By Ian Aikens | June 4, 2021
Re-education camps for white executives of Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore, California? An infographic at the African-American History Museum in Washington D.C. that lists “self-reliance, objective and linear thinking, hard work, the nuclear family, planning for the future, written tradition, and politeness” as aspects of “White Culture”? A white high school student at a Las Vegas charter school forced to take a mandatory civics class for graduation that required students to reveal their race, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities and then determine if privilege or oppression is attached to any of these identities?
What madness is going on here? It’s called Critical Race Theory (CRT), and it’s been around for decades festering in the academic world, but it is now in full bloom in the corporate world and educational system. Under the guise of equity and diversity, CRT’s alleged goal is to make this a more just society. In reality, it will only make things worse for minority members of society.
CRT’s basic premise is that American society is inherently and hopelessly racist and can only be fixed with a total restructuring. The most basic tenet of CRT is the complete absence of individualism. All of us are not individuals but rather part of socially constructed groups. Furthermore, there are two basic groups—oppressors (whites) and the oppressed (non-whites). To say that CRT proponents are obsessed with race is the understatement of our time.
So, what has all this to do with the Live Free or Die state? HB544, a bill introduced this year and now included in the budget that was sent to the governor, has been one of the most explosive and bitterly contested bills in the state house this session. The bill is entitled “Propagation of Divisive Concepts Prohibited,” and the basic goal of the bill is to outlaw advocating CRT with tax dollars. This would mainly apply to schools and government contractors.
One of the objections to HB544 has been that it is akin to censorship since it ties the hands of teachers from teaching about CRT and the country’s racial problems. That’s nonsense. According to Chapter 10-C:3 Section II,
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit discussing, as part of a larger course of academic instruction, the divisive concepts listed in RSA 10-C:1, II in an objective manner and without endorsement.
Discussing OK—advocating not OK. It should be obvious that teachers should not be bringing their politics into the classroom anyway.
“Divisive concepts” are defined in the bill as:
- One race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.
- The state of New Hampshire or the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
- An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is fundamentally racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
- An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of his or her race or sex.
- Members of one race or sex cannot and should not attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.
- An individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex.
- Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.
While some people (who may have forgotten that a black man was elected President of the United States not once but twice) might feel the second statement above is true and should not be considered a “divisive concept,” surely all the other statements should be abhorrent to all well-meaning people of different backgrounds and affiliations. You wouldn’t think there would be a major brouhaha about outlawing the advocacy of such ideas, let alone with tax dollars.
You better think again. The pro-CRT troops are very vocal, and they showed up (virtually) at the committee hearings earlier this year in masse. The very first thing that became obvious at the hearings is that the CRT supporters all tend to sound alike after a while, which isn’t surprising since groupthink is an essential characteristic of CRT. Beware when you hear the term “lived experience”! They all use it since that’s part of the script of the oppressed. Storytelling or “counter-storytelling,” rather than science and factual information, is the preferred method for advancing knowledge, according to the gospel of CRT.
The complete lack of civility was very much on display by those opposing the bill. Rather than bringing up legitimate points of discussion supporting their objections to the bill—if they had any—the CRT mob immediately descended into personal attacks against anyone who supported the bill. Allegations of “white supremacist” and “racist” were uttered often. It is rumored that the committee chair (normally a mellow person) at one of the public hearings “lost her cool” due to the rudeness from those who profess “social justice” but couldn’t honor The Golden Rule personally themselves.
This complete lack of tolerance toward any other point of view other than their own is a familiar characteristic of CRT. According to CRT, white people don’t even have a say in the matter of racism in American society since as oppressors it is not their “lived experience.” And even if white people don’t oppress minorities consciously, they do it unconsciously through implicit bias. To top this twisted thinking off, when white people finally become anti-racist, even then they don’t get high marks because of “interest convergence.” This means that they only allowed the advancement of the oppressed to make themselves feel good, protect themselves from criticism, and avoid confronting their own inherent racism. Truly a “Dammed if you do, damned if you don’t” situation—and by design too.
The CRT crowd takes this nonsense a step further. Even a black person isn’t safe from the wrath of the CRT believers if he doesn’t subscribe to the CRT religion. When musician Kanye West donned a MAGA hat, critical race theorist Nehisi Coates suggested that West is “not really black.” The same could be said of senior associate justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas due to his conservative views. On the other hand, President Biden (who rescinded President Trump’s executive order banning CRT from federal training programs) could be considered black. The difference here is “racially black” versus “politically black.” CRT theorists are really only interested in the “politically black.” If you don’t toe the CRT line, don’t bother to apply because you’re “not really black.”
CRT sees racism in every single transaction in all aspects of life. That’s the “critical” part of the movement that all devoted CRT activists are expected to perform 24/7. They see The White Supremacist Boogeyman everywhere. Even ordinary day-to-day activities become suspect.
Did you read about the cafeteria worker and campus staff at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts who were accused of being racist when they questioned a black student for eating her lunch in a building that was closed for the summer? A simple misunderstanding became a cause célèbre for the CRT crowd that went viral. A public apology by the college, threats made, lives changed forever—all despite an independent investigation that found no evidence of racial discrimination. Is it any surprise that Ibram X. Kendi, another esteemed high priest of the movement, who directs the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, has proposed the creation of a federal Department of Antiracism?
Another perverse trait of CRT is its rejection of science as the primary method of the gaining and transmission of knowledge. Because modern science was predominately produced by white males in Western civilization, that immediately makes it suspect to CRT scholars. Per Robin DiAngelo (who by the way was paid $12,000 plus travel expenses for a 2-hour racial justice speech at the University of Kentucky) and Ozlem Sensoy, “…a key element of social injustice involves the claim (my emphasis) that particular knowledge is objective, neutral, and universal. An approach based on critical theory calls into question the idea that objectivity is desirable or even possible.”
If this isn’t an anti-science piece of muddled thinking, I don’t know what is. Obviously, universality and objectivity are the basics of all science, with the goal of discovering truth, wherever it might be. While “following the science” is easier said than done, at least most people would agree that it serves the human race well. But CRT thinkers discourage even following the science because, by their thinking, white people’s interests are primarily served by science in order to oppress black people.
In place of science and objectivity, CRT encourages storytelling for black people as a better way to gain knowledge. Science for white people and storytelling for black people. It’s not hard to see why CRT advocates are primarily opposed to testing, grades, and mathematics in the schools. Can you imagine a doctor performing surgery on you who gained his operating skills from “storytelling” rather than what he learned in his biology classes? Or, back to the Sandia scientists who work on nuclear weapons, would you prefer they learned their trade through “counter-stories” or technical science books and lab experiments? By the CRT way of thinking, if you feel that 2 + 2 = 5, then indeed why can’t that be your reality?
In the end, CRT is a hopeless effort that can never be satisfied. Kate Slate, another revered local CRT expert at the University of New Hampshire, proclaimed this zinger of wisdom: “I am white. White people can never be anything but oppressors…I will work on my anti-racism my whole life but will continually fail. I will never get to a space where I am good enough.” As for encouraging black people to turn away from science, hard work, long-term goals, and their own individuality, and choose victimhood, how is this ever going to lift them out of poverty?
The hard, cold truth is CRT “scholars” have designed a black hole of destructive, circular thinking that thrives on constant strife that can never eliminate racism but only feed into it. If ivory-tower intellectuals want to immerse themselves in this warped view of life, they should be free to do so—but not on the taxpayers’ dime.
References:
Administrator, A Disillusioned. (2021, April 2). I Work in the Public School System. Critical Race Theory Is Everywhere. Retrieved from I Work in the Public School System. Critical Race Theory Is Everywhere. – American Thinker
Bernstein, Brittany. (2021, May 8). Disney Employee Training Claims U.S. Was Founded on ‘Systemic Racism,’ Includes ‘White Privilege Checklist’. Retrieved from Disney Employee Training Claims U.S. Was Founded on ‘Systemic Racism,’ Includes ‘White Privilege Checklist’ (yahoo.com)
Chait, Jonathan. (2020, July 16). Is the Anti-Racism Training Industry Just Peddling White Supremacy? Retrieved from Is Anti-Racism Training Just Peddling White Supremacy? (nymag.com)
Dima, Jake and Hasson, Peter. (2019, July 28). $12K A Day: How White Liberals Profit From Pushing ‘White Privilege’. Retrieved from $12K A Day: How White Liberals Profit From Pushing ‘White Privilege’ | The Daily Caller
Eden, Max. (2020, September 18). Critical Race Theory in American Classrooms. Retrieved from Critical Race Theory in American Classrooms | City Journal (city-journal.org)
Griffith, Keith and Alexander, Harriet. (2021, April 16). Smith College cafeteria worker who was smeared with false racism claim says her life has ‘never been the same’ as she files internal complaint. Retrieved from Smith College cafeteria worker who was smeared with false racism claim speaks out | Daily Mail Online
Jacobson, William A. (2021, May 11). As “Critical Race Theory” Becomes Toxic Term, New Codenames and Keywords Emerge. Retrieved from As “Critical Race Theory” Becomes Toxic Term, New Codenames and Keywords Emerge (legalinsurrection.com)
Karimi, Faith. (2021, May 10). What critical race theory is—and isn’t. Retrieved from What critical race theory is — and isn’t – CNN
Lindsay, James. (2020, June 12). Eight Big Reasons Critical Race Theory Is Terrible for Dealing with Racism. Retrieved from Eight Big Reasons Critical Race Theory Is Terrible for Dealing with Racism – New Discourses
Rufo, Christopher F. (2020, August 12). Nuclear Consequences. Retrieved from Nuclear Consequences (christopherrufo.com)
Rufo, Christopher F. (2021, February 11). In a Philadelphia elementary school, teachers are putting a premium on radicalism, not reading. Retrieved from Philadelphia 5th Graders Forced to Celebrate “Black Communism” (city-journal.org)
Safi, Marlo. (2020, December 4). ‘You Are Upholding Racist Ideas’: Teachers Reportedly Required To Attend ‘White Privilege’ Training At Public School. Retrieved from ‘You Are Upholding Racist Ideas’: Teachers Reportedly Required To Attend ‘White Privilege’ Training At Public School | The Daily Caller
Wikipedia. Critical race theory. Retrieved from Critical race theory – Wikipedia
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