A
confession: it took Dr. Seuss to make me understand what the phrase “cancel
culture” meant. Oh, sure, I’ve seen it a lot, but I couldn’t quite wrap my mind
around it. Given my not-so-secret political leanings, it should be no surprise
that I thought maybe it had to do with Republicans cancelling literature, art,
and music. After all, they never want to fund the arts. But with the current
flap about the Seuss books, I understand now that they are whining that we’re
doing away with all that makes our culture great. That would be Dr. Seuss and
Potato Head.
I was
sad when Little Black Sambo disappeared from children’s bookshelves. If
you’re older than the hills, as I am, you may remember that Sambo was a young black
boy who lived with his parents, Black Jumbo and Black Mumbo, in the South of
India. One day out for a walk, Sambo encounters four tigers and, one by one,
outwits them so that they don’t eat him. The book was so much a part of my
growing up that when my mom hooked bedside rugs for my children, Jamie got one
depicting the tiger from Little Black Sambo. (She ran out of steam by
the time Jordan came along, and poor Jordan has no rug). But, primarily because
of the stereotypical names of the characters, the book, written by a Scottish
woman, eventually disappeared. In its day, it was hailed as the first children’s
book to feature a black character.
Dr.
Seuss books were similarly basic to my childhood. When my brother was little,
my family lived on 50th Street in Chicago, and my mom would read And
To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street to John, only she changed
Mulberry Street to 50th Street. When I came along, she kept it 50th
Street even though we had by then moved to Madison Park. And that’s one of the
books I grew up with: And To Think That I Saw It On 50th Street! A
friend wrote me that he learned to read from the Seuss books and still, now in
middle age, has the original books a relative gave him and used to teach him to
read. Politics aside, we all treasure those books and the childhood memories
they evoke.
In a
way, I almost understand the “cancel culture” movement—not that we can cancel
our heritage, but I sometimes think at this late date we’re trying to rewrite
history when we might do better to look our history full in the face, admit its
shortcomings, and strive to do better. Yes, racism is a strong and regrettable
thread throughout American history, but is banning Little Black Sambo or
tearing down Confederate statues going to change where we are today? Not to my
mind. We are where we are, it isn’t good, and we must work to eliminate racism
in all its forms. With Black Lives Matter, attention to outrageous black
brutality, efforts to eliminate voter suppression, and other movements, we are
chipping away at the major social problem in America, probably not fast enough
for some but social change is never rapid. Preserving books and statues and
other relics simply reminds us of errors we don’t want to repeat. Of course,
there are those who see those things as shrines rather than errors, but I
firmly believe they are in the minority. And little we do will reason with
them.
Back
to the present, I find the Republican response nothing short of ludicrous.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has posted a video of himself reading Green
Eggs and Ham. Our country faces several major crises right now—the pandemic
(though we’re slowly gaining on it), an economic crisis where too many people
go to bed hungry, can’t pay the rent, and have no medical care; a crisis of
racism, with everything from justice to vaccines unfairly allotted; an
environmental crisis, with the doomsday clock ticking. As McCarthy was reading,
Congress was considering the American Rescue Act, which would give major aid to
those who need it, along with some important reforms. And he has nothing better
to occupy his mind than reading Dr. Seuss on a video?
I have
seen some posts that seem to blame President Biden directly for the withdrawal
of six Seuss titles. After all, his remarks on National Reading Day did not
mention Seuss, as both Obama and trump had done in previous years. Obviously,
therefore, Biden was behind pulling the titles. Wrong! Overlooking the fact
that President Biden is an extraordinarily busy man with weighty matters on his
mind and desk, there is the truth that pulling the six titles was a marketing
decision made by Seuss Enterprises, now a part of Random House. Apparently, it
was a wise decision, because sales of Seuss titles have skyrocketed.
Making
a conservative hero of Theodor Seuss Geisel is as ludicrous as McCarthy’s video.
Geisel was a lifelong Democrat and left-leaning liberal who published dozens of
cartoons vilifying Republicans. He despised racism, anti-Semitism, and Fascism
and would, so students of his work say, despise the trumpians who are now
trying to “defend” his honor. He apparently regretted the racist images in some
of his books and dedicated Horton Hears A Who! to a Japanese friend,
because he had earlier mocked the Japanese in resettlement camps. He was not
afraid to admit his errors, and he would want as much for his work today.
The
Republican Party, badly divided as it is, has no policy, no constructive
suggestions and is reduced to talking about children’s books, albeit some of
the best children’s lit ever written. Anyone want to take on The Wind in the
Willows? Surely there’s something subversive in those pages.
As for
Mr. Potato Head, I still haven’t figured that one out. And have you heard of
the new plural—womxn? Use Google. I can’t bear to go into it here.
