I’m a liberal democrat horrified by the current Dr Seuss drama and normalization of censorship

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

I like Dr. Seuss and my family has several that my kid enjoys, but it's not bad to have the day we celebrate children's reading not just be about one author. Plenty of the stuff I've seen today HAS been able Seuss, but there's lots of great children's authors to celebrate. He hasn't been "cancelled" because he's not the sole focus of an entire holiday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did everyone gloss over my transcript from the View today?

Joy and Whoopi...the most liberal members of the bunch...both thought getting rid of the books was wrong. Both felt it’s better to use art (including these books) for discussion to foster understanding. Flag when the books were written, acknowledge it was a different time, highlight the racism, discuss why it’s racist, and affirm that we know better now.

Again: these are liberal voices saying this is going too far. These are not conservatives. These are not racists.

They are admittedly older, and I suspect there might be a generational divide on this topic. But these are comics who value free speech and abhor censorship. They also believe it’s better to talk about issues instead of bury them. There’s value in learning from past mistakes.

Who is doing the censoring?

If they want to read these to their children no one is stopping them.

Are you suggesting parents MUST read these books, that you want to force people to read them?

No, nobody is suggesting that.

My takeaway from their discussion is the fear is the slippery slope.

Joy actually did say if she were a teacher, she would use texts like this to foster discussion. Read the sentence, show the picture, etc. and ask students to point out the racism.

I personally think the Seuss co simply wants to dump books that aren’t profitable.

The larger issue imho is the takeaway today seems to be that Seuss was a racist, his books should no longer be read, and his legacy is forever tarnished. Note: he was removed from Read across America.

Will people forego gifting pregnant moms and toddlers with other Seuss books? I think they might. His name has been tarnished, and that’s the takeaway.

^^^This is the actual cancel aspect.

OP here and this person articulates my feelings much better than I can. I’m not a secret republican, and it’s quite telling that you all are making assumptions about me based on my post and feelings. This is the problem with the world today, everything is so extreme and black and white and there is no room for thoughtful nuance like the Joy/Whoopi suggestions on the View (for example). If I have a problem with what’s going on here with Seuss I’m suddenly a racist?! Sheesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP and other conservatives on this thread, what do you want the government to do about this situation? So far none of you have offered ideas toward that end.

Oh geez, you think you are so clever with this line of question. The answer, for me at least, is that the government should in no way be involved in this issue.

are you clever enough to understand that the government indeed is not involved in this issue and has nothing to do with the decision made by the estate of Dr Seuss? just asking before we go 11 more pages discussing about nothing.

Who said the government was involved in this decision? Are you dense?

The OP was about "censorship". This can happen by govt, private groups/businesses, and other controlling bodies. We, as voters, can and should take a dim view of govt censorship, regardless of the topic. People are asking what you want voters to do about private businesses. Do you want us to prohibit companies from making these types of decisions? Some voters (like me) feel that this was a good decision by the private business. If you think it was a poor decision, you should get other like minded people together and lobby the private entity to sway them. I am confused about where the "Evil Liberals" are coming in.

[Anonymous]

https://www.holidayscalendar.com/event/dr-seuss-day/

History behind Dr. Seuss Day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

DP. So your fear is a thing you can't show is happening, and we're all just supposed to assume it is or will because you've announced it? Plenty of people I know have been talking about racism in Seuss for years and yet from where I sit I can see three Dr. Seuss books and I know there's more in my daughter's room, all of them gifts but one. This isn't what's happening in the world outside your head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

DP. So your fear is a thing you can't show is happening, and we're all just supposed to assume it is or will because you've announced it? Plenty of people I know have been talking about racism in Seuss for years and yet from where I sit I can see three Dr. Seuss books and I know there's more in my daughter's room, all of them gifts but one. This isn't what's happening in the world outside your head.

+1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

His name being linked to racism is not a new thing. He’s got some plenty of blatantly racist content in his catalog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did everyone gloss over my transcript from the View today?

Joy and Whoopi...the most liberal members of the bunch...both thought getting rid of the books was wrong. Both felt it’s better to use art (including these books) for discussion to foster understanding. Flag when the books were written, acknowledge it was a different time, highlight the racism, discuss why it’s racist, and affirm that we know better now.

Again: these are liberal voices saying this is going too far. These are not conservatives. These are not racists.

They are admittedly older, and I suspect there might be a generational divide on this topic. But these are comics who value free speech and abhor censorship. They also believe it’s better to talk about issues instead of bury them. There’s value in learning from past mistakes.

Who is doing the censoring?

If they want to read these to their children no one is stopping them.

Are you suggesting parents MUST read these books, that you want to force people to read them?

No, nobody is suggesting that.

My takeaway from their discussion is the fear is the slippery slope.

Joy actually did say if she were a teacher, she would use texts like this to foster discussion. Read the sentence, show the picture, etc. and ask students to point out the racism.

I personally think the Seuss co simply wants to dump books that aren’t profitable.

The larger issue imho is the takeaway today seems to be that Seuss was a racist, his books should no longer be read, and his legacy is forever tarnished. Note: he was removed from Read across America.

Will people forego gifting pregnant moms and toddlers with other Seuss books? I think they might. His name has been tarnished, and that’s the takeaway.

^^^This is the actual cancel aspect.

OP here and this person articulates my feelings much better than I can. I’m not a secret republican, and it’s quite telling that you all are making assumptions about me based on my post and feelings. This is the problem with the world today, everything is so extreme and black and white and there is no room for thoughtful nuance like the Joy/Whoopi suggestions on the View (for example). If I have a problem with what’s going on here with Seuss I’m suddenly a racist?! Sheesh.

Nothing is stopping you from doing just what Joy suggests. Nothing at all. Go buy the books from a used store, and have that discussion with your children to your heart's content. But you seem to be totally bewildered that someone might come to a different conclusion than you have, i.e. the owners of the books themselves. They came to a different conclusion. It's their right to decide that they no longer want their name on, or be associated, with racist imagery in a few books. Not all of his books, a few books. You're fighting so hard for a company to continue to market racist imagery to children when they are simply saying, 'hey, we don't want to market racist imagery to children anymore." But if you want to do that and be able to have fuller discussions about racism with your children, have at it. Because the books haven't been censored. They full stop haven't been censored.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

DP. So your fear is a thing you can't show is happening, and we're all just supposed to assume it is or will because you've announced it? Plenty of people I know have been talking about racism in Seuss for years and yet from where I sit I can see three Dr. Seuss books and I know there's more in my daughter's room, all of them gifts but one. This isn't what's happening in the world outside your head.

???

This only became a hot topic this week. It never gained real media attention when it was casually discussed before. The publisher’s announcement coupled with Seuss’ name being removed from the annual celebration prompted so much attention that even conservatives noticed and opted to make it an even bigger debate.

I don’t think it’s crazy to believe there will be a lasting impact here.

So, maybe you received those books as baby gifts before (I did, too). But I bet most people will opt for different books as baby gifts moving forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did everyone gloss over my transcript from the View today?

Joy and Whoopi...the most liberal members of the bunch...both thought getting rid of the books was wrong. Both felt it’s better to use art (including these books) for discussion to foster understanding. Flag when the books were written, acknowledge it was a different time, highlight the racism, discuss why it’s racist, and affirm that we know better now.

Again: these are liberal voices saying this is going too far. These are not conservatives. These are not racists.

They are admittedly older, and I suspect there might be a generational divide on this topic. But these are comics who value free speech and abhor censorship. They also believe it’s better to talk about issues instead of bury them. There’s value in learning from past mistakes.

Who is doing the censoring?

If they want to read these to their children no one is stopping them.

Are you suggesting parents MUST read these books, that you want to force people to read them?

No, nobody is suggesting that.

My takeaway from their discussion is the fear is the slippery slope.

Joy actually did say if she were a teacher, she would use texts like this to foster discussion. Read the sentence, show the picture, etc. and ask students to point out the racism.

I personally think the Seuss co simply wants to dump books that aren’t profitable.

The larger issue imho is the takeaway today seems to be that Seuss was a racist, his books should no longer be read, and his legacy is forever tarnished. Note: he was removed from Read across America.

Will people forego gifting pregnant moms and toddlers with other Seuss books? I think they might. His name has been tarnished, and that’s the takeaway.

^^^This is the actual cancel aspect.

OP here and this person articulates my feelings much better than I can. I’m not a secret republican, and it’s quite telling that you all are making assumptions about me based on my post and feelings. This is the problem with the world today, everything is so extreme and black and white and there is no room for thoughtful nuance like the Joy/Whoopi suggestions on the View (for example). If I have a problem with what’s going on here with Seuss I’m suddenly a racist?! Sheesh.

Nothing is stopping you from doing just what Joy suggests. Nothing at all. Go buy the books from a used store, and have that discussion with your children to your heart's content. But you seem to be totally bewildered that someone might come to a different conclusion than you have, i.e. the owners of the books themselves. They came to a different conclusion. It's their right to decide that they no longer want their name on, or be associated, with racist imagery in a few books. Not all of his books, a few books. You're fighting so hard for a company to continue to market racist imagery to children when they are simply saying, 'hey, we don't want to market racist imagery to children anymore." But if you want to do that and be able to have fuller discussions about racism with your children, have at it. Because the books haven't been censored. They full stop haven't been censored.

Also, Joy and Whoopi ARE LIBERALS. So clearly this isn't a problem with the Evil Liberals And Their Cancel Culture, although if you want to turn that into a children's book, feel free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

DP. So your fear is a thing you can't show is happening, and we're all just supposed to assume it is or will because you've announced it? Plenty of people I know have been talking about racism in Seuss for years and yet from where I sit I can see three Dr. Seuss books and I know there's more in my daughter's room, all of them gifts but one. This isn't what's happening in the world outside your head.

???

This only became a hot topic this week. It never gained real media attention when it was casually discussed before. The publisher’s announcement coupled with Seuss’ name being removed from the annual celebration prompted so much attention that even conservatives noticed and opted to make it an even bigger debate.

I don’t think it’s crazy to believe there will be a lasting impact here.

So, maybe you received those books as baby gifts before (I did, too). But I bet most people will opt for different books as baby gifts moving forward.

Really? Because it seems to me that no one is calling for that. And that even the liberal wing of the View is taking a nuanced approach.

Honestly, the only one here who is approaching this as a black and white issue is you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did everyone gloss over my transcript from the View today?

Joy and Whoopi...the most liberal members of the bunch...both thought getting rid of the books was wrong. Both felt it’s better to use art (including these books) for discussion to foster understanding. Flag when the books were written, acknowledge it was a different time, highlight the racism, discuss why it’s racist, and affirm that we know better now.

Again: these are liberal voices saying this is going too far. These are not conservatives. These are not racists.

They are admittedly older, and I suspect there might be a generational divide on this topic. But these are comics who value free speech and abhor censorship. They also believe it’s better to talk about issues instead of bury them. There’s value in learning from past mistakes.

Who is doing the censoring?

If they want to read these to their children no one is stopping them.

Are you suggesting parents MUST read these books, that you want to force people to read them?

No, nobody is suggesting that.

My takeaway from their discussion is the fear is the slippery slope.

Joy actually did say if she were a teacher, she would use texts like this to foster discussion. Read the sentence, show the picture, etc. and ask students to point out the racism.

I personally think the Seuss co simply wants to dump books that aren’t profitable.

The larger issue imho is the takeaway today seems to be that Seuss was a racist, his books should no longer be read, and his legacy is forever tarnished. Note: he was removed from Read across America.

Will people forego gifting pregnant moms and toddlers with other Seuss books? I think they might. His name has been tarnished, and that’s the takeaway.

^^^This is the actual cancel aspect.

OP here and this person articulates my feelings much better than I can. I’m not a secret republican, and it’s quite telling that you all are making assumptions about me based on my post and feelings. This is the problem with the world today, everything is so extreme and black and white and there is no room for thoughtful nuance like the Joy/Whoopi suggestions on the View (for example). If I have a problem with what’s going on here with Seuss I’m suddenly a racist?! Sheesh.

Nothing is stopping you from doing just what Joy suggests. Nothing at all. Go buy the books from a used store, and have that discussion with your children to your heart's content. But you seem to be totally bewildered that someone might come to a different conclusion than you have, i.e. the owners of the books themselves. They came to a different conclusion. It's their right to decide that they no longer want their name on, or be associated, with racist imagery in a few books. Not all of his books, a few books. You're fighting so hard for a company to continue to market racist imagery to children when they are simply saying, 'hey, we don't want to market racist imagery to children anymore." But if you want to do that and be able to have fuller discussions about racism with your children, have at it. Because the books haven't been censored. They full stop haven't been censored.

Also, Joy and Whoopi ARE LIBERALS. So clearly this isn't a problem with the Evil Liberals And Their Cancel Culture, although if you want to turn that into a children's book, feel free.

Just because Joy and Whoopi identify as liberals doesn't mean they are right on this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/dr-seuss-ted-cruz-097350

Interesting article noting how Seuss would have detested Ted Cruz and everything he stands for. The article quotes the author of a book highlighting 100 of the greatest social justice warriors...including Seuss.

Let’s not erase his entire legacy. Stop printing those handful of problematic books, but don’t associate his name with hateful racism.

No worries. People with more than one brain cell aren't doing that.

Not true.

His name was already removed from Read Across America Day. It used to essentially be Dr. Seuss Day. Teachers and librarians would wear the big red and white hat from the Cat in the Hat, and books by Dr. Seuss were prominently featured.

The damage is done.

^^^That’s the cancel culture aspect of this. For whatever reason, this thread has focused on the publisher’s discretion rather than discuss the impact on the annual event and the response by schools.

Until you can show us that no one is reading any Dr Seuss books anymore this kind of alarm is overblown. I mean really. There are thousands of books and authors out there, new ones every year. What people read 100 years ago is not the same as what people read today. Do you really want to claim that book losts should never change?

Book lists can obviously change.

That’s a separate issue from the fact Seuss has been removed from the annual celebration, his name is now linked to racism, schools are taking action in response to this, and ultimately people will stop giving his other books as gifts.

Would you give a pregnant coworker the cat in the hat as a token shower gift at work? Doubtful. That’s the real impact: everyone will have a vague memory that “Seuss books are racist,” and most people won’t want any part of that.

DP. So your fear is a thing you can't show is happening, and we're all just supposed to assume it is or will because you've announced it? Plenty of people I know have been talking about racism in Seuss for years and yet from where I sit I can see three Dr. Seuss books and I know there's more in my daughter's room, all of them gifts but one. This isn't what's happening in the world outside your head.

???

This only became a hot topic this week. It never gained real media attention when it was casually discussed before. The publisher’s announcement coupled with Seuss’ name being removed from the annual celebration prompted so much attention that even conservatives noticed and opted to make it an even bigger debate.

I don’t think it’s crazy to believe there will be a lasting impact here.

So, maybe you received those books as baby gifts before (I did, too). But I bet most people will opt for different books as baby gifts moving forward.

Maybe you just learned about it this week, but like I said, the people I know have known about it for years. I went to a Dr. Seuss art exhibition a few years back and everyone I talked to about it mentioned the racism. None of this is new simply because it's new to you.

And personally I do think it's crazy to be mad about something that's happening entirely in your head that you've never even heard anyone claim to have seen in real life. That seems like textbook crazy to me.