Sunday, October 18, 2015

Racism, fond memories, and toddler education

As I was reading Harriet her bedtime stories tonight, I was struck once again by a thing that greatly pains me.  Many of my fondest childhood memories are laced with rather awful racism that I simply failed to be aware of.  Case in point, tonight one of the books we read was To Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street. This book is a simple and delightful Dr. Seuss tale of a child's fantasies of what he saw while walking home, building from a simple horse and wagon to a fantastical parade.  And there, on the second to last page, is this:
"A Chinese man who eats with sticks" --Dr. Seuss
Apparently, Dr. Seuss thought that Chinese-Americans were just as unusual a freak-show as a man with a 10-foot beard, a magician pulling piles of rabbits from a hat, and two giraffes and an elephant towing a brass band down the street.  And so we get this image, on which I can count at least six blatant pieces of racism.  Worse yet, this is apparently the post-1978 revised edition in which the racism is toned way down: he's a "Chinese man" rather than "Chinaman" and he's no longer wearing a pigtail and painted bright yellow.

OK, I know that Dr. Seuss is well known to have done some awfully racist things over the years (e.g., this cartoon condemning Japanese-Americans during World War II).  I know this.  But it burns me up that I had no idea that this monstrosity was living inside a favorite childhood book.  In other words, it's not that Dr. Seuss was making racist drawings, but that I didn't remember the racism at all. We bought this book (well, I bought this book) for Harriet quite early on, on the strength of my fond memories, and I was shocked when I got to this point.  I also noticed that the police were Irish and was a little bit dubious about the Rajah riding the elephant.  Not being familiar enough with the subject matter, I wasn't sure if the Rajah was racist or just archaic (like a knight in shining armor or a lady in a wimple), so I asked my wife, who is South Asian.  Her answer? "Totally racist."

This leaves me with two dilemmas that I struggle with.  First, what does this say about me, to not have known I had such racism in my education?  Clearly there's at least a bit of "fish don't have a word for water" going on.  I did not have this racism called out to me, and thus I didn't realize that it was anything to notice.  It's there in many other things I loved as well, like If I Ran the Zoo (another Seuss), The Jungle Book, and Tintin (oh my goodness, Tintin).  I loved these things and, if I am honest with myself, still do.  My favorite Jungle Book story of all time is "Kaa's hunting," and now I cannot read its descriptions of the Bandar-Log monkeys without wondering if they are allegorical for Kipling's views of India.  Tintin in America is practically hallucinogenic in its kaleidoscope of stereotypes and disrespect for, well, everything, and I still would read it again if I had a copy here in front of me.

And that leads me to the second struggle: do I share these things with Harriet or do I censor them? Mostly, there's an obvious third path that avoids the issue: there are so many good things out there, that I can simply choose to select the ones that I find less problematic.  But what about the ones I find out afterward, like in Mulberry Street? Tonight, I didn't read the line.  I broke the rhyme and went straight to the big magician doing tricks.  Other times, I read it through.  Sometimes, I point things out to her and critique them ("this picture is being mean"), and sometimes I do not.  Mostly, I am uncomfortable and simply shift my strategies back and forth.  I find some of the advice out there about liking problematic media to be useful, but it's not the end of the story and I still have not found peace.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a load of total crap.

Anonymous said...

Geez dude, are you just looking for a reason to be angry? This in nothing!

Tired of this said...

Racist minds see racism in everything. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Anonymous said...

Geez.. "This leaves me with two dilemmas that I struggle with."
If this is what you struggle with... wow, just wow. Putting your political and racist views in place of what a child would get out of Dr. Seuss is pretty sad.
How about getting us out of the Middle East? That's a dilemma.

Jacob Beal said...

Do any of you commenting have any actual argument that you'd like to make in favor of an alternative viewpoint?

If so, I'm happy to consider it and respond. If not, I will kindly show you the door.

Anonymous said...

I once taught two boys, both were Chinese
When they saw this they both said,
“We use chopsticks like these.”
And for Lunar New Year they wore robes like those
Their traditional garb, you’d be shocked I suppose.

They weren’t pained by racism you see
They just thought there’s man there who looks just like me.
That this is racist you think is conclusive
But to these young boys they thought it inclusive.

Now you can go on and think what you think
That Seuss books are racist and the author just stinks.
Here’s one more piece of info I think that you need
They used these books by Seuss and by three they could read.

Jacob Beal said...

Anonymous poet, I would not disagree with your assertion that there some circumstances where even inclusion in the form of racist stereotypes may be preferable to complete invisibility. I would argue that we can do much better, however, and that even at the time many authors were doing much better.

You seem to go on to claim without support, however, that:
(a) the books do not have racist depictions, and
(b) I think that Dr. Seuss stinks.
I don't see how either of those claims can actually be defended.

Would you care to attempt to do so?

Anonymous said...

I never asserted no racist depictions.
I addressed the one that you posted with no citation inscription .
Your opinion of Seuss it drips from the page,
You were barely able to hold back your rage.
You said you were “burned up,” by monstrosities,
What should I conclude with phrases like these?

You have your opinion it’s well understood,
I’m sure you’re convinced that your high horse is good.
You’re entitled to it and so sir good day,
No doubt you’ll let us know you have more to say.


Jacob Beal said...

Anonymous poet, I'm glad that it sounds like you at least recognize that there is significant racist content in "To Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street."

I'm saddened, however, to read the rest of the response that you have written. What I get from that is that you aren't hearing what I was hoping to communicate, about the complex feelings that can happen when you discover something upsetting about something that you love.

Have you ever had an experience like that with a book that you've loved? I'd love to hear something about the choices that you, personally, have made when you are balancing your love for a book with your recognition of its problematic content.

Anonymous said...

I’m sorry sir, but you are mistaken
There is not one jot that I think is racist
including people from all different places.

My reference was to a different Seuss book
That will no doubt offend you if you were to look.
But I am not disappointed nor am I offended.
People evolve in their thoughts and fences are mended.
But by the turn of your phrases it does seems to me
You’ll only be satisfied if I agree
To the way that you think and the way that you feel
I’m sorry but I won’t agree to that deal.

And so I am done leaving you to your thoughts
I think that you should feel a bit less distraught.
Please keep in mind to remember my friend
Not how you feel now, but what you felt then.
When this book was just whimsy when this book was just fun.
When you were a child walking under the sun.
The book hasn’t changed what’s changed sir is you
Change is the thing that time makes us do.

You are not a bad person for loving this book
Read it again just give it a look.
Seuss changed its language as he knew it was wrong
But left in the melody to the Seuss song
About a young child and their imagination
Not about society’s mental castration.

Seuss taught us to read and taught us to grow
To see beyond the things you think that you know.
A lesson you might revisit some time
When there were just verses and pictures and rhyme
That taught us to look beyond one’s appearance
And reach for the stars without interference.
This is the legacy Seuss leaves behind
I hope you’ll remember these lessons sometime.

Jacob Beal said...

Anonymous poet, I'm sorry that rather than choose to engage further, you've decided to back away into contradicting yourself ("I never asserted no racist depictions." vs. "There is not one jot that I think is racist") and that you aren't willing to share anything about your own experiences.

You've put in quite a bit of time and energy into your poetry, which I appreciate. I genuinely wish that I could learn more about your own experiences of growth and changing perspectives (for good or for ill). Whether you choose to share or not, however, is up to you and not to me.