The Progressive Dr. Seuss

[WilliamPitt]

A sitting Senator with degrees from Princeton and Harvard fails to comprehend the moral and message of a children's book.

He should have read this, too.

Radical Reading: The Progressive Dr. Seuss
By Peter Dreier
Truthout | Op-Ed

Thursday, 28 February 2013

"Generations of progressive activists may not trace their political views to their early exposure to Dr. Seuss, but without doubt this shy, brilliant genius played a role in sensitizing them to abuses of power."

On Friday, March 1, tens of millions of children and their parents will be reading Dr. Seuss books as part of Read Across America Day, sponsored by the National Educational Association (NEA) in partnership with local school districts and some businesses. The NEA, which started the program 16 years ago to encourage reading, was smart to tie the program to Dr. Seuss, who remains - more than two decades after his death - the world's most popular writer of modern children's books. Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904–1991) - Dr. Seuss' real name - wrote and illustrated 44 children's books, characterized by memorable rhymes, whimsical characters and exuberant drawings that have encouraged generations of children to love reading and expand their vocabularies. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and have sold more than 200 million copies. They have been adapted into feature films, TV specials and a Broadway musical. He earned two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.

What few Americans know is that, despite his popular image as a kindly cartoonist for kids, Dr. Seuss was also a moralist and political progressive whose views suffuse his stories. Some of his books use ridicule, satire, wordplay, nonsense words and wild drawings to take aim at bullies, hypocrites and demagogues. He believed that children's books should be both entertaining and educational. His most popular children's books included parables about racism, anti-Semitism, the arms race, and the environment. His books consistently reveal his sympathy with the weak and the powerless and his fury against tyrants and oppressors.

Many Dr. Seuss books are about the misuse of power - by despots, kings, or other rulers, including parents who arbitrarily wield authority. His books teach children to think about how to deal with an unfair world. Rather than telling them what to do, Geisel invites his young readers to consider what they should do when faced with injustice. Generations of progressive activists may not trace their political views to their early exposure to Dr. Seuss, but without doubt this shy, brilliant genius played a role in sensitizing them to abuses of power.

The rest: http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14765-radical-reading-the-progressive-dr-seuss

[gopiscrap]

1. Good this needs to be pointed out to the general public!

[bigtree]

2. Ode to Cruz

tweeted by, Anne C. Savage ‏@Anne_Savage 50m

Ode to Cruz:

I do not like him on the floor
I do not like his made-up war
I do not like the Nazi metaphor
I do not like him to my core

[RevStPatrick]

3. We were just talking on Facebook...

...about the junior United States senator from the great state of Texas.

And the fact that this highly educated man does not seem to understand that at the end of the book, the narrator decides that he LIKES green eggs and ham.
Two year-olds get that, but a graduate of Princeton and Harvard does not.

I'm really pretty embarrassed to be an American today...

[GeorgeGist]

5. Some kids are great at memorizing facts ...

Haven't a clue when it comes to concepts.

[Cryptoad]

13. We now measure Student's

intelligence by how well they can memorize. Logic and Reason no longer have a place in our schools. Hell in Texas the GOP is trying to outlaw critical thinking in the public schools.... ummmm,,,,looks like they already have!

[bklyncowgirl]

4. Theodore Geisel (Dr. Suess) was very protective of his creations.

He routinely vetoed film projects and insisted that a big part of the profits from adaptations and merchandising of his works and characters go to literacy organizations and libraries. Needless to say he was barely in the grave before his family reversed that policy and opened the floodgates.

I don't know what he would have done if some right wing politician chose to use his work but it probably would have been interesting.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Remember all the poo-flinging from the right

when this movie came out?

[Hydra]

7. The Lorax in its many incarnations is surreally powerful

It questions everything the "job creators" do and what it costs all of us.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

8. Y'know, RWers have the same kind of trouble figuring out the meaning of songs (eg "Born in the USA")

First they make up their minds, THEN they bend reality to match their conclusions.

[LuvNewcastle]

10. I loved it when Reagan said that was his favorite song.

Then Springsteen said, "I'm against everything he stands for."

[Wait Wut]

9. Haven't there been other occasions where RWs quoted Dr. Seuss?

I just did a search, but couldn't find anything. Pretty sure it was McCain or that Twit that he was running with.

Reading comprehension is hard. Just look at their interpretations of the Constitution, the Bible and anything Pres. Jefferson ever wrote.

[Skidmore]

11. The bastardizing Cruz did of Dr. Suess' work for his pseudo-filibuster was tanatamount to

sacrilege.

[dhill926]

12. and Cruz is supposed to be...

one of their smartest ones? Sheesh....says it all....

[Uncle Joe]

14. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, WilliamPitt.

[Posteritatis]

15. People should check out his political cartoons too. He had some real fangs. (nt)

[Voice for Peace]

16. Dr. Seuss will be the new evil Nemesis of the right-wing

Like others who have come before him.
I'm surprised they haven't cast out Jesus yet.

[joeybee12]

17. Very true...knr