Member-only story
So, Dr. Seuss was a rabid racist
Most people don’t know that Dr. Seuss was a racist, actively promoting racial terrorism against black people (well, duh!), also Jewish and Asian people. He was also sexist and just generally white supremacist in his views.
Dr. Seuss has been hailed for decades as some kind of quirky, lovable genius. But his legacy is in jeopardy with some American schools turning their back on Dr. Seuss — albeit very grudgingly (and cautiously in the face of hysterical right-wing media). This is happening because it is becoming common knowledge that Dr. Seuss was racist. Not a little bit racist like the UK’s titan of children’s literature Enid Blyton who was sent quietly off into the night for such works like The Little Black Doll and then a penchant for criminal golliwogs and evil black servants, but a serious ‘Kill Japs’ and bring back slavery type of racist.
As a parent, I always thought there was something a little odd about the imagery in Dr. Seuss’s books, which I nevertheless bought for my children. I found the tongue-twisty verse style of storytelling fun and attractive for young children. Also, him being ‘America’s most popular children’s author’. I wanted to expose them to his iconic books that have been made into movies…
