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Darryle Owens's avatar

As a black man, it doesn’t bother me much that black people were depicted a certain way decades ago. It reminds me how far we’ve come, and if I realize it at all, that’s how I would explain it to my two children. All that said, it’s my choice, and I can decide whether it’s appropriate for me or not. I don’t need or want someone else, even the author’s foundation, to tell me whether it’s good or bad.

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Tom's avatar

It is worth reading the summary by the authors of the "study" that "convinced" the owners to no longer publish the books and eBay to no longer permit their trade.

https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=new-study-published-on-racism-and-dr-seuss

It is soaked in the language of critical theory, its claims and presumptions.

It is perfectly clear that the authors began with the knowledge that racism exists in the books and then designed their "study" to expose it. This is what critical theory is all about. The oppression exists and the job of the noble practitioner is to find it and expose it. Everywhere. In Everything. Endlessly.

Readers who are not familiar with critical theory should read the following statement very carefully and really reflect on it. It does an excellent job summarizing key aspects of critical theory and how it differs from liberalism and the long traditional scholarship and research: "We also write from our positionality as scholar-parents of children of color, and discuss how that informs our work and advocacy—not only a personal level (sic), but a national policy level (sic)."

Instead of taking extra care to eliminate their biases they embrace their lived experience based on their "positionality" and let that inform the research. Note too that "advocacy" is inseparable from scholarship. In critical theory, bias and tailoring research design to fit a pre-determined policy objective are not things to be avoided, but are central to the work.

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