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The Banning of Dr. Seuss

lepperochan
Craic-Dealer
Guardian of Shadows
Palestine 67awards
Joined 1st Apr 2011
Forum Posts: 14449


I think the only saving grace about this story is it was the Seuss family or estate who made the decision to do it and not the result if some woke movement putting it under pressure

of course they had and have every right to continue or discontinue anything which is within their remit. could have done it quietly, but no

can still buy mein kempt on eBay, and Lolita, music by Jerry lee Lewis etc and nazi paraphernalia

should we ban elvis cos he sang like a black man and Michael Jackson for his whiteface antics or maybe just cos he was a peado

If we are heading for a quasi Chinese red-revolution where the old ways, the old literature etc are all destroyed or banned that’s fair enough if it’s what the majority of people want and they know what it means


other than that, I think the danger here is we will head into something we will not be able to control and it will end in tears. or worse  

anna_grin
ANNAN
Dangerous Mind
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Joined 24th Mar 2013
Forum Posts: 3367

i don’t think they handled it as tactfully as they could have but i do see why they would want to make their position clear publicly, there has long been debate over seuss and his more questionable cartoonography

and i think the very fact of still being able to purchase all that crap on eBay does more to negate the idea of a woke communist revolution than support it. i expect in the case of these kids books , keeping them off eBay is an agreement between the seuss family and eBay. other vendors would still have freedom to flip them.

i very much see your point about banning in general, there is every chance that unchecked it can go too far.  it’s up to us then to stop it going mad, and with the right reasons in mind (i.e the preservation of American white culture does not depend on the existence of a few racist nursery rhymes)

it’s definitely been made a bigger issue than it is for political reasons as well

crimsin
Unveiling
Tyrant of Words
United States 121awards
Joined 25th Jan 2011
Forum Posts: 2608

good morning I think these are sad days in America
things are beginning to be censored, erased
with calls of bigotry in the air
there is not a race that hasn't faced this in some way
it isn't fair but it is...

we have politicians who say they will make positive changes and lie
kids in cages on the borders
California still in lock down apparently until we go bankrupt
all the while they're asking Texas to fund the border problem

Dr. Suess I don't know if he was a racist or a realist
we were at war with the Japanese when he wrote said books I hear...

America is calling for a cultureless, historyless society
I love all the diversity of color and culture...

neuter, neutrality I think we are headed for trouble and more trouble

EdibleWords
Tyrant of Words
8awards
Joined 7th Jan 2018
Forum Posts: 2993

crimsin said:good morning I think these are sad days in America
things are beginning to be censored, erased
with calls of bigotry in the air
there is not a race that hasn't faced this in some way
it isn't fair but it is...

we have politicians who say they will make positive changes and lie
kids in cages on the borders
California still in lock down apparently until we go bankrupt
all the while they're asking Texas to fund the border problem

Dr. Suess I don't know if he was a racist or a realist
we were at war with the Japanese when he wrote said books I hear...

America is calling for a cultureless, historyless society
I love all the diversity of color and culture...

neuter, neutrality I think we are headed for trouble and more trouble


I totally agree.

Dr Seuss is the least of our worries.

We should not forget that most of the worst dictatorships existed where rights were given up as though there were none. It’s like the old D.A.R.E. programs would say, “just say no”

Australia had to fight very hard during fire season this year to keep lifesaving Facebook pages up. Everything was cancelled. It’s a bipartisan crisis of speech worldwide. Aussies may turn Facebook into an old “MySpace” just to avoid that again. People could have died or lost their lives over it.

JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

EdibleWords said:

I totally agree.

Dr Seuss is the least of our worries.

We should not forget that most of the worst dictatorships existed where rights were given up as though there were none. It’s like the old D.A.R.E. programs would say, “just say no”

Australia had to fight very hard during fire season this year to keep lifesaving Facebook pages up. Everything was cancelled. It’s a bipartisan crisis of speech worldwide. Aussies may turn Facebook into an old “MySpace” just to avoid that again. People could have died or lost their lives over it.


Actually, this thread is about Dr. Seuss.

Please get a grip.

LunaGreyhawk
Dangerous Mind
United States 17awards
Joined 8th July 2019
Forum Posts: 864

There are definitely ways in which “cancel culture” can be harmful to our freedom of expression, but this is not one of those cases at all, imo.  This is a case of a company looking at the body of work they are putting out into the world and determining that among that vast and diverse work there exists ideas or attitudes that we have (or should have at this point, for crying out loud) evolved past and therefore can be moved on from.  If anything, it maybe smacks a bit of virtue signaling and feels a little distasteful in that regard, but people who own the words and illustrations can change their minds about putting those words and illustrations out into the world anytime they want.  

I find people’s reaction to this whole thing infinitely more interesting than the fact that a company decided to take the opportunity to clean up its collection of offerings at such a time when it would make the biggest media splash.  Not everything we’ve ever written or will write is brilliant or contains enlightened thinking, so I think it’s ok to periodically look over that collection and decide if it represents you or your message as a whole.  If you own it, you can do whatever you like with it.  I don’t support the banning of books for the reasons I mentioned before, but I don’t begrudge people their right to manage their content if they feel it’s the right thing to do, either.  

I think the biggest thing that snags my attention about the whole thing is, why make any kind of announcement at all?  They could have discontinued these books and no one would have really noticed.   In that regard, it feels a bit like an attention grab.  But hey, there are people everywhere trying to get attention however they can so carry on, I guess.  

JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

lepperochan said:I think the only saving grace about this story is it was the Seuss family or estate who made the decision to do it and not the result if some woke movement putting it under pressure

of course they had and have every right to continue or discontinue anything which is within their remit. could have done it quietly, but no

can still buy mein kempt on eBay, and Lolita, music by Jerry lee Lewis etc and nazi paraphernalia

should we ban elvis cos he sang like a black man and Michael Jackson for his whiteface antics or maybe just cos he was a peado

If we are heading for a quasi Chinese red-revolution where the old ways, the old literature etc are all destroyed or banned that’s fair enough if it’s what the majority of people want and they know what it means


other than that, I think the danger here is we will head into something we will not be able to control and it will end in tears. or worse  


You should research before you spread such unproven claims about people on the internet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

Long story short, Jackson had a skin disease and was never convicted of any of those child abuse allegations.  

EdibleWords
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 7th Jan 2018
Forum Posts: 2993

JohnnyBlaze said:

Actually, this thread is about Dr. Seuss.

Please get a grip.



Dr. Seuss decision followed lengthy study of racist themes in his books

The study insisted that “white supremacy is seen throughout” the Dr. Seuss books, with white characters dominating the pages.

Even his animals transmitted “Orientalist, anti-Black, and White supremacist messaging through allegories and symbolism,” the study surmised.


https://nypost.com/2021/03/02/decision-to-pull-dr-seuss-books-followed-study-accusing-author-of-racism/

Who’s books will be studied next?

That’s what I mean.

This is a poetry website talking about a poetry book, cancelled by cancel culture.

This is about eisegesis in the studied poetry of Dr Seuss leading to cancellation.

JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

EdibleWords said:

https://nypost.com/2021/03/02/decision-to-pull-dr-seuss-books-followed-study-accusing-author-of-racism/

Who’s books will be studied next?

That’s what I mean.

This is a poetry website talking about a poetry book, cancelled by cancel culture.


Not really.

Did you read Anna's posts about how Seuss wanted to cancel them himself when he was alive?


EdibleWords
Tyrant of Words
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Joined 7th Jan 2018
Forum Posts: 2993

JohnnyBlaze said:

Not really.

Did you read Anna's posts about how Seuss wanted to cancel them himself when he was alive?



I saw that about a book. It was just one, correct? Would he agree with the scholars now and all they interpret?

JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

EdibleWords said:

I saw that about a book. It was just one, correct? Would he agree with the scholars now and all they interpret?


I'll ask him in my next seance.

Damn, I think that would be a great idea for a Seuss inspired poem!

EdibleWords
Tyrant of Words
8awards
Joined 7th Jan 2018
Forum Posts: 2993

JohnnyBlaze said:

I'll ask him in my next seance.

Damn, I think that would be a great idea for a Seuss inspired poem!


If a book was pulled as his wish was fulfilled, I could understand that. The estate wouldn’t honor anybody to twist everything from Seuss into racism by taking the study as gospel truth.

And there’s money going into studies to examine the works of authors for racism. But is it going to be limited to those labeled as “white” or will it be universal?

Will it be an expression of hollow virtue-signaling or virtue?




crimsin
Unveiling
Tyrant of Words
United States 121awards
Joined 25th Jan 2011
Forum Posts: 2608

JohnnyBlaze said:

I'll ask him in my next seance.

Damn, I think that would be a great idea for a Seuss inspired poem!


I will not be the woman I am
I will not claim gender ever again
no more Mr. or Mrs. it must be they and them
hell what you call it
would just be grand
cultureless colorless void
but don't dare talk about it
you will be censored
don't talk to me about my green ham
I am...

JohnnyBlaze
Tyrant of Words
United States 23awards
Joined 20th Mar 2015
Forum Posts: 5572

crimsin said:

I will not be the woman I am
I will not claim gender ever again
no more Mr. or Mrs. it must be they and them
hell what you call it
would just be grand
cultureless colorless void
but don't dare talk about it
you will be censored
don't talk to me about my green ham
I am...


That's the spirit!






No, seriously ...

I started having a seance ...

and there was a spirit ...

and I leapt from my chair
to get away from it

"That's the spirit!" I cried
that arose from the body
of The Seuss when he died



anna_grin
ANNAN
Dangerous Mind
15awards
Joined 24th Mar 2013
Forum Posts: 3367

ahahaha why should i be surprised any more when people disappoint me

i do not like this green web site
i think that it is full of shite
be you left or be you right
this green web site is full of shite

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