What is Critical Bait...er Race Theory and Why is it under attack?

[Kc25]

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215452098

diehardblue (10,563 posts)


What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?

Is “critical race theory” a way of understanding how American racism has shaped public policy, or a divisive discourse that pits people of color against white people? Liberals and conservatives are in sharp disagreement.

The topic has exploded in the public arena this spring—especially in K-12, where numerous state legislatures are debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classroom.

In truth, the divides are not nearly as neat as they may seem. The events of the last decade have increased public awareness about things like housing segregation, the impacts of criminal justice policy in the 1990s, and the legacy of enslavement on Black Americans. But there is much less consensus on what the government’s role should be in righting these past wrongs. Add children and schooling into the mix and the debate becomes especially volatile.

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
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rampartc (3,641 posts)

1. it is the current boogie man to "teach communism to our children"

right up there with "common core" "cancel culture" and "political correctness" for meaningless catch phrase,

incredibly, there were a few good quotes at the rwnj site "hot air" ....

https://hotair.com/john-s-2/2021/05/19/critical-race-theory-and-the-paradox-of-the-heap-n391156

I have some critiques of critical race theory. But I think what we’re really arguing about isn’t even critical race theory, especially when we’re talking about the use of CRT in schools. It’s a proxy war, not a genuine disagreement. An academic theory has become a weaponized catchall term for Republicans to rail against whatever they think “wokeness” is and retain the status quo.

Star Member StarfishSaver (15,469 posts)

5. One of the main reasons it's being taught in different ways

is that it's never been treated as an essential part of education or history, so there is no uniform standard for it.

And that provides the additional bonus of making it susceptible for attacks that "it's being taught all wrong" that allow it to be further undermined by people who couldn't care less HOW it's taught - they just want it to go away
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Response to StarfishSaver (Reply #5)Fri May 21, 2021, 08:08 AM
janterry (3,878 posts)

7. I honestly don't know

I guess I would like educators to sort of dialogue about this - and think through this robustly. I read somewhere that this was being introduced with very young children (is it?).

I just don't know. In the initial aftermath (well, not quite initially, lol) - I thought it was helpful. But recently I have begun to see that it could have been done differently.

I also don't regret one bit trying to thread the needle (telling the professor what she sort of wanted to hear BUT keeping my private life private). I remember the angst of trying to figure out how to do that (and not get a C).

D'Angelo says that discomfort is important.

I think she's wrong. I'm entitled to my private life. I am also quite capable of reflecting on the ways that my race has given me privilege without having to talk about my family system, my intimate culture, and so forth.

Or, if I do - do so voluntarily. Because I want to share some parts of who I am. That was not my experience of CRT. And from what I see, it's often not that - for many.

In short - I welcome a more interesting dialogue about how to teach CRT.

LiberatedUSA (64 posts)

9. I remember reading an article not long ago...

...about parents at a NYC private school being cornered into getting actively involved in this stuff. Anyone who tried to just remain quiet was labeled racist.

That is some shady tactics that won’t be received well from many who would otherwise be on the side of BLM.

People who are lucky enough to make their money through investments, as opposed to typical jobs are lucky they don’t have this worry of offending people, especially the Twitter crowd for what they say or DON’T say. Kinda hard to get someone fired when they don’t rely on a boss for money. They are immune to this stuff. They can basically say “oh I pissed you off and you are gonna Twitter me to get me fired? Good luck, I don’t need to work.”
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Response to LiberatedUSA (Reply #9)Fri May 21, 2021, 08:56 AM
janterry (3,878 posts)

10. Yes, they did this

and I just read online that 8 year olds were discussing their power identities (they had to list these things) in a class in California until parents objected.

In this case, with such young children - it's almost psychological. I just don't think that's the right approach.

There is an interesting discussion to be had about CRT - we just aren't having it in this country. It's politicized and toxic.

I am constantly disappointed in our inability to discuss hard concepts (as a country) to try to sort out the best approaches.
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Response to janterry (Reply #10)Fri May 21, 2021, 09:58 AM
Star Member StarfishSaver (15,469 posts)

12. Wow

I can't believe I'm reading these comments on a Democratic board.

Check that. I should believe it and should also expect this after what I keep seeing around here.

It's no longer surprising to see progressives complain that critical race theory is not being taught to them properly as evidenced by the way one school does it, but if only the people teaching it did a better job of presenting it in ways that didn't make them in any way uncomfortable, they'd be more accepting of it.

This thread is going to be a good one


The black folk over there are circling the wagons and getting defensive...

Going to be fun

[Ralph Wiggum]

Let's boil this horse crap down to what it means:

Blame Whitey.

Rinse, lather, and repeat.  Emphasis on REPEAT.

And the more you claim this utter nonsense, the further it gets perpetuated.

Navin R. Johnson heard a similar tale in the movie "The Jerk".

https://youtu.be/NHo88cj3eAc

[enslaved1]

Star Member hunter (32,928 posts)
36. My wife, a "woman of color," always calls me out whenever she sees me exercising my white privilege.

Sometimes she'll kick my shins, hard, under the table.

I've been bruised.

Any similar criticisms I've suffered in my university or work experience seem trivial.

I'm white. I grew up white in a community that was 99% white.

Even though I haven't lived in majority white communities for two thirds of my life now, I still screw up on occasion.

There's a lot of baggage that comes along with being white.

I accept it, discard the worst of it, and move on. It takes some energy not to be the clueless white guy in the room.

Just wow.  That's high level soy boy there.  Can only imagine the other abuses he takes from his wife.....

RobinA (8,114 posts)
35. Well That Would Be

a good thing. Because if all groups are having their true histories alive, everybody's episodes of ugly history will be open for understanding.

A smattering of logic?  Was it intentional?  Or does "all groups" just mean evil white people, not the ugly histories of Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners, Pacific Islanders, Native Americas, ect?

[Kc25]

Just wow.  That's high level soy boy there.  Can only imagine the other abuses he takes from his wife.....

A smattering of logic?  Was it intentional?  Or does "all groups" just mean evil white people, not the ugly histories of Africans, Asians, Middle Easterners, Pacific Islanders, Native Americas, ect?

DUH! only evil wypipo have ugly history! Don't you understand  that if it weren't for white people and their evil; humans would've evolved and there be no wars or disease or famine.... even in history. Sheesh, man get a grip!

[Mary Ann]

RobinA (8,114 posts)

34. I Could Have Written

your post. I graduated from grad school in 2005 (I was much older than your average student.) I was in undergraduate during the looking at samenesses rather than differences era. In grad school I took diversity class during my last semester. I had done my internship (I was in psychology) and was glad to be taking diversity class because now I was going to learn about the differences in outlook between various ethnic groups so I could better help them. I was particularly interested in the differences between Asian cultures, because I had run into various Asian ethnicities during my internship.

HA, was I wrong. Diversity class was about me and what a racist I was because I was white. How racism is unique to whites, etc. And how whites were hopeless in this respect. The entire text book was on that note. I already knew that racism wasn't limited to whites, in fact, I already knew that ganging up on the minority group wasn't limited to humans. That loud bang? My mind slamming shut. I remember wondering what the half of the class who was black was supposed to get out of the experience. Did the class tell me ANYTHING about how Cambodians versus Koreans looked at the world, which is what I had hoped for? Nope, not a thing. And yeah, certain responses were expected or you were down graded. And it was my only B in grad school. So did this experience make me go out and try to atone for my white horribleness? Nope. It made me mostly unwilling to engage on the subject of race at all. So my opinion of CRT, which has only gotten more off-putting, is that it is very divisive.

I'd probably feel the same way.

StarfishSaver (15,477 posts)

40. Poor you

It's a wonder you've managed to go on after such an ordeal.

StarfishSaver is a genuine witch, donchathink?

[ADsOutburst]

and I just read online that 8 year olds were discussing their power identities (they had to list these things) in a class in California until parents objected.

Let's see, 8 year-olds learning basic math, simple stories, Venn diagrams, different art and music styles, and... complex and highly contentious social and historical issues? Does anyone else see the problem here?

[Kc25]

I'd probably feel the same way.StarfishSaver is a genuine witch, donchathink?

StarfishSaver is a racist of the highest order.

Never was there a black person guilty of crime... never has there been a white person who is at least a moderate racist against blacks. Any time any other minority group appears to gain "status" or demonstrate the ability to succeed; she is quick to state that they are "trying to be white;" or that any increase in their status or wealth was at the expense of blacks.

[beefeater]

"RobinA" may have accidentally made a good point.



Because Black Africans kidnapping other Black Africans and selling them to Arab Muslim slave traders who in turn sold them to Kamaltoe Harris' great-great-great-grandfather for his large Jamaican plantation would expose the ugly history of some of the democrat party's favorite pets.

[Wineslob]

Oh my, look at all the DUmmuies trying to be woke. 


DUmmies, it's pure racism. When a single race believes that the color of their skin absolves them of ANY wrong doing......ya, guess...

[Ralph Wiggum]

"RobinA" may have accidentally made a good point.



Because Black Africans kidnapping other Black Africans and selling them to Arab Muslim slave traders who in turn sold them to Kamaltoe Harris' great-great-great-grandfather for his large Jamaican plantation would expose the ugly history of some of the democrat party's favorite pets.

Perhaps liberals should educate themselves on their own racist history.  Ya' know, founding the KKK, opposing allowing blacks and women to vote, ad nauseum.

[enslaved1]

Let's see, 8 year-olds learning basic math, simple stories, Venn diagrams, different art and music styles, and... complex and highly contentious social and historical issues? Does anyone else see the problem here?