How the Grinch Stole His Own Legacy: Dr Seuss (Exploring Evil episode 6)

“[Seuss] is only a reference. He has no impact on my artistry. He’s just a part of history. Now I move forward with other people that are more current, that allow me to tell stories differently, within the context of now. Was he a part of my life? Absolutely. But it is a historical moment now.”

-Chil Kong

Welcome back to “OutThink the Classics,” my own personal quest to contextualize classic pop culture for modern families.

We conclude our first series, “Exploring Evil,” having walked down the yellow brick road, time jumped with The TVA, traveled between the world of the living and the dead, and now, visited a chocolate factory, and now it’s time to visit Whoville

Please note that we discuss xenophobia, racism, WWII, Japanese internment camps, and grooming in this episode

 

The OutThink Team

Learn more about OutThink Media

Cindy Marie Jenkins, Host & Creative Producer

Chil Kong (he/him)began his career in theater garnering multiple awards for his innovative reimagining of American classics and developing groundbreaking new works as artistic director of theater companies in Boston, San Diego, Seattle, and in Los Angeles as the Co-Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Lodestone Theatre Ensemble. After a successful career in theater, Chil was tapped as the creative director of a film fund that focused on English-based stories for the Asian market. He returned to his hometown in the DC area as the Artistic Director of Adventure Theatre and helmed the nationally recognized theater through COVID. He recently returned to TV to focus on the premiere of BOSSY BEAR on Nickelodeon, an animated TV show centered around two Korean American characters.

 

Lauren Mazzarese (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has been working as a therapist for the past 10 years. In her practice she focuses on several areas including substance abuse, trauma, LGBTQ+ issues, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and ADHD. Part of her work with her clients often involves working with parents to address the mental and emotional health of their children. Lauren also has a background in theatre and spent several years performing on stage as well as teaching acting and music. She enjoys being able to incorporate many of the theatre skills and activities she learned in her first career into her therapeutic practice. 

Avi Glijanksy, Podcast Producer

Adam Emperor Southard, Theme Composer (also a fantastic photographer)

Annie Collins, PR & Marketing Manager

Angela Zhong, Logo Designer/OutThink Media

Maria Pasquarelli, Canva Coordinator

Produced by CMJ Communications LLC, DBA OutThink Media

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Show Notes

1. “Baby it’s cold outside-Liza Minnelli and Alan Cumming,” uploaded to YouTube by Lizawithaz1246, 22 November 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhR3j7l_wTo. 
2. Editors, “Dr Seuss: The Story Behind ‘The Cat in the Hat’,” Biography.com, 4 June 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhR3j7l_wTo. 
3. Caruso, Skyler, “A Timeline of Kevin Spacey’s Controversies, as He Faces Sexual Assault Trial in New York City,” People, 06 October 2022, https://people.com/tv/kevin-spacey-controversy-timeline/.
4. Chiang, Desdemona, “Why The Mikado is Still Problematic: Cultural Appropriation 101,” Howlround Theatre Commons, 08 October 2015, https://howlround.com/why-mikado-still-problematic.
5. Complexly, https://complexly.com/. 
6. Jenkins, Cindy Marie, “How the Bad Guys Teach Kid Empathy,” OutThink Media, 24 October, 2022.
7. Jenkins, Cindy Marie, “Teaching Kids About Consent: The Cat in the Hat,” CindyMarieJenkins.com, 2 June 2022, https://www.cindymariejenkins.com/my-portfolio/2022/6/2/teach-kids-about-consent-the-cat-in-the-hat .
8. McLaughlin, Rhett, “Thoughts on Confederate Statues from a Southern White Male, 17 August 2017, https://medium.com/@rhettmc/thoughts-on-confederate-statues-from-a-southern-white-male-b81a2693113d. 
9. “My Mister (2018),” My Drama List, https://mydramalist.com/25172-my-ajusshi. 

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