Wednesday, March 3, 2021

America's Latest "Existential Crisis" per Republicans

The Republicans, their media arm - Fox news, and CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference) are all aquiver over the supposed "Cancel Culture" that outlaws Dr. Seuss books.



First let me say, I fucking LOVE Dr. Seuss. 

Second, this is not "Cancel Culture" however you define it. This is, in fact, capitalism at its most basic. 

The company / family that owns the Dr. Seuss rights has decided - without prompting from anyone - that 6 of his 60 books contain offensive imagery and will be pulled from print. His drawings sometimes fell into an area that was based on stereotypes that we all now find wrong. His estate explicitly called out these few books and pulled them.


The estate does address his racism, particularly around the Japanese when he drew War Posters, and has apologized. It was a very different time, and his museum (in Springfield Mass) makes pains to point out images that are problematic now. 

So rather than "cancelling" Dr. Seuss they are making his beautiful stories and parables stronger by removing extraneous issues.

Were the images terrible? Not terrible. But they were easy jokes on stereotypes that could offend children. So why not remove them.



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