Let’s cancel ‘cancel culture’
We’re now deep in the thralls of a full-blown Dr. Seuss conspiracy.
ThatĢƵ according to Fox News and assorted Republicans.
ItĢƵ supposedly the result of overzealous liberal thought-police, with their hopes of canceling stuff that makes them feel uncomfortable.
Problem is, thatĢƵ a lie.
Liberals didn’t cause the folks at Dr. Seuss to stop selling certain books they felt weren’t appropriate for the times. The folks at Dr. Seuss did that all by themselves.
That hasn’t stopped Fox News from trafficking in the nonsense that Dr. Seuss is proof positive that “cancel culture” not only exists but that itĢƵ everywhere.
It doesn’t, and it isn’t.
During one broadcast day (March 2), Dr. Seuss was mentioned on Fox News a whopping 85 times, according to the watchdog group Media Matters for America. (I have to give that fellow who performed that daylong count a tip of the hat. Watching Fox News more than 10 minutes at a time gives me hives.)
Predictably, Republicans took their cues from Fox News, by being quite vocal about the link between Dr. Seuss and liberals.
There is no link.
But that hasn’t stopped Republicans from bringing up Dr. Seuss whenever they could point out that “cancel culture” stuff, while on Fox News, or in the halls of Congress.
It became such an irritant that one Democratic congressman, Tim Ryan of Ohio, exploded during a debate over workerĢƵ rights.
“Now stop talking about Dr. Seuss and start working with us on behalf of the American workers,” he shouted during his floor speech.
That probably won’t work. Republicans and Fox News have dug in their heels.
They’ve worked overtime to convince America that liberals are at the roots of any changes that have been made to the things they’ve held dear in their lives.
For instance, Hasbro recently rebranded their Mr. Potato Head.
Were you alarmed by that? Really?
When was the last time you even thought about Mr. Potato Head? Why would you even be alarmed about something you haven’t even thought about in decades – and probably didn’t even know still existed?
Fox News wants you to know you should be outraged by HasbroĢƵ decision.
This entire “cancel culture” thing has become absurd. Not because it exists, but because it doesn’t.
That fellow who just left the presidency used to “cancel” stuff all the time. But it wasn’t part of any “culture.”
When NFL players expressed their antipathy toward the treatment of Black people at the hands of rogue police officers, he engaged in his own personal brand of “cancel culture.”
“Get that (expletive) off the field right now. Out. HeĢƵ fired. Fired,” he bellowed during a 2017 speech.
Republicans have forgotten all of those times when they’ve “canceled” people.
You only have to look back a few weeks, when those Republicans in Congress were censured, because they voted to convict the former president during his second impeachment proceedings.
Or, you can look to March 2003, when there were Republicans who got so incensed by the French governmentĢƵ reluctance to join the U.S. during the run-up to the Iraq War, they decided to rename a certain food in the congressional cafeteria.
French fries officially became “freedom fries” (if only temporarily) in the most ridiculous instance of fake outrage in history.
While the world is desperately attempting to climb out of the throes of COVID-19, and the economic spoils that it caused, there are right-wingers hard at work finding ways to blame liberals for the changes in the world that they aren’t happy with.
They’ve nearly elevated the removal of a few Dr. Seuss books to “gate” status (Dr. Seussgate).
Remember when Republicans “canceled” the Dixie Chicks back in 2003?
I do.
Remember when mostly Republicans stormed the U.S. Capitol building attempting to “cancel” a presidential outcome?
I do.
Remember when a private citizen tried to have a sitting president canceled because he claimed he’d found evidence that the president hadn’t been born in the United States?
I do.
Don’t act like you don’t.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight, and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.