I’m a liberal democrat horrified by the current Dr Seuss drama and normalization of censorship
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Anonymous
Who makes these recommended reading lists? The government? If so, you can vote out the people making these choices. Although I am fairly confident that any govt recommended reading list is unlikely to have much effect of people’s choices. If it is a group of consumers that have come together and make recommendations, you can and should come up with other recommended reading lists. And some will even follow your recs. |
Anonymous
You don't get to just declare the words mean things other than their agreed upon meaning. Yes, language evolves but not like that. Yes, I know what they're complaining about, but complaining that someone mentioned racism in a book while also recommending it is such an obviously moronic thing to whine about that PP had to lie and call it censorship to seem like anything other than an absolute loon. |
Anonymous
He’s cancelled? Honestly, I wish you wacky conservatives would find a hobby other than enjoying excess cortisol and adrenaline. You are some of the most needlessly amped up aggro people. Just chill. No one’s cancelling Dr. Seuss according to an ideology (and you agree with racism. I guess you guys are finally saying the quiet part out loud.). |
Anonymous
I think the fact that "what we all agreed" turns out ALSO to be "censorship" tells you what you need to know about whether "cancel culture" critics are operating in good faith. |
Anonymous
Ok. So this is your definition of “censoring”. Groups of people and corporations changing what they want to promote is just how the world moves forward. Things aren’t going to stay frozen in the past with the reading lists you grew up with being the only option for your grandchildren. Sometimes you agree with the change. Sometimes you don’t. That’s life. |
Anonymous
Are you sad that you didn't get to read Little Eva: Flower of the South when you were growing up? Did it ruin your life not to have it on your shelf? |
Anonymous
When Trader Joe's tried to change the name on some of their ethnic foods to something more woke, there was a popular outcry and they reversed it. That's life too. So what's your real problem? |
Anonymous
I love Dr Seuss too. You now he wrote some 60 books right? I don't need to read the old ones with racist imagery. There are plenty of others to read my kids. And so much other literature out there I don't need to be reading only Dr Seuss books. Why are people so fixated on a few books out of the millions that are out there? Oh I know, because the whole stupid culture war thing is the only topic the right has going for it. Someone on another thread was arguing about the Nazi rune used as the design of the CPAC stage, saying it was obscure because probably only 1/1000 Americans even knew what it was, so therefore it didn't matter. Well, I bet fewer than 1/1000 Americans have ever read all 6 of the books the publisher is no longer publishing, or even heard of them. So why are cons so verklempt over obscure books? |
Anonymous
You know, I bet most people never noticed all those General Lee statues until the left demanded they be torn down. Why so verklempt over a stupid old statue nobody looks at? Personally, I don't care either way, but let's stop pretending that there aren't two sides in the culture wars, each with their own concerns |
Anonymous
Because they based their decision on a ridiculous study published in the journal "Research on Diversity in Youth Literature." ( Yes, really) https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/02/us/dr-seuss-books-cease-publication-trnd/index.html "That study, published in 2019, examined 50 books by Dr. Seuss and found 43 out of the 45 characters of color have "characteristics aligning with the definition of Orientalism," or the stereotypical, offensive portrayal of Asia. The two "African" characters, the study says, both have anti-Black characteristics." "In ("The Cat's Quizzer"), the Japanese character is referred to as 'a Japanese,' has a bright yellow face, and is standing on what appears to be Mt. Fuji," the authors wrote. Regarding "If I Ran the Zoo," the study points out another example of Orientalism and White supremacy. "The three (and only three) Asian characters who are not wearing conical hats are carrying a White male on their heads in 'If I Ran the Zoo.' The White male is not only on top of, and being carried by, these Asian characters, but he is also holding a gun, illustrating dominance. The text beneath the Asian characters describes them as 'helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant' from 'countries no one can spell,'" the study authors wrote. The study also argues that since the majority of human characters in Dr. Seuss' books are White, his works -- inadvertently or not -- center Whiteness and thus perpetuate White supremacy. 
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Anonymous
I love coming into DCUM and finding threads like this. When Trumpers have to resort to complaining about a decision to no longer publish a handful of Dr. Seuss books, most likely everything’s going pretty well in the world. 
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Anonymous
Yeah, that’s life too. That’s just the way the free market works. (I don’t know the incident you are referring to with Trader Joe’s but I am assuming you are representing the facts correctly). I don’t understand that question about “my real problem”. |
Anonymous
We all know that's how the free market works. It's foolish to claim the people you disagree don't know something obvious. It's equally foolish to complain about people complaining, vecause they always complain about something, especially nowadays. So what.are you actually complaining about? |
Anonymous
So I noticed. As did my kids. And I protested to make the change because it matters to me. If someone is truly upset about Dr. Seuss’ estate stopping publication on a couple of books, they can 1. Organize a media campaign targeting the estate to bring back these books, 2. Buy the rights to the books and publish them on their own, or 3. Organize some reading event of these books by buying up old copies and distributing. Both my actions with the General Lee statues and the hypothetical actions of the person angry at the Seuss estate are fine and part of free speech. |
Anonymous
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Discussing this issue with my 17 year old and she reminded me how she got a class project cancelled in the 4th grade after she loudly announced that Dr Seuss cheated on his wife while she had cancer and she died of a broken heart. I’m not sure what filters the school was using for kids doing online research projects, but that’s the info she found interesting and chose to share.
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