbloom 10:36a - Thanks for the bbc article. It’s informative but, ... you trailed off... without making your own comments, leaving us to presume these paragraphs were your “evidence” of his ‘racism’?
You left out is explanations and regrets. They continue: “*The one thing is their honesty and frantic fervor. I believed the USA would go down the drain if we listened to the “America Firstisms”… I probably was intemperate in my attacks on them. But they almost disarmed this country at a time it was obviously about to be destroyed, and I think I helped a little bit, in stating the fact that we were in a war and we damned well better ought to do something about it.*”
“From 1941-42, Seuss created +400 political cartoons railing against the “America First’ policies of isolationism, racism, and anti-semitism, *who wanted to prevent the US entering WWII. *He lampooned Japan, Hitler, Stalin & Mussolini; and, *he pleaded for racial tolerance*.” His nephew said,“*Characterizations’ were done. He was a cartoonist and tended to adopt those. I know *later in his life he was not proud of those at all.”
Finally, Dr Seuss intended people to read and make up their own minds:
“*I don’t think my book is going to change society. But I think that society will be changed by examination of ideas through books and the press, and that information can prove to be greater than the dissemination of stupidity.*”
He did not want people to be subjected to the oppression & censorship of the self-deluded, so-called “righteous” few.
- Stop all the mindless ‘censorship’ and recognize the past for ‘what is was’: The Past.
garypen
The usual suspects who always get outraged at this stuff need to calm the hell down. It's just six books out of a bazillion. And, they did indeed contain racist imagery. So, they are justifiably being pulled out of print.
You've still got Green Eggs and Ham, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, etc. Relax.
(And, BTW, you can still buy MR and MRS Potato Head. So, you can stop moaning about that, too.)
Aly Rustom
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street - Dr Seuss Kids Book Read Aloud - Stories for Kids - YouTube
can still enjoy the book on youtube
Bjorn Tomention
Noddy got banned years ago too ! Lol, seems the PC left have no sense of humor ........
Goodlucktoyou
Publishers should be fined for selling hate/discrimination books, especially to children.
moonbloom
Wasn't so funny for Japanese-Americans.
Aly Rustom
This is just stupid and ridiculous. I grew up reading Dr. Seuss. Mulberry street was one of my favorite books.
moonbloom
[ One problematic issue in Seuss’s wartime cartoons is touched upon in Horton Hears a Who!. “The Japanese cartoons are horribly narrow and racist and stereotyped,” says Minear. A supporter of the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans, Seuss used offensive stereotypes to caricature the Japanese in his cartoons ]
[ Seuss followed up a 1976 interview for his former college, Dartmouth, with a handwritten note in which he partially apologised for the cartoons. “When I look at them now they’re hurriedly and embarrassingly badly drawn, and they’re full of many snap judgements that every political cartoonist has to make…]
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190301-the-surprisingly-radical-politics-of-dr-seuss
isoducky
Bbc ran an article where Sir Kazuo Ishiguro warns of self-censorship. I guess that is going to be the news theme this month.
What I see the publisher doing is this: They'll review the books again, change some of the art or, in the rare case, the wording and rerelease the books as part of a collection. The original versions will get lost to time and woke news cycles.
Kaerimashita
Another blow for fairness, equality and justice. I believe they are also targeting that other evil and bigoted franchise, Curious George.
snowymountainhell
Current “Nerd” cultures owe their ‘hallmark’ to “Dr Seuss”. He was First to used the word ‘nerd’ in 1950 in the same soon-to-be discontinued book, “If I Ran the Zoo” - It’s a term ‘Nerds’ have chosen to embrace. - He never imagined some of ‘his children’ would grow to try to resent him. -