Oh, The Places You'll Go

By Christine Nick
Program Officer
TeachRock

On March 2,  Random House Childrenâ€s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that they would stop publishing six of the authorâ€s works. In a statement, Dr. Seuss Enterprises noted that after consulting with researchers and educators that the imagery in these books is racist and harmful, and to that end, these books would no longer be published. The companies also acknowledged that the production of these books no longer made financial sense, two of the six titles had not sold a single copy in 2020. The most well-known of the group, “And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street,'' had sold 5,000 copies last year, a small fraction of over half-million copies of the ever-popular, “Oh, The Place You Will Go” sold in 2020.

This appeared to be the type of organic, self-imposed, corporate responsibility that so many people claim that they would like to see more of in the private sector. Yet the outrage and accusations of “Cancel Culture” were almost instantaneous.

 A few weeks prior to the Dr. Seuss announcement, Hasbro announced that it would be expanding its Potato Head product line to include dolls that were not labeled with the gender-specific honorific of Mr. or Mrs., a signature of the existing line. Hasbro also announced that it would be adding non-gendered family sets to go along with its hetero-normative family sets that include both a Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (presumably in the roles of mother and father), and child spuds. The company made sure to explain that the gendered toys would remain a part of the product line. While the outcry was a dull roar in comparison to the reaction the Dr. Seuss' announcement received, it nonetheless provided ample fodder for the Cancel Culture mill.

It appears that neither subtraction nor addition is a mathematical operation companies can utilize to make changes that reflect our evolving country and correct past mistakes without controversy. To be sure, some struggle with these changes because of their emotional ties to cherished items from childhood. When revisiting these memories, it is most likely with emotion and not critical thinking about systemic inequality.

But isnâ€t that the point? These books and toys form an integral part of childrenâ€s formative years, demonstrating both the possibilities and limits of their future lives, and helping them form opinions about what is “normal” and what is not. As Nelson Mandela stated, “No one is born hating another person...People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.” Rather than fighting for outdated caricatures and gendered potatoes, letâ€s applaud Hasbro and Dr. Seuss Enterprises for making space for our children to learn to love.