In Our House, Dr. Seuss Was Contraband: My mother went to enormous lengths to protect her family from negative stereotypes of Black people.

The Atlantic ^ | 3/6/2021 | Michael Harriot

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My mother had a ban on pork, and I thought she was mad that I broke it. One afternoon four decades ago, when I was about 8, I walked into my family’s house after playing outside and saw my mother sitting in the yellow recliner with a book in her lap. She had found the copy of Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham.

I knew that I was in trouble, because normally no one sat in the canary-colored La-Z-Boy, a throne reserved for my grandmother. Another member of the family occupying it automatically meant that something very serious had happened­. Seeing the book she was holding, I briefly assumed that its subject was the problem; consuming unclean swine meats was a sin in our church.

But the real issue, I soon learned, was that Dr. Seuss was on our family’s list of banned authors—for precisely the reason that the famous children’s book author is in the news this week: Some of his works portrayed nonwhite people in a racist way. My mother went to what I now realize were enormous lengths to shield us from negative images of Black people, a seemingly impossible task for someone raising children in 1970s and ’80s South Carolina. The intensity of her displeasure over a Dr. Seuss book being in her home—and not even one of the objectionable titles—speaks to how much labor her plan required.

The book that got me in trouble wasn’t even mine. My youngest sister, Robin, had received it as a gift. But knowing that it was forbidden, my sisters placed it in my care because they were younger...

[Rebelbase]

The Atlantic doesn’t disappoint.

[fhayek]

Yeah, Dr Seuss. THAT's the problem.

Crime, Fatherless families, riots, gangs, Rap, drug use, education failures...

But we sure showed Dr. Seuss who was boss...

[cgbg]

before that time, Sub Saharan Africa was heaven on earth.

They had amazing technology, fleets of space ships they sent to the stars.

The only reason you don't know about this is because white people burned all the records and killed all the astronauts.

;-)

[dead]

My dad banned The Three Stooges, because there were four of us boys and he thought we'd hit each other with wrenches and the like. He didn't enforce that one.

He also banned Mister Rogers, because he thought he was a creepy weirdo. I don't remember ever trying to watch it though.

[\/\/ayne]

The story reeks of hysterical hoaxing for the purpose of virtue signaling.

[MarvinStinson]

Michael Harriot

[ponygirl]

... consuming unclean swine meats was a sin in our church.

You mean in your mosque.

No wonder he’s so effed in the head.

[ConservativeInPA]

Quite honestly, Dr. Seuss didn't exist in my home when I was growing up, but for completely different reasons. My parents and family never bought a Dr. Seuss book for me as a child. In terms of television, the same can be said of Sesame Street, although I was was a bit old for the target audience when it was first broadcast. I received a heavy dose of Bible stories, Aesop's Fables, and even some Br'er Rabbit along with a lot of innocuous children's literature.

I could care less about Dr. Seuss and all the implied racism. There are other things that children need to learn, like the reason why books should never be banned.

[Southern Magnolia]

"I knew that I was in trouble, because normally no one sat in the canary-colored La-Z-Boy--"

Can only hope this is satire because what sane person has a bright yellow La-Z-Boy? In any decade?! The horror!

[Lurker]

The author should return to Africa immediately.

L

[LadyDoc]

The quote about whiteness uses language and concepts that did not exist in 1980.

This article is an example of “gas lighting”, lying about what happened and accusing you of being a liar or bigot or crazy if you object to his lie.

Anyone objecting to Dr Seuss in 1980 would be a right wing anti Semite objecting to his liberalism and for being Jewish.

[Verginius Rufus]

If his mother really thought it was harmful to be around whites, she could have moved the family to some country in Africa where they would rarely if ever see a white person. The author of this piece would undoubtedly be a happier person today if that had happened.

[Secret Agent Man]

A lot of people “see” what they WANT to see.

My folks had problems but st least they weren’t hardcore political zealots. They were not hardcore liberals. Thank Christ for that.

[Flash Bazbeaux]

“A Black person’s humanity can never be fully realized in the presence of whiteness,”

Nobody, but nobody, spoke like that 40 years ago. This is straight campus grievance-studies cant.

[Seruzawa]

The writer of this article is trying to pull a “markle”.

[Irenic]

This is just dumb, dumb, dumb.

If I were black I would slap this dudes face.

Lord.

[Seaplaner]

I can smell the bullsh*t from here

Yes, there are falsehoods, obvious major lies, and then there's this gem.

For Marxists/Dems/progressives, every week is a new liars' contest, could this be this weeks' contender?

.

[TallahasseeConservative]

Mentally Ill? No. Racist, yes. Sadly, this is the mindset of a vast majority of Blacks in America today. 60 plus years of indoctrination into the Cult of Victimhood by White Liberals and Race hustlers, makes one angry.

[Sam Gamgee]

Isn’t the Atlantic the go to for once conservatives now liberals like David Frum?

[Dogbert41]

His mother is a pretty clear example of genocidal racism. I’m sure his entire family is pretty fowled up.