In the latest bit of news from the cancel culture front, Dr. Seuss Enterprises said it will stop publishing six of the author's popular titles because they are now deemed racially insensitive.
The announcement came on Tuesday, which would have been Theodor Seuss Geisel's 117th birthday.
The books are "And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street," "If I Ran the Zoo," "McElligot's Pool," "On Beyond Zebra!," "Scrambled Eggs Super!" and "The Cat's Quizzer." All condemned for stereotypical racist portrayals of Asian and African American characters.
Indeed, some critics have suggested that since most of Seuss' main characters are white, all his works are racist. A study published in a journal called "Research on Diversity in Youth Literature" said that makes his works, whether intentional or not, examples of white supremacy.
We don't excuse racist or racially insensitive works. But this is yet another example of holding a man of his time to the standards of our time. We've seen it before. Mark Twin's "Huckleberry Finn," for example, has been assailed for decades over racial insensitivity, even banished from some libraries. But it's still in print.
A private business like Dr. Seuss Enterprises can do what it wants. After all, Walt Disney Co. long ago buried "Song of the South" deep in its vaults for much the same reason.
But we think it's a mistake to suppress books, film or other works based on today's more enlightened outlook. Disclaimers and explanations are fine. Heck, they can be a teaching tool about past attitudes. But to consign them to the trash bin of history? We cannot agree.
But where some see censorship, others see opportunity. The newly banned Seuss books are going for a pretty penny now on eBay. Probably a bubble. So if you have some copies laying around, might be a good time to sell - before the bubble bursts.