Political Correctness was originally an idea to simply treat people with respect. It has instead become a way to bash anyone who doesn’t agree with you and bow down to tunnel-vision logic. One of the problems with the Seuss book was a Chinese person drawn with slanted eyes and chopsticks. Why is this a problem? Chinese people do have slanted eyes… and they very often use chopsticks. Hell, when I go to a Chinese restaurant I am often asked if I need a fork. Why is simply showing a generalized truth automatically racist? It isn’t – but we are being told it is. Example: I bet that if you ask a Chinese 8 year old to draw three people – a white, Chinese and black person – that (s)he would represent the Chinese with slanted eyes. Why? Because that is an automatic and realistic difference. It isn’t racist – it is truthful. The black person would almost certainly be drawn with a darker colour (altho not every black person IS of a darker colour). Also possibly with thicker lips. Is this racist, or simply an acceptable fact? How ELSE draw a visual difference? Where such things COULD be (and often were) racist is when all the Black people looked the same – and were represented as stupid or lazy. The INTENT is racist – Dr Seuss’ choices almost certainly weren’t. Dr Seuss’s black person was in a grass skirt. If he wanted to represent an American Black pictorially – he almost certainly wouldn’t have used a grass skirt. But if it was an African black he wanted to depict – how DOES one do this? At the time that this book came out – grass skirts were quite possibly a typical native dress in some parts of Africa – which would immediately be understood by everyone as African as opposed to American. The choice is neither mocking nor racist – simply pragmatic. Why can’t people stop creating victimization narratives, and THINK for a second?
fred.grenouille about 3 years ago
Well said! Thank you Drew…
Pogostiks Premium Member about 3 years ago
Political Correctness was originally an idea to simply treat people with respect. It has instead become a way to bash anyone who doesn’t agree with you and bow down to tunnel-vision logic. One of the problems with the Seuss book was a Chinese person drawn with slanted eyes and chopsticks. Why is this a problem? Chinese people do have slanted eyes… and they very often use chopsticks. Hell, when I go to a Chinese restaurant I am often asked if I need a fork. Why is simply showing a generalized truth automatically racist? It isn’t – but we are being told it is. Example: I bet that if you ask a Chinese 8 year old to draw three people – a white, Chinese and black person – that (s)he would represent the Chinese with slanted eyes. Why? Because that is an automatic and realistic difference. It isn’t racist – it is truthful. The black person would almost certainly be drawn with a darker colour (altho not every black person IS of a darker colour). Also possibly with thicker lips. Is this racist, or simply an acceptable fact? How ELSE draw a visual difference? Where such things COULD be (and often were) racist is when all the Black people looked the same – and were represented as stupid or lazy. The INTENT is racist – Dr Seuss’ choices almost certainly weren’t. Dr Seuss’s black person was in a grass skirt. If he wanted to represent an American Black pictorially – he almost certainly wouldn’t have used a grass skirt. But if it was an African black he wanted to depict – how DOES one do this? At the time that this book came out – grass skirts were quite possibly a typical native dress in some parts of Africa – which would immediately be understood by everyone as African as opposed to American. The choice is neither mocking nor racist – simply pragmatic. Why can’t people stop creating victimization narratives, and THINK for a second?
bow493 Premium Member about 3 years ago
Feel good about yourself now?
NeoconMan about 3 years ago
Well stated, Pogo. I’m sure Seuss Enterprises will now get the message that the Right will not allow them to try to be less racist.
Hapthorn about 3 years ago
“Mr.” is not a pronoun. Otherwise I agree with the sentiments expressed by the talking potato.
JohnHarry Premium Member about 3 years ago
We could draw you as a walking sphincter. After it would be anatomically correct and a justifiable representation.
gnorth22 Premium Member about 3 years ago
Message aside, Drew’s rendering of some classic characters is really very good. I particularly like the Grinch and the Cat-In-the-Hat.