I was shocked when I learned about this (and Disney’s WWII propaganda) when I was working in a book store, but I never knew about the apology by way of Horton, I’ll have to give that one another read!

The imagery utilised by the ‘apology’ is very interesting as well. The huge, benevolent Horton guiding and rescuing the tiny (let’s not forget that line ‘A person’s a person, no matter how small’) Whos.

Applying a a 21st Century sense of ‘righteousness’ to events which occured in the midst of a war of aggression perpetuated by the Japanese Empire 70 years ago seems inappropriate. In the context of the barbaric and egregious acts committed by the Japanese government and military, Dr. Seuss’s acts seem trivial. This sort of propaganda was ubiquitous.

I’m pretty sure wrong is still wrong no matter the scale. Dr. Seuss is admirable because when he realized what he did hurt people, he took responsibility for it and apologized (in a quite memorable way). Let’s not forget that propaganda like this reduced the men of the most decorated military unit in U.S. history, the 442nd regiment in WWII, to a caricature of a balding, buck-toothed, squinty-eyed dude. Now that’s just plain disrespectful to your countrymen – I don’t care what era you’re from.

I think the fact that the Whos are tiny works better as imagery for the Japanese being a minority in the US. The quote works well with that thought too.

Of course, he could have just been joking about the Japanese being short too.

Imagine if you were an artist, and the government comes to you with a commission for war propaganda (hey, you’re famous and you’ve influence in schools), and then you refuse. Good luck with that. God only knows what’s going to happen to you. Lose your job and fame? Might even lose your life.

In his defense, he probably never
*Puts on sunglasses*
spotted a Jap.
YEEEAH.
Luckily, I never cared for his works too much (I was reading Harry Potter by the time I was 5 1/2 or 6, leaving little time to remember Dr. Suess) to be too disturbed. Not to mention the times were racist AND war was usually fueled with whatever they’ve got. I mean, some people are doing propaganda against terrorism by fueling anti-Muslim feelings; which of course is forgetting that the majority of US domestic terrorism incidents are caused by Right-Wing extremists and Eco-terrorists (together making up about 85% of said domestic terrorism).
OK, end rant-ish thing. BYE BYE.

Interesting story. Thanks!

I think grimpoteuthis’ diagnoses was correct. Its one thing to encourage your country, and even to make distasteful propaganda against violent acts and enemies, during a time of war. Its another thing to include your own citizens and allies in that propaganda, encouraging unconstitutional acts against them just because they share a similar heritage to the nation at war. Demonizing a race because of international politics and war is ignorance in action. I’m glad Dr. Seuss recognized that, and corrected himself in this.

well i think the movie is fine

Mat Dr. Seuss burn in Hell with the rest of the racists.

Are you talking about the movie which included that stereotypical anime reference? XD

Wow everyone here trying to justify his actions because the image of him you once had is now in conflict with BLATANT evidence of his racism. Cognitive Dissonance, look it up. This wasn’t an accident, and there are other ways to make a living. Though selling your soul is probably the quickest. I already knew of his racism before this article because I do so much research on history, mainly the World Wars. I can’t believe the comments I’m reading on here of people trying to rationalize racism because it’s coming from someone who you didn’t even know personally, but feel so emotionally attached to his works. This is the same crap that goes on today. This is why people here a bomb goes off in America and immediately think it’s a Muslim terrorist. Propaganda has made you fear all middle eastern people, yet you don’t even realize it. Regardless of whether or not they are American citizens, we are all human beings. I don’t know why what Dr. Seuss did is more or less atrocious because they were or weren’t Americans. Americans have this heir of superiority that is undue to them. Look at the death toll in Afghanistan, and Iraq, and I’m not talking about the thugs we sent over there to kill I’m talking about citizens of invaded countries. Millions of lives in exchange for the thousands lost during 9/11. No “weapons of mass destruction” not even Osama Bin Laden, because he was in Pakistan. Some of you people need to wake up before it’s too late.

Or that the story would later be used as propaganda against women’s rights groups…

In all honesty, I really liked the movie. A lot. It’s one of my favorites.
I would say something about the actual content of the article, but it makes my heart all weird so I can’t really think of what to say.

The difference is that, they wouldnt feel bad about it at all. They are still denying that their soldiers committed war crimes in China during World War II. Apparently raping thousands of Chinese girls and taking sex slaves “never happened”.

No relation. Being wrongheaded about something doesn’t mean you have to be wrong about everything. Furthermore, if you actually read the article, he apologized and did what he did best to try to make things right.

You never have to justify standing up for the repressed.

Propaganda is powerful against weak minds. Try to remember that a naval blockade is an act of war.

Don’t forget there is a big difference between a people and their government! That’s the government’s stance.

Yes but the people did nothing to change their government’s stance nor change what they teach children as their text books do not teach the truth about attrocities. My grandmother told me about the attrocities she saw when I was a child and I don’t buy anything Japanese if I can help it! Go see the Railway man. The scenes of torture is only half as attrocious as what she described!

Oh yes, because a nation that didn’t have democracy for a VERY long time, who had survived by giving power over to individuals that were not elected but born into their roles, and who had shown in their history could only seriously get changes for bad things with major civil wars, could just change their government’s minds. Don’t apply your opinions of how government works based off America onto others; the Japanese didn’t have any more chance of rebelling against their government than the Germans who didn’t approve of the Nazis did in Germany. In addition when has the government actually even listened to it’s people even when it should? The American government certainly doesn’t always do a great job of that, even when a whole communities of its people are fighting against something they’re doing.
As for textbooks, I’m not sure what’s in Japanese textbooks but I’m aware of what’s in AMERICAN ones and they certainly don’t talk about all the atrocities we’ve committed, or even a different opinion until we’re older, forcing kids to believe that “Oh Germans and Japanese people were all bad in that time though we did intern some unfortunates”. It’s not until later we learn about the fact that Germans in their homeland were under constant fear of death or worse because of the SS, that a lot of kids were brainwashed into telling on others including their own families, that actually a good majority of the nation disapproved of Hitler’s ways but were so scared to say anything because their very lives and the lives of those they love were in danger. Now Japan wasn’t under a dictator at the time, not anymore at least (damned Tokugawa), but we are talking about a nation that has always valued unity and loyalty, and a nation that would often hurt even itself to get those things. To disapprove was just as much a death warrant for them and not everyone actually wanted the fighting or even understood any of it. I’m sure their textbooks don’t give a lot of detail on things like the Rape of Nanking or some of their worst moments but tell me: how long did you go in school before you found out the fact that America treated even legal immigrants like garbage? How long did it take you to find out the details of slavery? How long until you found out about the internment camps or the Chinese Exclusion Act or about the Phillipines and the fact it was an US COLONY and yet its people weren’t even allowed to be counted as American ith rights or the fact that WAY before WW2 America was treating Asians, Japanese included, as aliens who didn’t deserve basic human rights? How long until you found out the cancer and irreparable damage, the horrors of what the atom bombs did to the civilians of Japan, the vast majority of whom never hurt anyone, never wanted to, who were children who didn’t even understand the war, who had to then spend the rest of their lives (short as they ended up) suffering in pain for the actions of the government and military forces?
You want to go see something? Read Toto-chan or the story of Sadako; read about those children who didn’t understand, who NEVER understood, and had their lives upended. You want to go off and be racist and use your grandmother as an excuse for being an asshole and thinking that the crimes of a past generation of a nation justifies treating the current generation, most of which were those kids, like they’re bad too and not buying their wares then fine, go be a racist but don’t do it here. Because it seems pretty obvious you’re one of those closeminded people who never actually listened in history class and used common sense to think “hm, maybe they’re a REASON why the common people didn’t stand up to their government, maybe they’re more to this than just what my grandmother told me”. The Japanese did do bad things, no doubt, though so has every other nation in the history of forever, but that doesn’t make them as a people bad.

You are a Queen

Roosevelt was a better president than any of the last six.

Nah, that was shitty. He wasn’t a fascist though. He actively held back corporate power. Unless you’re one of those idiots who think Goldberg’s book was right.