RACE Oh The Places The Woke Will Go: Dr. Seuss Canceled For ‘Racial Undertones’

“In recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss.”

A national educators organization is telling schools to avoid reading Dr. Seuss because the children’s books allegedly have “racial undertones.”

For more than 20 years, March 2 has been recognized as Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The reading recognition day was founded by the National Education Association — the nation’s largest labor union — in 1998. This year’s theme is “Create and Celebrate Diversity.”

Learning for Justice — a left-wing educators group — is demanding that Dr. Seuss be canceled. A prominent Virginia school district has taken marching orders and ordered its schools to avoid “connecting Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss.”

Loudoun County Public Schools, one of the nation’s most affluent school districts, announced that it will no longer recognize Dr. Seuss on his birthday. In an announcement obtained by The Daily Wire, the school district said that Dr. Suess’s children’s books contain “racial undertones” that are not suitable for “culturally responsive” learning.

“Realizing that many schools continue to celebrate ‘Read Across America Day’ in partial recognition of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, it is important for us to be cognizant of research that may challenge our practice in this regard,” the announcement reads. “As we become more culturally responsive and racially conscious, all building leaders should know that in recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss.”

Learning for Justice was formerly known as “Teaching Tolerance,” which has promoted radical views on teaching “social justice” and “racial justice” to students as young as five-years-old. Learning for Justice is the education arm of the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

In a magazine article titled, “It’s Time to Talk About Dr. Seuss,” Learning for Justice cites a study from St. Catherine University that claims Dr. Seuss’s children’s literature is rife with “orientalism, anti-blackness, and white supremacy.”

The researchers surveyed 50 Dr. Seuss books and concluded that there is not enough diversity in the children’s books, many of which were written in the 1950s.

“Of the 2,240 (identified) human characters, there are 45 of color representing two percent of the total number of human characters,” the study reads. Of the 45 characters of color, 43 “exhibited behaviors and appearances that align with harmful and stereotypical Orientalist tropes.”

Learning for Justice alleges that many of the non-white characters in Dr. Seuss’s books were men and were “subservient” to the white characters in his book.

“It’s also important to note that each of the non-white characters is male and that they are all ‘presented in subservient, exotified, or dehumanized roles,’ especially in relation to white characters,” the organization wrote.


According to a slew of biographers, scholars, and historians, much of the “racist” portion of Dr. Seuss’s work was done before his famous books. His “problematic” cartoons came during his career as a cartoonist and ad man.

Learning for Justice claims that anyone who defends Dr. Seuss’s problematic work is a racial “apologist” and is making excuses for why “bigotry doesn’t matter.”

The education group also tells teachers to directly discuss Dr. Seuss’s “racist” past with older students, though “older students” remains an undefined category. Teachers were asked to explain to students how racism shows up in places and people they may least expect.

“You can address these arguments directly, discussing the degree to which cultural norms excuse biased language or actions, how harmful stereotypical representation can be and whether — and how — a person can make up for hurtful mistakes.”

Surrrrre is one big hole at the bottom of this barrel....

Just cancel everything and get it over with.

That’s what they are doing. This is 21st century book banning. Unless you are a library over avid reader, most have no books. And they can erase anything on line.

Yep, they want to erase all memories of the free USA. Even Dr Suess. Pathetic.

Pretty soon there will only be books written by woke government and officially approved sources available to make sure our tender little souls are not offended. Run, Spot, Run!

Pinecone said:

Pretty soon there will only be books written by woke government and officially approved sources available to make sure our tender little souls are not offended. Run, Spot, Run!

Click to expand...

No no, we can't require our animal friends to RUN! It'll be "Run, White Boy, Run" because that's the only safe race / gender you can exploit in print.

I have done no personal research, but if he was drawing for ads I presume he was drawing what he was told. I realize he should have cut off his hand and cauterized the stump rather than draw anything problematic, but we all were so ignorant and unwoke in those paleolithic days.

So what race is a Who? Asking for a friend....

Josie said:

So what race is a Who? Asking for a friend....

Click to expand...

Speciest!

Well, he WAS a slave owner after all....


/sarc

Farenheit 451

That's all I can say. V

Pinecone said:

Pretty soon there will only be books written by woke government and officially approved sources available to make sure our tender little souls are not offended. Run, Spot, Run!

Click to expand...

Dennis Olson said:

Well, he WAS a slave owner after all....


/sarc

Click to expand...

White - like slave owners.

Of course most of the indigenous slaves in the world are owned by others than White.


I can't transfer it to the board, but the link shows a world map which has the countries shaded in according to numbers of slaves in the country. The countries shaded "heavier" (more slaves) are primarily sub-saharan (mostly) or Communist.

Another source of the same map



China is pretty dark in this map. Go figure. Accuse your enemies of that which you are guilty?

Dobbin

Green Lives Matter!

So Horton hears a fool. They won't stop till someone stops them.

Mrs. Cy here: It just got worse...

Link: Six Dr. Seuss books, including 'Scrambled Eggs Super!' will stop being published | Daily Mail Online

Six Dr. Seuss books, including Scrambled Eggs Super! and If I Ran the Zoo, will stop being published because of 'racist and insensitive imagery' after Biden cancelled author from Read Across America Day

• Six Dr. Seuss books will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery, Dr. Seuss Enterprises revealed on Tuesday
• The six books are: 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street', 'If I Ran the Zoo', 'McElligot's Pool', 'On Beyond Zebra!', 'Scrambled Eggs Super!', and 'The Cat's Quizzer'
• It comes just one day after President Biden omitted Dr. Seuss from Read Across America Day, which is held annually on the author's birthday on March 2
• Dr. Seuss, whose real name is Theodor Geisel, had been the face of the annual Read Across America day for more than 20 years
• There has been increasing criticism in recent years over the way blacks, Asians and others are drawn in some of his most beloved children's books

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

PUBLISHED: 06:32 EST, 2 March 2021 | UPDATED: 08:04 EST, 2 March 2021

Six Dr. Seuss books, including 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street' and 'If I Ran the Zoo', will no longer be published because of racist and insensitive imagery.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that preserves and protects the author's legacy, made the announcement on Tuesday, which coincides with the late author and illustrator's birthday.

The six books that will no longer be printed are: 'And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street', 'If I Ran the Zoo', 'McElligot's Pool', 'On Beyond Zebra!', 'Scrambled Eggs Super!', and 'The Cat's Quizzer'.

It comes just one day after President Biden omitted Dr. Seuss from Read Across America Day, which is held annually on the children's author's birthday on March 2.

Biden broke presidential tradition when he left out any mention of Dr. Seuss during his proclamation on Monday. Both former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump have recognized Dr. Seuss' contributions several times in their proclamations each year.

Dr. Seuss, whose real name is Theodor Geisel, had been the face of the annual Read Across America day for more than 20 years.

Explaining the decision to stop the publication of the six books, the company said: 'These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.

'Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises' catalog represents and supports all communities and families.'

School districts across the country have also moved away from Dr. Seuss, prompting Loudoun County, Virginia, schools just outside Washington, D.C., to douse rumors last month that they were banning the books entirely.

'Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,' the school district said in a statement.

In 2017, a school librarian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, criticized a gift of 10 Seuss books from first lady Melania Trump, saying many of his works were 'steeped in racist propaganda, caricatures, and harmful stereotypes.'

In 2018, a Dr. Seuss museum in his hometown of Springfield removed a mural that included an Asian stereotype.

'The Cat in the Hat,' one of Seuss' most popular books, has received criticism, too, but will continue to be published for now.

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, however, said it is 'committed to listening and learning and will continue to review our entire portfolio.'

Books by Dr. Seuss, who died in 1991, have been translated into dozens of languages as well as in braille and are sold in more than 100 countries.

He remains popular, earning an estimated $33 million before taxes in 2020, up from just $9.5 million five years ago, the company said.

Forbes listed him No. 2 on its highest-paid dead celebrities of 2020, behind only the late pop star Michael Jackson.

The decision to stop publication of the six books was announced just one day after President Biden broke with tradition and left Dr. Seuss out of the 2021 Read Across America Day proclamation.

The White House has not explained why Dr. Seuss was left out of this year's proclamation.

Read Across America Day had traditionally featured on Seuss books including classics like The Cat In The Hat and The Grinch.

In Obama's 2014 proclamation, he had said: '[Dr Seuss'] tales challenge dictators and discrimination. They call us to open our minds, to take responsibility for ourselves and our planet.'

In 2015, Obama stated: 'The works of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to us as Dr. Seuss, have sparked a love for reading in generations of students. His whimsical wordplay and curious characters inspire children to dream big and remind readers of all ages that 'a person's a person no matter how small.'

The following year, Obama said in 2016 that Seuss was 'one of America's revered wordsmiths' who 'used his incredible talent to instill in his most impressionable readers universal values we all hold dear.'

Former first lady Melania Trump celebrated Read Across America Day in 2017 by reading Dr. Seuss books to hospitalized children.

'Dr. Seuss has brought so much joy, laughter and enchantment into children's lives all around the globe for generations,' Melania said at the time.

'Through his captivating rhymes, Dr. Seuss has delighted and inspired children while teaching them to read, to dream, and to care.'

Trump, in his 2018 proclamation, urged Americans to 'always remember the still-vibrant words of Dr. Seuss: 'You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.'

Numerous other popular children's series have also been criticized in recent years for alleged racism.

In the 2007 book, 'Should We Burn Babar?,' the author and educator Herbert R. Kohl contended that the 'Babar the Elephant' books were celebrations of colonialism because of how the title character leaves the jungle and later returns to 'civilize' his fellow animals.

One of the books, 'Babar's Travels', was removed from the shelves of a British library in 2012 because of its alleged stereotypes of Africans. Critics also have faulted the 'Curious George' books for their premise of a white man bringing home a monkey from Africa.

And Laura Ingalls Wilder's portrayals of Native Americans in her 'Little House On the Prairie' novels have been faulted so often that the American Library Association removed her name in 2018 from a lifetime achievement award it gives out each year.


Dr. Seuss Enterprises, the company that preserves and protects Theodor Geisel's (above in 1987) legacy, made the announcement on Tuesday, which coincides with the late author and illustrator's birthday
The decision to cease publication and sales of the books was made last year after months of discussion, the company said.

'Dr. Seuss Enterprises listened and took feedback from our audiences including teachers, academics and specialists in the field as part of our review process. We then worked with a panel of experts, including educators, to review our catalog of titles.'

As adored as Dr. Seuss is by millions around the world for the positive values in many of his works, including environmentalism and tolerance, there has been increasing criticism in recent years over the way blacks, Asians and others are drawn in some of his most beloved children's books, as well as in his earlier advertising and propaganda illustrations.

The National Education Association, which founded Read Across America Day in 1998 and deliberately aligned it with Geisel's birthday, has for several years de-emphasized Seuss and encouraged a more diverse reading list for children.

Dr. Seuss's reputation has been called into question in recent years because of racist imagery in his children's books, including stereotyped cartoons of Chinese and Japanese people that he drew in the 1930s and 1940s.
One such illustration appeared in the 1937 work And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, which includes a drawing of a 'Chinaman who eats with sticks' - a caricatured picture of an Asian man with slits for eyes carrying a bowl of rice for no apparent reason.
Drawings in If I Ran The Zoo, published in 1950, includes African characters resembling monkeys and an Arab chieftain on a camel with a caption suggesting he too should be in a zoo.

A so-called 'Chinaman who eats with sticks' in a 1937 work by Dr. Seuss
As well as children's books, Dr. Seuss produced political cartoons and advertisements that contain controversial images.
A 1929 drawing showed black people for sale to whites and adapted a racially charged phrase to say: 'Take home a high-grade [N-word] for your woodpile'.
During World War II, he drew cartoons of Japanese people, including one showing them queuing up for supplies of TNT and suggesting they were waiting for the 'signal from home'.
The wartime cartoons, published in New York newspaper PM, are also credited with 'railing against isolationism, racism and antisemitism' as he urged people to help the effort.

This 1929 cartoon shows black people for sale and uses the N-word
A 2019 article called The Cat Is Out Of The Bag: Orientalism, Anti-Blackness, and White Supremacy in Dr. Seuss's Children's Books, said the author had published 'hundreds' of racist political cartoons, comics and advertisements.
A collection dedicated to Dr. Seuss's art acknowledges that some of his early drawings 'were hurtful then and are still hurtful today'.

However, it says that he later amended his works - for example changing 'Chinaman' to 'Chinese man' - and wrote about equality during the 1960s civil rights movements.
It also defends him by saying that his drawings reflected stereotypes which were widely held at the time.
Geisel himself is quoted as saying later in life that the cartoons were 'just the way things were 50 years ago'.
The fresh scrutiny of his works has seen the Mulberry Street illustration removed from a Dr. Seuss museum in 2018 - a decision which his great-nephew said was 'extreme'.
Last month a Virginia school district distanced itself from the author, saying his books would no longer be the 'emphasis' of Read Across America Day.

'Research in recent years has revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss,' it said.
He has now also gone missing from the White House celebrations after Joe Biden broke with a tradition continued by both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

nehimama said:

Oh The Places The Woke Will Go: Dr. Seuss Canceled For ‘Racial Undertones’ | The Daily Wire

www.dailywire.com

“In recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss.”

A national educators organization is telling schools to avoid reading Dr. Seuss because the children’s books allegedly have “racial undertones.”

For more than 20 years, March 2 has been recognized as Read Across America Day in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The reading recognition day was founded by the National Education Association — the nation’s largest labor union — in 1998. This year’s theme is “Create and Celebrate Diversity.”

Learning for Justice — a left-wing educators group — is demanding that Dr. Seuss be canceled. A prominent Virginia school district has taken marching orders and ordered its schools to avoid “connecting Read Across America Day with Dr. Seuss.”

Loudoun County Public Schools, one of the nation’s most affluent school districts, announced that it will no longer recognize Dr. Seuss on his birthday. In an announcement obtained by The Daily Wire, the school district said that Dr. Suess’s children’s books contain “racial undertones” that are not suitable for “culturally responsive” learning.

“Realizing that many schools continue to celebrate ‘Read Across America Day’ in partial recognition of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, it is important for us to be cognizant of research that may challenge our practice in this regard,” the announcement reads. “As we become more culturally responsive and racially conscious, all building leaders should know that in recent years there has been research revealing radical undertones in the books written and the illustrations drawn by Dr. Seuss.”

Learning for Justice was formerly known as “Teaching Tolerance,” which has promoted radical views on teaching “social justice” and “racial justice” to students as young as five-years-old. Learning for Justice is the education arm of the left-wing Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

In a magazine article titled, “It’s Time to Talk About Dr. Seuss,” Learning for Justice cites a study from St. Catherine University that claims Dr. Seuss’s children’s literature is rife with “orientalism, anti-blackness, and white supremacy.”

The researchers surveyed 50 Dr. Seuss books and concluded that there is not enough diversity in the children’s books, many of which were written in the 1950s.

“Of the 2,240 (identified) human characters, there are 45 of color representing two percent of the total number of human characters,” the study reads. Of the 45 characters of color, 43 “exhibited behaviors and appearances that align with harmful and stereotypical Orientalist tropes.”

Learning for Justice alleges that many of the non-white characters in Dr. Seuss’s books were men and were “subservient” to the white characters in his book.

“It’s also important to note that each of the non-white characters is male and that they are all ‘presented in subservient, exotified, or dehumanized roles,’ especially in relation to white characters,” the organization wrote.


According to a slew of biographers, scholars, and historians, much of the “racist” portion of Dr. Seuss’s work was done before his famous books. His “problematic” cartoons came during his career as a cartoonist and ad man.

Learning for Justice claims that anyone who defends Dr. Seuss’s problematic work is a racial “apologist” and is making excuses for why “bigotry doesn’t matter.”

The education group also tells teachers to directly discuss Dr. Seuss’s “racist” past with older students, though “older students” remains an undefined category. Teachers were asked to explain to students how racism shows up in places and people they may least expect.

“You can address these arguments directly, discussing the degree to which cultural norms excuse biased language or actions, how harmful stereotypical representation can be and whether — and how — a person can make up for hurtful mistakes.”

Click to expand...

If you have the guts, write Dr. Seuss books, to keep on going.
Tell national educators organization, the dam communist " Racist " idiots to stop ripping out our values apart.
But, I don't think there is a strong person among us to do that!

The Associated Press
@AP
24m

Six Dr. Seuss books — including “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and “If I Ran the Zoo” — will stop being published because of racist and insensitive imagery, the business that preserves and protects the author's legacy said.
View: https://twitter.com/AP/status/1366739083742105605?s=20

One of my early memories is sitting on my Mom's lap "reading" to her The Cat in the Hat (I'd memorized it) - this is just going too far.

Prices on these books are now through the roof.

When I read that article this morning, I decided I wanted a copy of Mulberry Street, since it was one my kids read. I checked Amazon and there were a few used copies but were getting snapped up quicker than I could buy. I finally got one for about $10.

Wikipedia (Dr. Seuss)

Theodor Seuss "Ted" Geisel was an American children's author, political cartoonist, illustrator, poet, animator, and filmmaker. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss (, ). Wikipedia
Born: March 2, 1904, Springfield, MA

Happy Birthday (117 years)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLq8j7hgBNE


Dobbin

I have most of the Dr. Seuss books because I kept many of the "series" my kids read and passed down to each other. Unfortunately they are up at our BOL library and I can't remember which ones that I don't have.

Most of my kids' "first" book was "Hop on Pop".

I swear there are some idiots in the world. Anime is okay with its sexualization of the pre-teen age group but God forbid that Dr. Seuss, written in the WW2 era show any kind of cultural leanings.

Wish someone could tell me why so many of the main characters in Anime look westernized despite being Asian in origin. I mean look at Sailor Moon and similar anime.

Firstly, I agree it is heart wrenching to have the stoopid leak over to our most innocent and treasured bits of culture.

What happened to that liberal idea of judging a culture/people/time/action in terms of it's place, set and setting in time?
..I do wonder how much cognitive dissonance this causes our elite well learned betters though-- they too must know and love dr seuss. I cherish their splodey heads, to be honest.

Fortunately hubby loved seuss, so we have his works, but jeeze. Make your lists now, and gather those hard copies of everything while you can. The war is on, and lucky for us, one of the battles will be combing garage sales for treasure troves such as these.

Seuss’ estate has agreed to stop publishing these. Get ‘em while you can.

jward said:

What happened to that liberal idea of judging a culture/people/time/action in terms of it's place, set and setting in time?

Click to expand...

Wokesters have no grounding in history. And even if they did, woke matters more than anything.

Absolutely disgusting!!!!!!!!! My father is probably rolling over in his grave. Reading, to him and my mom was one of the MOST import things to teach a child, and teach them early! A major portion of learning comes from reading. His favorite books to use to that end were Dr. Seuss. My sister and I grew up with them, our children grew up with them, and our grandchildren are growing up with them. Just one more American institution destroyed by the snowflakes. When do WE get to put a stop to this insanity, and right the ship? It sure seems PAST time. WAY past.

wokesters are ignorant, and the useful tools are as well, but the rank and file elitist member of the intelligentsia know Seuss. And Fahrenheit 451 and Orwell and and and... cracks must be forming, like the lines on their mirrors, in the psychological mechanisms that permit their behavior...
If we're lucky we'll get us a side order o' liberal tears to go with the splodey heads :: really need a splodey head gif here ::

First starts with Dr. Seuss. Then political books, then the Holy Bible.
That is how Communist run.

Melodi said:

One of my early memories is sitting on my Mom's lap "reading" to her The Cat in the Hat (I'd memorized it) - this is just going too far.

Click to expand...

Dr Seuss books were a big part of my childhood. I don't recall my mother ever buying me a new book, but she brought home grocery bags full from acquaintances whose kids had out-grown them. I also have an early memory of "reading" a memorized book and impressing the heck out of some relatives. Wasn't done intentionally - THAT was how the book was "read."

Didn't learn to read until much later - got stuck in the bottom rung group with the class dummies for First Grade, and part of Second. All I remember is being intensely impatient with how damn slow those kids were! To this day, I despise group - anything.

Rap lyrics have more racial undertones than Dr Seuss ever did. When do music companies stop distributing rap music?

PUBLIC BURNING OF "UN-GERMAN" BOOKS IN BERLIN



Public burning of "un-German" books in the Opernplatz (Opera Square) in Berlin. Students, some in SA uniform, march in a torchlight procession. Berlin, May 10, 1933.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,”

Considering how much Dr. Seuss was into BDSM you'd think they'd be embracing him. If you get a change to read the biographies about him he was a very interesting bird to say the least... oh and he never intended his original books to be for kids.

jward said:

Rap lyrics have more racial undertones than Dr Seuss ever did. When do music companies stop distributing rap music?

Click to expand...

I've seen this on FB, apparently the woke are going after country music for being racist now and people have started asking 'but what about rap music'.

I downloaded a few of these books this morning to see what the fuzz was about, and the “racial undertones” are a LOT milder than even the Tom Swift books.

Curious George better start packing his bags.