How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Hat Cat, The Lorax… We could still list for a long time the emblematic creations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known in the world under the malicious pseudonym of Dr Seuss. One of America’s most popular storytellers are responsible for children’s stories full of fantasy, the absurdity typical of children’s literature, and other word games.
Yes but now, today, the American author who died in 1991 is controversial. Some of his works, dating from the 1930s and 1950s, are accused of racism by many teachers and academics. So much so that Dr Seuss Enterprises announced on March 2 its decision to cease publication of six of its classics: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo, McElligot’s Pool, On Beyond Zebra!, Scrambled Eggs Super! and The Cat’s Quizzer.
A decision which would have been taken on the advice of a group of experts, specialists who have studied the author’s literature in order to study, in particular, the problematic representations of racialized and Asian characters. Mulberry Street displays, for example, a most caricatured image of a Chinese character, and If I Ran the Zoo, an inappropriate illustration of Africa. We are rather far from the ideal fairy tale.
“Stopping the sale of these books is only part of our commitment. Our desire is to ensure that Dr Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families,” company representatives explained. au Guardian, who insist on the “degrading” aspect of these images.
“Racism is in America’s DNA”
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