If You’re Outraged About Dr. Seuss, Consider This

What crying “cancel culture” says about you

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I’ve seen about a dozen memes over the last couple of days expressing outrage that rap lyrics aren’t censored for derogatory content but Dr. Seuss books, Disney creations, and sports mascots have been “forced” to change.

I hate this line of thinking so much.

It’s not an either/or. When you know better, you [should] do better, as Maya Angelou said. The argument, “Yeah, but what about…” is childish and self-centered. When my kids were little and tried to take that route to get out of trouble, I cut the argument off immediately. Wrong is wrong, no matter where on the spectrum it may fall. And you are responsible for what you do.

Should rap artists be pressured to stop producing disgusting music that objectifies and denigrates women? Absolutely, but that doesn’t mean other streams of the entertainment industry shouldn’t also come under scrutiny for how they portray people. I’m sure that for some, it’s too little, too late, but at the very least, it’s an acknowledgment, an apology, and a course-correction.

Do I still love Dr. Seuss and the Muppets? Absolutely. But the saying “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” applies here. You keep what is good and wholesome, but you throw out the…