Recently, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced on March 2nd of 2021 six books will no longer be published because they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” these books include depictions of nonwhite characters that were “hateful and wrong”. Soon after, the announcement went viral and people around the world began analyzing the history of Dr. Seuss and the imagery of the six titles were shocking.
“And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street” was published in 1937 and will be one of the titles that will no longer be sold nor published anymore. The depiction of this asian character was drawn with two lines, slanted for eyes and he was wearing a pointed hat carrying chopsticks and a bowl of rice. “If I Ran the Zoo” is another children’s book that will no longer be published due to a racist and hurtful depiction. In the book a large number people pointed out that their imagery was used to depict Orientalism and White Supremacy. The three asian characters who were not wearing hats carried a white male on their heads who were also holding guns illustrating dominance. The written text of this described the asian characters from countries no one can spell and as helpers who all wore their eyes at a slant. Furthermore, in “If I Ran the Zoo ” the African characters were drawn to resemble monkeys and features an Arab chieftain riding a camel. In addition to children’s books Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) also illustrated political cartoons ranging from tax exemptions to racism. One of the most controversial political cartoons Dr. Seuss published a political cartoon where a Japanese man was depicted next to Hitler. The Japanese man is portrayed with a pig-like snout, a mustache similar to Hitler’s, buck teeth, circular glasses, and slanted eyes. According to Dartmouth, the portrayal of this Japanese man was used in multiple Dr. Seuss’s cartoons thus portraying them as all the same and fueled racism and hatred towards Japanese-Americans.
In today’s world, with cancel culture, many pointed out that Dr. Seuss is not being cancelled and it was the family’s decision to cancel the six titles that depicted very racist and hateful imagery. Either way not having the six titles on the shelves for future children to read is a sigh of relief with everything going on in the world right now. I personally think more children’s books should be reevaluated as more and more of them have been written in different times of history which can be seen as harmful in the modern world and should not be displayed for children to read.