Certainly I foresee a danger in allowing the pendulum to swing too far in the other direction, in terms of discussing racism. I don't believe - and I hope I'm right - that not even the most fervent anti-CRT advocate wants all discussion of the racism that has infected our nation's history banned...only the idea that the institutionalized racism of the past is still operating at full speed and that all White people are willing accomplices in its perpetuation. I don't pretend to have read every law or proposed law on the subject, but of those I have read the wording doesn't ban all discussion of racism - just the use of the charge of racism to condemn, marginalize and insult individuals whose only offense is being Caucasian, and to malign our social and government institutions unfairly and to the detriment of peace and justice.
Increasingly I see any White person who presumes to disagree with or criticize any Black person about virtually anything whatsoever labeled a "racist" - and I see such charges coming from individuals in political office, in the media, from academia and even from the pulpit. Opposing the teaching of CRT to our children and grandchildren should be the common cause of all people of good will, regardless of race or ethnicity; unfortunately too many people of color see the whole controversy as an "us vs. them" situation, and, without really making any effort to understand what CRT in its undiluted form is, equate opposition to its teaching with racism.
“Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.” - Robert E. Howard
"Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas and not eat a chicken fried steak." - Larry McMurtry
FindersKeepers (12-13-2021),MisterVeritis (12-13-2021)
MisterVeritis (12-13-2021)
Good post!
The original intent of the study of Critical Race Theory from my research, sought to understand why Civil Rights laws didn't result in a more natural blending of our society. We still have de facto segregation, and the interesting thing is that it's more prevalent in northern, democratic-run cities and states than it is in the south.
Sure, racism still exists--actually, it seems to be increasing as a result of insisting our society and the status quo is inherently racist.
I get the feeling that Western society, its values, and the US specifically, are being singled out and publicly convicted of intentional destruction of humanity and the planet we live on. It all seems to be connected at some level--cultural oppression, climate change, Capitalism.
CRT doesn't recognize that today's society offers the means by which anyone can succeed if they are 1) smart enough, 2) insightful enough, 3) motivated enough, 4) in the right place at the right time. Certainly, it's harder for those living in poverty, and a larger percentage of blacks live in poverty, but it's possible. EOE and anti-discrimination laws make it possible.
It's the blanket generalities that CRT espouses that are harmful.
- If a black person fails to excel, it's not the person's fault, it's the fault of a white society.
- If a white person succeeds, it is not due to their own abilities, but rather because they're white.
- Western societal norms, even though they created the greatest free nation the world has ever known, is inherently corrupt and must be dismantled.
- Not only is it important to lift blacks up--it's essential to lower the status of whites and their ability to succeed.
- A sense of ancestral shame must be incorporated into today's white society.
- Blending into the American mainstream will destroy black culture.
- Whites have oppressed minorities to such an extent over the centuries, that it's now okay for minorities to take what they want, even if it means breaking our laws to do it.
So, yes, I can see where parents don't want CRT taught in schools--it doesn't reflect reality--and it doesn't encourage inclusion.
""A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul" ~George Bernard Shaw
MisterVeritis (12-13-2021),Standing Wolf (12-13-2021)
FindersKeepers (12-13-2021),MisterVeritis (12-13-2021)
History does not long Entrust the care of Freedom, to the Weak or Timid!!!!! Dwight D. Eisenhower ~
MisterVeritis (12-13-2021),MMC (12-13-2021)
MisterVeritis (12-13-2021)
The thing to recognize is CRT was originally an academic legal theory taken up by a few professors and grad students. It assumed systemic racism and found it in outcomes and constructed narratives to connect the two. In time it was adopted by others in the humanities, social studies, black studies, educations, and even science. This has remained largely academic and esoteric and is not taught in lower levels of education. Nikole Hannah-Jones and the 1619 Project is a layman's version of academic CRT. It provided fodder however for a later branch of CRT activists who didn't understand the original studies and twisted them into all the things you discuss and pushed it out into human resources and education at lower levels. Activist CRT is racist. It is taught in public schools and corporations. We see it in organizations like BLM.
It's important to distinguish between academic and activist CRT. When the left claims CRT is not understood and not taught in public school, it means academic CRT. But activist CRT is.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler
FindersKeepers (12-13-2021),Standing Wolf (12-13-2021)