Seuss Landing Expansion Speculation

[Tristan]

This isn't "going away" in today's political climate with the media, blogger & social media frenzy that ultimately ensues like clockwork when issues like this pop up. SL would be a perfectly replaced by Bikini Bottom.....provided that BB passes the purity test.

*Last post on the topic because this is getting off-hand*
In the past 5 days have you thought about Gina Carano? Maybe in the past day, you thought about how Daft Punk broke up? Jungle Cruise retheme? Mr. Potatohead? For these examples which happened in the past two to three weeks, I personally have not thought about until coming up with examples for this post. These were top headlines and now I already forgot about them. Seuss is going to be the same.

 

[Tbad556]

Maybe in the past day, you thought about how Daft Punk broke up?

Excuse you. This wound is still very fresh on the mind

But yeah, this discussion is out of hand. I can't find a single tweet/post/etc trying to "cancel" Dr. Seuss. Again, Dr. Seuss Enterprises made this decision on their own accord. There is no active call by bloggers or the twittersphere begging for Seuss Landing to be overhauled. There are no petitions to shut down the Cat in the Hat. Etc. If the call isn't even being made now, I don't see it randomly popping up 6 months from now.

 

[mainejeff]

The only people that matter aren't going to forget about this....Universal executives. If there is ANY chance that this taints their reputation, park assets & revenues.....the future of SL will certainly be "reviewed". Nothing may come of it.....but with cultural sensitivity on hyperdrive....it is certainly in the realm of possibility that SL could be replaced sooner rather than later. I hope not because I love the characters, stories and colors of this land. I also love the trolley ride....Universal's answer to the People Mover.

 

[Grabnar]

Let's be real, this isn't a Jungle Cruise case. The offending images aren't even depicted in the park. I agree with pulling and revising the books, times change and what society let slide in the 50s shouldn't be perpetuated, but the Seuss books and aesthetic will continue to be popular even after this and throwing out an already censored adaptation just flat out won't happen.

 

[Mad Dog]

Seuss will be safe....and this is Comcast/Universal, not Disney. Different business mindset. Different demographic that they're dealing with.

 

[Talking Head]

FWIW, from the AP news story: "“The Cat in the Hat,” one of Seuss’ most popular books, has received criticism, too, but will continue to be published for now."

 

[Clive]

FWIW, from the AP news story: "“The Cat in the Hat,” one of Seuss’ most popular books, has received criticism, too, but will continue to be published for now."

It is possible that I have a blindspot there, but I'm not really clear on what the criticism is there.

 

[Allison]

It is possible that I have a blindspot there, but I'm not really clear on what the criticism is there.

I had to Google it myself, but, a professor wrote a book about it, here’s a clip from an article on Education Week that goes into detail about it (not linking the full article due to politics, but, they’re all very easy to find)

Spoiler: Racial stereotypes

It can be hard to square such depictions with some of Seuss’ other tales, which were often liberal on sociopolitical subjects. The Sneeches argues against prejudice based on physical characteristics; The Lorax is an unsubtle environmental lament; and The Butter Battle Book allegorizes the nuclear arms race.

The Cat In the Hat lies somewhere in the middle. Although less explicitly racist, the main character owes a debt to blackface vaudeville, and was based on a black woman who worked as an elevator operator, said Philip Nel, a professor of English as Kansas State University.

And while the cat brings liveliness to two children on a dreary day, he is also clearly marked as not belonging in their white household.

 

[mainejeff]

Good god......

 

[TheCodeMan95]

While I think the Cat in the Hat thing might be a LITTLE bit of a stretch, it seems like it's literally one guy pointing this out.

How about we talk about how the land should get a paint job, huh guys?

 

[RevFreako]

Can we please stop with the childish, over the top eye rolling as a reaction to every criticism we don't like? The reading of CITH above, whether you agree with it or not, is not a new one, nor is it a radical take. I first encountered it in a children's lit class almost twenty years ago.

 

[Tbad556]

Can we please stop with the childish, over the top eye rolling as a reaction to every criticism we don't like? The reading of CITH above, whether you agree with it or not, is not a new one, nor is it a radical take. I first encountered it in a children's lit class almost twenty years ago.

Even the article @Allison is referencing is nearly 4 years old at this point. Again, there's not some recent call for Dr. Seuss to be canceled or something, but there's also nothing wrong with or even new about pointing out that texts may have dated, troublesome, etc subtext to it. Literature is quite literally meant to get analyzed. We have classes on it even.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

People looking to get offended are always going to find something. I have no idea how they would actually change the area itself seeing as how the offending images were not actually in it.

 

[RevFreako]

People looking to get offended are always going to find it.

This is an excuse given by those who want to offend without pushback.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

This is an excuse given by those who want to offend without pushback.

To some extent yes. But at a certain point, is anything acceptable? Some want HP cancelled, now this. Is JP or Marvel next?

 

[Brian G.]

OK I think we've exhausted the convo. As of now, the only impacts are the sales of 6 books and it seems Universal is keen on not changing anything over at Seuss Landing. If something changes, we'll circle back.

 

[shiekra38]

Since we're here.....

I just want to say that Green Eggs & Ham is a gem and the Buffalo Chicken tots are *chef's kiss*

 

[RevFreako]

Since we're here.....

I just want to say that Green Eggs & Ham is a gem and the Buffalo Chicken tots are *chef's kiss*

it's pizza tots or nothing, you uncultured...

 

[shiekra38]

it's pizza tots or nothing, you uncultured...

Buffalo Chicken tots is what Walt would have wanted

 

[RevFreako]

Buffalo Chicken tots is what Walt would have wanted

that clown ate canned chili