As a Japanese national, I felt a little sad seeing his older anti-Japanese works but was heartened to learn about the evolution of his views and the true meaning of Horton Hears a Who!. I appreciate his work and acknowledge that he is a complicated person like the rest of us.

@jennaviva19

2 ай бұрын

I was going to write something very similar, but as a Japanese American, before I saw your comment. I'm grateful to see I am not alone in these feelings. I even performed AS a Who in my High school's rendition of Suessical the Musical. Thank you for this video

@hayteren

2 ай бұрын

It's a tough situation. The Japanese may have been even more evil than the Nazis. Especially to the Chinese. So it was hard for people to disassociate the real Japanese people with the military

@SeasideDetective2

2 ай бұрын

With all due respect, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Of course there was going to be some pushback. And what happened was not extraordinary. My grandmother's German-American parents were living in the Midwest during the First World War. I never hear anyone calling for apologies to my great-grandparents for propaganda posters that said "Mad Brute" and "Hun." And you know what? I'm fine with that. Extremely belated apologies are stupid.

@MrMitchbow

2 ай бұрын

The first couple minutes of the video didn’t convince me to watch, but your comment sure did

@bobSeigar

2 ай бұрын

​Yeah but society says it's okay to hate the Germans, but not the 731s.​@@SeasideDetective2

I feel that Seuss, Disney, and Hensen were similar in that they gave the world wonderful art but we're flawed men who didn't always do the right thing. That doesn't negate the good they brought into the world but it is important to remember their flaws all the same.

@RemoWilliams1227

2 ай бұрын

Apt comparisons, brilliantly flawed people.

@seth5143

2 ай бұрын

Name a single artist without any faults. I'll wait. 'People are fallible' is probably a realization everyone should've came to around the age of eight or nine. Not exactly Wittgensteinian philosophy.

@aubreypressley1450

2 ай бұрын

​@@seth5143 calm down, sir. It's just a youtube comment.

@SeasideDetective2

2 ай бұрын

It's hard to argue that offending people is a flaw, at least on the offender's part, because someone somewhere is going to be offended anyway, and also because there are almost never real-world consequences because of the fictional offense. (D.W. Griffith's THE BIRTH OF A NATION is an obvious exception, but then that subject matter was never completely fictional.) It's strange to see Walt Disney's name on your list, though. I understand why Walt is there, but he didn't personally create all the content his studio put out, especially after his operation got big and he moved into a managerial role. (And as far as I know, he directed only one of his cartoons, "The Golden Touch," which does not contain any glaringly offensive content.) If the "Disney was a Nazi" critics don't want to give him credit for his two anti-Nazi cartoons, then it stands to reason that he also shouldn't take the blame for DUMBO, PETER PAN, etc. He green-lit them, it's true...but in retrospect, who wouldn't give the green light to something so successful?

@FAZBEARENTCEO

2 ай бұрын

@@SeasideDetective2Walt Disney was extremely bigoted and blamed communism for his writers going on strike.

It's interesting to hear the phrase 'does not talk down to children' to describe him, because another staple of many childhoods who was also described the same way was Fred Rodgers (aka Mr. Rodgers). Both knew children knew more than what their parents thought they were capable of understanding and treated them accordingly.

I really appreciated this. Tbh, I prefer knowing people are complicated and capable of learning, evolving, and growing throughout their lives - it’s what I hope to do. We aren’t perfect and learning that others made mistakes and did their best to correct them is more interesting, realistic, and hopeful to me. His work deserves both criticism and praise and I really appreciated this video

@Camo1177

2 ай бұрын

Exactly. I try to let people apologise and try to make amends when they have done things in the past, but when you have someone who has passed, you can only see the broad strokes. That makes it a lot easier to judge either by their best or their worst, whichever seems most prominent. It seems easier to see nuance in people when you can see them changing or doing better/worse now, instead of seeing the bullet points.

This was a fascinating video about Dr. Seuss. I already knew he was a complicated man but this really opened my eyes. I loved that you acknowledged that both things can be true about a person. That they can have certain problematic beliefs and still can change for the better. The ending message was perfect.

@RemoWilliams1227

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely, I believe most humans have the ability to change for the better, like everything else it's a choice.

I think it's human nature to not be 100% consistent in your beliefs. That's not to say consistency shouldn't be strived for, but I think a lot of people, especially on social media, are really quick to act as though a simple human flaw like this is reason enough to lambast a person because they really want to have a "gotcha" moment. They don't see a need to take a step back and consider any potential nuances that might exist, because the desire for the adrenaline rush that comes with "exposing" someone is much too strong. This is why I sometimes find myself wondering if it's a waste of time for a person to be constantly trying to call out hypocrisy, because it's basically why the tu quoque fallacy is a thing.

@RemoWilliams1227

2 ай бұрын

That's all correct but I would add the "virtue signaling" aspect. It's not just "look at them, they're bad", but also "look at how good I am", and perhaps even more importantly "look at their flaws but please look no closer at mine".

@Fulano5321

Ай бұрын

This made me think, and I'd say consistent improvement of one's beliefs is far more important than holding the same beliefs. I remember as a teen being frustrated with people getting upset about a politician changing their stance. I always saw it as a sign that they are trying to improve themselves.

I suspect Seuss' views of the Japanese were a product of his views of "Americans." As a German in the US he likely grew up meeting immigrants who were German, Jewish, or Italian but ALSO Americans from those groups whose families have lived here for centuries. Same with Black Americans. But Asian Americans, especially the Japanese, didn't have that same long history (for various reasons) so it was easier for him to see them as inherently foreign, therefore untrustworthy and demonize them. Powerful example of how world views can shape us in good and bad ways or how we can be progressive and stagnant at the same time.

@arthurfine4284

2 ай бұрын

You know how today Middle Eastern/South Asian/anyone who has brown skin are singled out by American society for their difference in faith? How they were ALL held responsible for the actions some religious extremists who committed a mass murder twenty years ago? How it led to a travel ban from several countries in 2016-2018? That kind of treatment justified by reasons like a certain group doesn't have a large population in America, that looks "different" from the rest, that was guilty by association, and is therefore incompatible with American society...that was what Asian Americans experienced for the longest time in America...and still do. Remember all those COVID attacks on elderly Asian Americans? I think if people were to be taught what causes racism rather than be told "this is racist, that is racist, therefore don't do it" we can do a lot more to limit the influence of racism on people and society.

@RoseEyed

Ай бұрын

@@arthurfine4284 Definitely true. Name the causes and push against them instead of simply saying "racism bad" so people have the space to reflect, notice, and change their own behavior. Otherwise, like you implied, it doesn't fully go away-it just changes groups.

Reading the Lorax as a child had a profound effect on me, though probably not the intended one. I was a very emotionally intense child, and felt an immense pressure to not only find a solution to the destruction of the world, but to be the solution. It instilled a 'chosen one' narrative in my head that only I alone could do anything, and I felt so utterly helpless. The question of 'what can we do?' has haunted me ever since.

@inserthahafunniusername9656

2 ай бұрын

You doing okay?

@sarahlpw

19 күн бұрын

SAME. Wow, you wrote this so well that you sparked a lost memory in me. Reading The Lorax did the exact same thing for my psyche as a child. It has taken me 30 years to distance myself from that mindset.

Why is it that those who make stories indented for children always have the most fascinating stories themselves? 😊

@CinnamonGrrlErin1

2 ай бұрын

I know. Roald Dahl's another fascinating, complicated person worth reading about, and Charles Schulz.

I think we can recognize the issues with things and ideals of history without getting rid of them. Life is complex

@dillona1001

2 ай бұрын

This take💯

@LieseFury

2 ай бұрын

which is why seuss's racist works belong in academic contexts, not on children's bookshelves.

@godsstrongestschizo

2 ай бұрын

@@LieseFurywell said, I was about to echo that stance by bringing up how confederate statues were removed during the 2020 blm protests/riots and moved to museums with proper context instead of appearing on a public property endorsed by the gov

@QueenletEvol

2 ай бұрын

I agree with you, I don't think children should be exposed to ra€i$t books, but I'm speaking generally. Instead of reflecting on history and context, a lot of things are just cancelled and moved on from and you never hear about it again. Having these things accessable allows people to actually learn from history.

@TACTICALwaffle2

2 ай бұрын

⁠​⁠@@godsstrongestschizoexcept they only put a tiny fraction in museums, most were just destroyed

An objective yet nuanced view into someone worth sharing. A worthwhile watch.

@palecaptainwolfkayls8499

2 ай бұрын

Also, anywhere to find the music used?

@SeasideDetective2

2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately, it was not nuanced enough for me. Prejudice and discrimination are bad, no question, limiting our imaginative horizons and miring us in stubbornness. And yet, in themselves, they're just ordinary character flaws, like being bossy or lazy. And in a liberal democracy, we unfortunately must tolerate character flaws, even if the people exhibiting them never change (though they usually WILL change if the situation is made clear to them). A person who is prejudiced can still view the wider world objectively and not allow his or her biases to shape his or her public actions. This cannot be emphasized enough. Simply having xenophobic (or, for that matter, xenophilic) tendencies is not evil, or even anti-democratic. There's a huge difference between simply thinking people who are different are "exotic" (and bear in mind, NO nation of people on this earth is immune to this tendency) and going so far as to put in place social policies that lead to further alienation, as Nazi Germany or apartheid-era South Africa or (admittedly) some Americans have done. I've had family members who occasionally said "foot-in-mouth" things about other peoples, but to my knowledge they were always just and kind in their public lives.

Ooh I loved Dr. Seuss as a kid my elementary school had something called Night of the Notables where we dressed up and researched historical figures as Seuss was my choice, but like many figures from that night his legacy is complicated in a way children can’t understand. Edit: I’m sort of shocked by how many books there are on him I think I might pick one or 2 up

Amazing video! It inspires me to see that his views evolved with time, and that in his time he fought for the values that he preached in his books, even if he had many blind spots. Dr Seuss truly had so much talent, and his simple stories always carry so much weight behind them, I love the way they invite you to think and change, yes they can be seen as propaganda, but they never come off as manipulative. It surprised me the way he believed in American exceptionalism as well, amother kind of propaganda that he wasn't immune to.

Really cool video! I think you did an excellent job analyzing the complexity of the human experience and its inescapable contradictions wrapped up in a singular person and the lifetime events that shaped them, which we all should not jump into labeling in just a black and white perspective as many conflicting facts can coexist and be true all at the same time. Personally I am not from an english speaking country and even though Dr. Seuss' books were known here as well I only ever saw the adaptations of his works that are for sure more recognized by the general population, so it is quite fascinating to learn about his whole career and the impact it had in the various generations who came into contact with his works through the years. I grew up with Argentinian comic artist Quino's work who is known for his political and critical works that can be enjoyed by both adults and kids, and can see some of the same core messages, if in different presentations, in both of their works; I think little me would've loved to read some of his books growing up. For the most part it seems like his heart was in the right place even if he was a product of his time and I think we can all learn from his mistakes and achievements alike!

There was no ham that day so we ate green eggs and bacon during my kindergarden class. This was very well researched and like Seuss himself, you did not talk down nor discredit anyone 💚🍳🥓

I'm Brazilian, so Dr Seuss stuff were not as popular here, aside from the movies that came out in the 2000s. It's interesting though that I absolutely loved the Horton movie that came out in 2008, I was already around 18 and definitely caught up the political undertones in the story, even if that movie isn't as faithful to the original story, nor did I know about Seuss' more political background and messages in his children's books. I think his work is really fascinating, despite the bad stuff. Reading the Lorax as a grown up really struck me, it's probably my favorite, exactly because it doesn't sugar-coat the core message, even with the whimsical stuff. This video was super fascinating, thank you so much for this!

Thanks for the nuanced and well-cited video. When owners of copyrighted works decide to stop production of them, including for regret over their contents, I wish they would publish them for free digitally for historical purposes. In cases like this, it would walk the line between disavowing the contents and sparking fear of censorship.

This was moving. I love Dr Suess and appreciated the thoughtful analysis, but what really makes it a compelling deep dive is how his story reflects truths about human nature that all of us can see in ourselves and learn from.

I knew dr. Seuss was complicated. I both loved and HATED those books as a kid. I was a young dyslexic who honestly still struggles to read his books out lould (i can mostly read them in my head, but reading it out lould makes me sound illiterate) the nonsense words made me want to SCREAM. I reslly like the books, but idk if they're what i would chose to teach kids to read. That said, most dont have the issues i have so its probably fine. His books brought me to tears, but only bc i was tearing out my hair *desperately* trying to read something no other kid struggled with.

Such a well put together video. Dr Seuss wasn’t as big here in the UK so I knew very little about him or the books. I must say I’ve really enjoyed most of your videos that I’ve seen on this channel and can see the time and effort you put into them. I’m surprised you don’t have a higher subscription count. Leaving this comment to help feed the algorithm gods.

What a lovely and nuanced deep dive into one of my favorite childhood artists! Well done 🎉

I would have been willing to bet this video had over a million views, shocked it didn't even pass 100k. This is an amazing breakdown of how complex humans can be. incredibily soothing voice too.

No matter how much I read on dr suess 's life. I'm always learning more. Thank you this is an amazing video. Thank you thank you🎉

If there is one thing I can see clearly as a result of my life experience, that most seem blind to, the one thing I'd like to impress on everyone for them to understand, it's this: Experiencing bigotry and prejudice does not make one immune to having bigoted and prejudiced views. At all. And thinking that it does is dangerous. The most dangerous prejudice is that which goes unchallenged, and when one believes they are immune to being prejudiced themselves, they won't challenge their own views, and others are too lenient towards them as well. If someone goes their entire life hearing a bigoted argument, made to a group they identify with, they may be able to tell you why that argument is wrong, the myriad of ways it is based on falsehood, that the premises don't lead to the conclusion, and so on. And they will still turn around and wield that argument against others at the very first opportunity.

profound and expertly executed. looking forward to watching more of your videos.

This was beautiful. Thanks for the video!!

Really thoughtful and well researched video, it hits too close to what’s happening right now and I loved your conclusion.

This was such a fascinating video. I’m glad I watched it.

Very insightful, thank you!

This is such a good video. The nuance employed here is useful when approaching any artist, as all of us are human and imperfect. Thank you so much! 😊 🖤

Thank you for sharing!

That. Was. Great!!!! One of the best video essays I’ve seen

Stef I would love to see a video essay from you about Kubo and the Two Strings. Such an incredible movie that goes unappreciated. I know you have a soft spot for stop motion since the Pinocchio video. Your vids are such a treat and help me appreciate the art/artists intent on a deeper level. Thank you!

I loved this so much, its a really good assessment of everything. He work wasnt really a thing when i was growing up in the UK, but i came across some of it later in life (namely the grinch and the Lorax) and really appreciated them. I love your ending message in this too, fully agree with you, partial victories are worth celebrating

this was moving. wow

Great real look at the complexity of Dr. Seuss. I knew there was more to him when I saw an art showing of his adult work.

That was a good dive into a rather rocky situation

This is a beautiful video

Great video, very interesting.

This was a fascinating look into the life of the children’s book author & illustrator we all grew up with and loved. What a complex & conflicted human being he was!

A famous Dr. Seuss book that people should read in honor of Earth Day is The Lorax. I think this person should know that the first book that Dr. Seuss wrote was And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street. And before Dr. Seuss died, the last book he wrote was Oh The Places You'll Go.

The important thing is that SOME people can change their harmful views...

great video!

that was a fantastic video

Millions of children - like myself - read AND TO THINK THAT I SAW IT ON MULBERRY STREET and were never mean to their Chinese-American playmates. Kids are smarter than they get credit for.

This is an amazing video and everyone should watch it

Thanks for this vid. I am adding more Dr Seuss books to my "Want to Buy" book list.

Hi, I’ve been watching your videos for a long time and I was wondering if you could analyze the Color Purple? If you take any requests

@xp8969

2 ай бұрын

TL,DR: it's a mix of red and blue

Dig it! Good Vid

Great video, he was as contradictory as we all are. He might like to live in a idealized world but he was practical for all purposes. Cancelling books only creates a curiosity for uninitiated.

Dr. Suess embodies the phrase "in a nutshell" can't condemn a person who was shaped by a time in history. He is one whom I can separate the artist from the art. Plus growing up like many, I believe Dr. Suess was a fictional character like Willy Wonka.

I vaguely remember the contents of some of those discontinued books, especially On Beyond Zebra, which had a bunch of weird made up letters to make up a new alphabet and some of them, especially the last one, disturbed me as a kid. Sometimes I think people overthink things, they probably noticed some kids like me saw the book and got frightened and made the decision that having it was more harmful than good. Conceptually it's the same kind of thing as Oh the Places You'll Go anyway.

I don’t felt my own discrimination from mainly teachers, for just being autistic. Where the anti-VAX in the far right believe autism is just a disease. which if that was true then so would drugs, smoking, vaping and alcohol could cause autism. Which it doesn’t because autism is mainly genetic. While I seen a lot of people on the far left saying that savant’s don’t exist. Which is wrong too because every autistic person was a skill and talent. It’s just that most never get a chance to find that skill because a lot of autistic people get verbally abused and shamed away from what they love.

"Oh, Britta is in this?" :(

Good to see someone talk about his Japanese views and plugging Knowing Better to better educate about Japan during WW2

Roald Dahl is another fascinating author like this

@ItsXanPan

2 ай бұрын

Biiiiig big racist and antisemite. Not very complex of a guy.

I think it's important to remember we can't apply the morals of today on the past. We can recognize the bad aspects of the past without striking them from history. And people believing in the dominant culture of the time doesn't make them evil people.

I had a whole collection of his war comics called "Dr. Guess goes to war." And there was a lot. Like... It was the size of a novel.

you know, they say, it's turtles all the way down

Are you saying you did not like green eggs and ham, you would not eat them with a goat, you would not eat them on a boat, you would not eat them here or there, you would not eat them anywhere?

I do not care, Cat In The Hat is a banger forever. Just like Michael Jackson, the work is just so good that he could do anything and I will still love the body of work.

As if conservatives haven't spoken out against and called for the banning of books that don't "align with their values". My brain hurts trying to understand this logic.

@The_king567

2 ай бұрын

Liberals do it more

@ShellShock11C

2 ай бұрын

Name one.

people forget how nasty japan was during wwii this makes total sense and isnt sensational

@texanarchy666

2 ай бұрын

nobody forgot

Nice

It sucks that grifting has become so lucrative that so many shows, books, movies, etc. with some sort of political message (usually left leaning) are unironically called apolitical by those who don't want to accept that they actually enjoyed/ agreed with it when they were younger. It's a shame that farming that kind of engagement is so profitable because they know what they're doing.

@FannyVonFluff

2 ай бұрын

We're just trying to teach our kids to be empathetic. I'm curiois how empathy and inclusion goes against your politics.

@marveler8994

2 ай бұрын

@@FannyVonFluff Im agreeing with putting politics and empathy in stories, idk where youre getting the oppposite from. I was gonna include examples like X-Men and Star Trek in it and how people are trying to act like it was never political but then it'd be kinda long lol

13:00 🇯🇵 21:00 42:00

No, we are not cancelling his entire backlog. Only six. Why don't you go to Helsinki? I hear it's nice this time of year.

Why didn't this mention that he cheated on his cancer patient wife until she killed herself and then married the other woman? That certainly sounds morally gray.

@spacedaze1860

2 ай бұрын

Because he doesn’t write about it, so it’s not relevant to his books.

@shanerulez79

2 ай бұрын

@@spacedaze1860 but the video is about his complicated legacy. That's definitely a complication to his legacy

@xXxakurokuxXx123

2 ай бұрын

The complicated legacy not the life of

@shanerulez79

2 ай бұрын

@xXxakurokuxXx123 his life is part of his legacy. Cheating on your sick wife shouldn't be overlooked. Think about it this way, no one thinks of Adolf Hitler when they're making great artists.

I think a collector-aimed box set of those six books, and other oddities like the “Boners” series and the Seven Lady Godivas, is the best solution; no longer marketed to kids but back in circulation.

Ok, so comment poll: Who has their toast butter side up and who has it butter side down. Just curious, no one is wrong, I am just curious. Comment ^u^ Remember be civil.

@KyleRDent

2 ай бұрын

Depends on if I'm having it with a big-end egg or little-end egg 😂

Fun fact: Einstein was also, let's say predisposed, to the Japanese

22:17 tell me the truth

I never related to his books...they scared me

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

forgetting the harmful depictions I feel is wrong. Understanding them and learning from them is what should be being taught. @28:31, this reminds me of a song from from my childhood that I heard called, "Everyone's a little bit race*st" The last line of the song is, "Every-body is a little like you". The song is about acceptance and inclusion.

❤

The internet exist so you can still bootleg it. The company simply won’t make money off it anymore.

While i Agree we need diverse characters in books we also need to be mindful of the content around those characters. I remember my school had gotten a lot of Native American story books like right around the time I graduated. Half of those books were literally just stories of us murdering colonizers as they were trying to find a safe place to stay or they were about breaking families on the rez. Like real native issues. Just not shown in the right way whatsoever.

Here when 70k. Well I have to watch this, can't go talking with Americans without knowing it or smth Edit: very suprised to hear that the Soviet cartoon was taken from him and that it was straight up about Jews at the time. And that, of course, it was also inspired by the Lazerpig video about the Horton bomber

Only beacuse you dont agree with people who wrote or made things you like does not mean you have to hate those things that you like

I would love to see a video about the books of Leo Lionni 🙂 I know it might not get enough views...

I feel like banning those books is still the wrong move. It is important to preserve those kinds of things to help future generations learn from them. It would be better to wrap those books in plastic at the store with a warning on them that they have depictions of people that are no longer acceptable today. Similar to what Disney+ does.

And we will do better

Did Philip Nel use the fucking Bethesda quote to describe racism?

Thanks for this. Dr. Seuss wasn't a bigot, but a complex individual, like all of us. Yes, indeed, the more things change, the more things stay the same!! Is that ever more evident than today!! Personally, i don't participate in all this foolish left vs right nonsense, as i see both sides as right about some things, but mostly wrong about many other things. Also, let me say that i'm pretty damn sick & tired of the crap about millennials all being "spoiled" & "lazy"!

Sadly dr seuss is almost uknown and most peapole know only the Grinch whit Jim Carrey

A few of those books I really liked, though I do vaguely remember the racist elements to them. It would be nice if someone could rewrite and reillistrate the racist sections for some of these books (some of these books might have too many racist elements though).

Doesn't every great author have a complicated legacy?

Oh you have got to be kidding me..... I am releasing a video on this same topic on Thursday, now my vid's going to be in ur videos shadow. Lmao

#ad #sponsored

❤❤ great work really informative on the new deal liberal American ideals and how the current political climate has distorted it

Don’t car bout that crap. Ima still read one fish two fish red fish blue fish.

Majority of Japanese people supported what the empire was doing

I feel like you can’t mention his legacy and his second wife without bringing up the tragedy of his first wife’s death. Both of them play in a major role in her…unsubscribing from life (not sure if KZread censors/flags comments).

The way you describe this is extremely confusing. You say he said and did some questionable things, but untimely he was a force for good, and was a good man. Was he? Sounds like you wanna eat your cake and have it too. Was Michelle Jackson a good person? Or just a good artist?

I'd like to add that a land invasion was not seriously considered past a certain point, Truman(bastard) knew that Japan was defeated and seeking a peaceful end to the war, and several figures like Eisenhower and William Leahy opposed using the bomb as unnecessary and a moral failing.

sally has a line in the cat in the hat comes back. she's also not the main unnamed character. but... there are so many points of awkward sexism, racism and misogyny across the dr zeuss books.

1:31 not people. grifting companies

I think this person should know that millions of people love the books that Dr. Seuss wrote. As a matter of fact, the most famous book of his is The Cat in the hat. Another book kids and adults love is Green Eggs and Ham along with Yertle The Turtle.

@xp8969

2 ай бұрын

POV: you commented without watching the vid

Does this narrator realize we were at war with Japan???