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Many were stunned by the Seuss Estate’s decision, which was announced on Tuesday to coincide with Dr Seuss’ birthday. In a statement, Dr Seuss Enterprises said he decided to end all six titles last year, after consulting with a group of experts, including educators, to review his catalog.
Geisel, who died in 1991, is best known for his whimsical picture books like “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Cat in the Hat”, and works with ethical and moral imperatives to treat others kindly and take care of others. the planet, like “Horton Hears a Who!” and “The Lorax”.
Academics have long noted racism in his political war cartoons, for which he then apologized half-heartedly, saying they were the result of “snap judgments any political cartoonist must make.” Others have noted anti-Semitic and Islamophobic overtones in the comics and commercials he wrote before and during his career as an author of children’s books.
The review of his picture books has started to gain momentum more recently. In his 2017 book titled “Was the Cat in the Hat Black ?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books”, Mr. Nel, a professor at Kansas State University, argued that the beloved character has roots in the black-faced minstrel. In 2019, an academic journal dedicated to the study of diversity in children’s literature published “The Cat Is Out of the Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss’s Children’s Books,” an article examining racism and prejudice in Dr. Seuss’ books.
The authors, Katie Ishizuka and Ramón Stephens, argued that much of Dr. Seuss’ work shows racism or prejudice against blacks, Asians, Mexicans, Native Americans and Jews, as well as women and other groups. “Minimizing, erasing or failing to recognize Seuss’ racial transgressions throughout his publishing career denies the very real historical impact they have had on people of color and how they continue to influence culture. , education and children’s views on people of color, ”they wrote.
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