There are times in our society when someone says or does something so unacceptable we must ostracize them, this act has been coined “cancel culture”. While cancel culture can be excessively critical and ignorant of historical standards, there are some pieces of media that should definitely be canceled. One of them is Dr. Seuss’s “If I Ran A Zoo.”

Dr. Suess, a popular children author, was best known for his rhymes and whimsical creatures. After hearing his name one normally thinks of “Yertle the Turtle” or “Cat in the Hat”, but behind these popular creatures is a man who fetishized other races in his drawings. 

His book “If I Ran a Zoo” has many racist undertones. The story follows Gerald McGrew, a young boy, as he describes his perfect zoo. While the majority of the pages contain descriptions of animals that McGrew sees or wants, others contain people, specifically people of color. One caricature depicts a bird in a cage being balanced upon the heads of Asian men whose features are exaggerated. On another page he shows two “monkeys” holding up a bird while describing the inhabitants of an African island. 

He depicts people of color using stereotypes, painting them as if they are apart of the exhibit, something to be gawked at. The depiction of minorities as exotic in mainstream media dates far back into American history. It has been used to push the idea of “savagery” about Native Americans and to justify slavery. Continuing to create a belief that these people are less than human is more than unacceptable. 

Although, reasonable adults are easily able to detect the ridiculousness of these caricatures, young children don’t know any better. There is so much power and responsibility that come with being an author, let alone a children’s author. Children should be taught to love instead of hate. As a book full of hate, “If I Ran A Zoo” should not be allowed on shelves. •