With the long-overdue global awakening happening last year, the lens through which we view behavior has been sharpened. Old tweets, private messages, and even published works have been combed through, getting called out for offensive, problematic, or discriminatory narratives and imagery. Some say “cancel culture”—where the public aims to hold public figures accountable and strip them of the privileges that have allowed them to escape consequences—goes a touch too far.

For most of the esteemed authors who existed before the age of social media, their thoughts, opinions, and convictions avoided being logged eternally for historical scrutiny. However, there are a select few whose problematic behavior was documented and has come to light and the widely-beloved Dr. Seuss is one of them.

While necessary to call out these offenses when we see them, it doesn’t make it any less disappointing. Especially when their work has played a major role in our childhood or has become a staple in our culture.

Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel

Over recent years, a deeper look at the catalog of one of the most celebrated children’s book authors of all time, Dr. Seuss aka Theodor Seuss Geisel, has uncovered some incredibly racist themes. The public outcry reached such a fever pitch that Dr. Seuss Enterprises recently announced that they’ll stop publishing six of the author’s titles due to “racist and insensitive imagery”—including And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street and If I Ran the Zoo.

Illustration depicting Asians from “And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street” and a depiction of Africans in “If I Ran the Zoo”

Further, a study done in 2019 by the Research on Diversity in Children’s Literary of St. Catherine University analyzed each of Dr. Seuss’s books and found that “only two percent of the characters are of color” and those that were present “reinforced racial biases”. There are no female characters, and any characters of color were illustrated in subservient and demeaning ways. Even one of his most renowned characters has been called out for perpetuating “blackface minstrelsy” as an unwanted figure in a white home that is reportedly inspired by a black female elevator operator in Philip Nel's Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books.

In the past, a themed Dr. Seuss Day has been a staple in the children’s literary space in honor of the author’s birthday on March 2. However, some literary organizations have changed course, including the National Education Association’s Read Across America who opted to switch from centering Dr. Seuss books or themed activities in 2017 and instead has focused on children’s books that celebrate inclusivity and diversity. Cambridgeport Elementary School librarian Liz Phipps declined a shipment of Dr. Seuss books from former First Lady Melania Trump, calling “Dr. Seuss a bit of a cliché, a tired and worn ambassador for children’s literature.”

Yet, the Dr. Seuss brand is so far-reaching and ingrained in societies worldwide with How the Grinch Stole Christmas being played every holiday season, couples wearing Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes for Halloween, and books have been centerpieces on young reader bookshelves for decades.

So, here’s the big question we all seem to be grappling with: When a creative’s behavior is consistently offensive, how should we approach their catalog (if at all)? Is everything they touched tainted? Is there an invisible societal line in the sand that once crossed their actions become too much to justify supporting their work? Or is there an argument to be made for facing discriminatory narratives head-on and not removing them but using them as springboards for difficult discussions?

However you may think about Dr. Seuss’s legacy moving forward - and we won’t tell you how to think - one thing is for sure. More authentic reflections of diversity by diverse creators is one way to better prevent people outside of a lived experience from speaking for and about groups that they’ve never been a part of.

Editor’s Note: We all have faults and terrible moments which if put under a spotlight would present us in a way we’re less than proud of. For this reason, we only wanted to explore the legacy of Dr. Seuss due to consistent and habitual harmful behavior that indicates not simply a few moments in time but a recurring perspective regarding how to portray those thought of as other.

How Should We View the Legacy of Dr. Seuss?

Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel