‘Cancelled’ Dr Seuss books fly off shelves
Dr Seuss fans will not flinch from defending the man who created The Grinch.
Debate over Dr Seuss’s books became heated after the organisation that protects his legacy said this week it was withdrawing six of them from publication because they portrayed people of different cultures and nationalities ‘‘in ways that are hurtful and wrong’’.
The move has stirred partisan fury among American conservatives who resent the rising tide of what they see as ‘‘cancel culture’’ and have expressed their support for the author by buying his work this week.
Yesterday, nine of the top ten books on Amazon’s US bestseller list (and 17 of the top 25) were by Dr Seuss. Meanwhile, eBay said it was working to prevent resale of the six discontinued books after the sale price of old copies soared past US$1000 (NZ$1400) in some cases.
The campaign arm of the Republican party in the House of Representatives has responded with an appeal to ‘‘Save Dr Seuss from the Radical Left!’’, offering a free copy of The Cat In The Hat for a donation to the party of US$25 (NZ$35). The Cat in The Hat was not among the six withdrawn books.
Right-wing social media and television have seized on the emotive potential of the row, which comes after Hasbro’s recent decision to introduce a gender-neutral alternative to its much-loved toy Mr Potato Head.
‘‘The cancel culture is cancelling Dr Seuss,’’ complained Brian Kilmeade, a host of Fox & Friends on Fox News. ‘‘It’s out of control.’’