Six Dr. Seuss books won't be published anymore due to racist imagery: "Hurtful and wrong"

Six books of Dr. Seuss will not be published anymore due to the racist and insensitive imagery in them. Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the announcement on Tuesday which marks the author's birthday and "Read Across America Day." Dr. Seuss Enterprises is the company that preserves the work of Theodor Seuss Geisel, who is popularly known by his pen name — Dr. Seuss. Some of the books that'll stop being published include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo. "These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong," said Dr. Seuss Enterprises. "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." 

The company said it had mulled over the decision for months before finally deciding to pull the titles from distribution. "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," the company added. Some of the other titles that will not be published anymore include McElligot's Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super!, and The Cat's Quizzer.

Cancel culture
As much as Fox News and the other right-wing media want to scream about cancel culture, Dr. Seuss hasn't been canceled. “The cancel culture is canceling Dr. Seuss,” said Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade, before adding, “It’s out of control.” Cancel culture is nothing an umbrella terms adopted by the right-wing and conservatives to shield their own from suffering consequences to their own actions. A perfect example is of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley invoking the term to absolves themselves of responsibility from the insurrection on Captiol Hill after reportedly inciting violence. While the conservatives love to moan about cancel culture, interestingly, eight of the 10 that were most challenged last year were based on L.G.B.T.Q. subjects or narratives, with some of them being banned, according to the American Library Association, reported New York Times. 

Dr. Seuss hasn't been canceled
Schools haven't removed them from their libraries or limited their access to children, they've only chosen to not associate Read Across America Day exclusively with the author. Loudoun County public school system in northern Virginia was accused on canceling the author but they released a statement on the matter. “Dr. Seuss books have not been banned in Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS),” read a statement by the public school. “We continue to encourage our young readers to read all types of books that are inclusive, diverse and reflective of our student community, not simply celebrate Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss books have not been banned and are available to students in our libraries and classrooms, however, Dr. Seuss and his books are no longer the emphasis of Read Across America Day in Loudoun County Public Schools.” Taking into account the controversy surrounding the author's portrayal of non-White characters, President Joe Biden didn't mention the late children's author in his Read Across America Day proclamation. 

Dr. Seuss used orientalist tropes 
It's not the first time Dr. Seuss' work has been criticized for using insensitive images. A 2019 study analyzed the author's work concluded that Dr. Seuss often used “Orientalist tropes” and “anti-Blackness.” The study found that only 2% (45) of the author's total human characters (2,240) were of color and of the 45, 43 perpetuated harmful and stereotypical Orientalist tropes while the other two were 'African' and aligned with the theme of anti-Blackness. All of the non-white characters in his work were male and they all are “presented in subservient, exotified, or dehumanized roles” noted the study.

"He wasn't proud of them"
One of Dr. Seuss' family members believes the criticism of his work is valid. Ted Owens, a great-nephew of the author, said, "I think he would find it a legitimate criticism because I remember talking to him about it at least once and him saying that things were done a certain way back then. Characterizations were done, and he was a cartoonist and he tended to adopt those. And I know later in his life he was not proud of those at all,” reported The New York Times.