Should six Dr Seuss's books have been withdrawn from publication?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right: On March 3, 2021, ABC News televised a report on the decision taken by Dr Seuss Enterprises to withdraw from publication six Dr Suess titles which it considered ‘portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.’What they said...
'When children's books... present people of colour in stereotypical, dehumanising, or subordinate ways, they both ingrain and reinforce internalised racism and White supremacy.'
Katie Ishizuka and Ramon Stephens, authors of a 2019 study of racism in Dr Seuss
'If we remove every book that is offensive to someone, there will be very little left on the shelf.'
A statement on the removal of Dr Seuss books from publication issued by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC)
The issue at a glance
On March 2, 2021, Dr Seuss Enterprises announced 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.
Dr Seuss Enterprises stated, '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' catalogue represents and supports all communities and families.'
The other books affected are 'McElligot's Pool', 'On Beyond Zebra!', 'Scrambled Eggs Super!', and 'The Cat's Quizzer'.
The decision has provoked a backlash from some social commentators and others who have condemned the removal of the titles by Dr Seuss Enterprises as 'cancel culture'.
'Cancel culture' refers to the boycotting of a particular person or cultural artifact for being insensitive, inappropriate, or otherwise problematic. Its opponents use the term to describe an unreasonable limitation on freedom of expression.