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The Tricknology Starts Early: Inside Black America’s Case Against Dr. Seuss Books And Anti-Black Imagery

The Tricknology Starts Early: Inside Black America’s Case Against Dr. Seuss Books And Anti-Black Imagery

Seuss
The Tricknology Starts Early: Inside Black America’s Case Against Dr. Seuss Books And Anti-Black Imagery. Theodor Seuss Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss, speaks in Dallas, April 3, 1987. Geisel died in 1991. (AP Photo/File)

Not all children’s books are an innocent and innocuous means of entertaining and teaching them. Some covertly subject children to racist imagery and words. Such racist tricknology indoctrinates kids in racism early on. Even Dr. Seuss — yes, “The Cat in the Hat” author — has published racist books.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, best known as Dr. Seuss, authored more than a dozen children’s books from the 1930s to the 1970s. His books are synonymous with young children’s literature but he also churned out some books that have been deemed racist. 

Dr. Seuss Enterprises, a San Diego-based company that oversees the author’s estate, announced it will no longer publish six Dr. Seuss books because of their racist imagery.

“And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” portrays a white man whipping on a Black man. “If I Ran the Zoo” features two African men who are savagely depicted — shirtless, shoeless, and wearing grass skirts while holding an exotic animal, NBC News reported. Both books have been dropped.

Other Dr. Seuss books that were canceled include “McElligot’s Pool,” “On Beyond Zebra!,” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” and “The Cat’s Quizzer.” 

“These books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” the company said in a statement. “Ceasing sales of these books is only part of our commitment and our broader plan to ensure Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ catalog represents and supports all communities and families.”

Twitter spoke. “It is baffling how it’s primarily white people that have a issue with this. The only race or ethnicity that wasn’t treated cruelly by Suess,” one person tweeted.

Another gave props to Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “At least they acknowledged it.”

Books by Geisel, who died in 1991, have sold millions of copies. While the Dr. Seuss Enterprises announcement has surprised some, it’s long been known that early in his career, Geisel drew propaganda cartoons that depicted anti-Black and anti-Japanese stereotypes, The Washington Post reported. 

2019 survey of Seuss’ works revealed that just 2 percent of his human characters were Black and people of color while 98 percent were white. The study found that his portrayal of and references to Black characters depended heavily on anti-Blackness and images of white superiority, NBC News reported.

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When children are exposed to such imagery at an early age, it can affect their perceptions of themselves and others. Children begin forming racial biases as young as 3 years old, according to a 2006 Harvard University study. “Remarkably, implicit pro-white/anti-Black bias was evident even in the youngest group, with self-reported attitudes revealing bias,” the authors wrote.