It is precisely the wholesomeness and remarkably wide popularity of Dr. Seuss that makes him a likely and effective target of the woke movement.
Yesterday, Dr. Suess books held 23 of the top 30 bestsellers on Amazon. Not everyone has gone mad. We loved these books when our kids were young, and still do to this day for our grandkids.
Today you cannot find these six banned books on Amazon, and one of them is selling used for $750.
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Here is Noelle Mering’s excellent article from Catholic World News (support them here)
“It is hard to keep up with the cancellations these days, but for various reasons the news of Dr. Seuss struck a nerve. The Associated Press reported this week that 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.”
School districts “across the country have also moved away from Dr. Seuss,” the AP reported, with one school district in Virginia referencing how recent “research” has “revealed strong racial undertones in many books written/illustrated by Dr. Seuss…” And the Wall Street Journal now reports that Ebay is “sweeping” its site in order to delist the offending books.
Meanwhile, President Biden deemed Dr. Seuss to be unmentionable on Read Across America Day on March 2—a day intentionally celebrated on the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991). A USA Today story couched the absence of Dr. Seuss in Biden’s proclamation in the most benign terms possible: “The NEA has pivoted from popular children’s author Dr. Seuss to a focus on diverse children’s books.”
And then there is the news that Mr. Potato Head will no longer be a “mister”, but will instead answer to the “gender-neutral” name “Potato Head.” Hasbro, which introduced the toy in 1952, says it is “making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion…”
There is something absurd about these news stories that cuts both right and left. That a classic children’s toy must conform to gender ideology or that a beloved children’s author must have his legacy clouded with racism strikes conservatives as both ridiculous and merciless. Their response in protest is then portrayed by those on the Left as unserious fear-mongers frothing in rage about a toy and a mere six books being removed from the shelves….
For the whole article, click here.
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