Some might dismiss Dr Seuss as simply a children’s author. They might say that attacks on him are, in the end, not all that serious for the broader culture. But this would be to underestimate what is happening. The woke warriors seek to tear up existing culture, root and branch, because they believe it is irredeemably racist. And Dr Seuss has, in fact, played an important role in our culture: his books are part of childhood and family life. They bind generations together, as parents read to kids, who grow up to read to their kids. Dr Seuss and his books have thus become a common reference within our culture, something we share warm feelings about with people close to us.
It is precisely Dr Seuss’ intimate role in the culture that makes him a very attractive target for the woke – if he can be brought down by charges of racism, so can many other cultural authorities of the past. This clearing away of the prior culture can be disorienting for most of us, as people and books we anchored our lives on are now considered morally suspect. But it is essential for the proponents of the woke project, who dream of a clean-slate society.
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