Critical Race Theory or Critical Insanity?

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become the polarizing issue of the hour. In a nation beset with the combined economic impact of unemployment and mounting inflation, a lingering COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing border crisis, CRT seems to be the left’s way of adding insult to injury: insisting that Americans submit to a vile and toxic ideological agenda while they watch their country sink beneath the waves of chaos.

CRT is a dangerous ideology that seeks to redefine America in dangerous terms.

CRT is an ideology that contends America and its white people are intrinsically racist. At the same time, it demands that all social encounters be defined by race: "It is a negativist theory that relies on the ability to find racism in every facet of society and is propped up daily by divisive media talking heads who push discordant content for views and clicks," R.C. Maxwell writes for Human Events. Meaning while CRT advocates supposedly condemn racism, they define everything in terms of race. CRT is a dangerous ideology that seeks to redefine America in dangerous terms.

While it only affected adults, CRT continued to thrive unmolested by a public that may have resented it but wasn’t prepared to undermine or overturn it. Now that this odious theory is targeting children, however, parents are pushing back with gusto and making their opprobrium crystal clear. That this opposition is coalescing at the same time as the economy is imploding under President Joe Biden may be indicative that patriotic Americans are sick of losing both their economic prosperity and the culture war.

[caption id="attachment_189068" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] President Joe Biden.[/caption]

CRT IS “RESPONSIBLE” ACCORDING TO THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

CRT has been part of the whole woke structure of the social justice agenda for years, thriving in workshops that employees in both the private and public sectors have been forced to attend in order to purge their alleged white privilege. In 2020, former President Donald Trump banned these training sessions for federal government employees: in a statement from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget from September 2020, his administration roundly criticized the idea.

“According to press reports, employees across the Executive Branch have been required to attend trainings where they are told that ‘virtually all White people contribute to racism’ or where they are required to say that they ‘benefit from racism.’ According to press reports, in some cases these training have further claimed that there is racism embedded in the belief that America is the land of opportunity or the belief that the most qualified person should receive a job.”

The memo continues:

“These types of ‘trainings’ not only run counter to the fundamental beliefs for which our Nation has stood since its inception, but they also engender division and resentment within the Federal workforce. We can be proud that as an employer, the Federal government has employees of all races, ethnicities, and religions. We can be proud that Americans from all over the country seek to join our workforce and dedicate themselves to public service. We can be proud of our continued efforts to welcome all individuals who seek to serve their fellow Americans as Federal employees. However, we cannot accept our employees receiving training that seeks to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”

On his first day in the White House, President Joe Biden essentially revoked that executive order with a contravening one of his own. His “Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government” decreed that the “Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government.”

And he’s going further.

In April, Biden's Department of Education (DOE) proposed a rule, "Proposed Priorities: American History and Civics Education," that would dedicate taxpayer dollars to grants enshrining CRT into the public school system. “The Department recognizes that COVID-19—with its disproportionate impact on communities of color—and the ongoing national reckoning with systemic racism have highlighted the urgency of improving racial equity throughout our society, including in our education system,” they write, citing Executive Order 13985. They continue:

“American History and Civics Education programs can play an important role in this critical effort by supporting teaching and learning that reflects the breadth and depth of our Nation's diverse history and the vital role of diversity in our Nation's democracy. For example, there is growing acknowledgement of the importance of including, in the teaching and learning of our country's history, both the consequences of slavery, and the significant contributions of Black Americans to our society. This acknowledgement is reflected, for example, in the New York Times' landmark ‘1619 Project’ and in the resources of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History.”

A week after the DOE's proposal, two Republican Congress members, Reps. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) and Jeff Duncan (R-SC), sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urging the Biden administration to reconsider. “American history helps children develop a sense of patriotism and pride in the United States of America. Students should learn about the uniqueness and greatness of the American systems and the challenges we have overcome as a nation,” Lamborn and Duncan argued. “It is therefore counterproductive and even dangerous to allow our vulnerable school children to be taught the falsehoods prevalent in the 1619 Project or in Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist."

Comments for the rule closed on May 19th, however, and it’s unclear Cardona, the DOE, or the Biden administration understand the seriousness of their controversial proposal and what they’re inviting when they elevate ideological projects like Kendi’s. At a White House press briefing on May 13th, Press Secretary Jen Psaki actually mocked the idea that Americans would find the 1619 project offensive. A reporter asked Psaki to respond to a proposal by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) for an “Ivory Tower Tax” on the largest private university endowments which would raise an anticipated $2 billion per year for job training programs instead of “indoctrinating young people with what he calls un-American ideas.”

"Now you’ve intrigued me, Psaki responded, "What are the un-American ideas that are indoctrinating our youth?"

"Well, he’s been critical, for example, of the 1619 Project. He’s been critical and spoken about critical race theory," the reporter replied.

Psaki was unapologetic in her response: “I don’t think that ... educating the youth and next—the leaders of the—future leaders of the country on systemic racism is indoctrination. That’s actually responsible."

[caption id="attachment_189069" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Ron DeSantis receives endorsement from former President Trump for Florida governorship, October 31st, 2018.[/caption]

CRT IS “A BUNCH OF HORSE MANURE” AND “RACIST” ACCORDING TO PATRIOTS

The DOE’s new policy has rightly sparked a wave of protests across America, along with legislative initiatives from various states that are fighting to keep this odious ideology out of the classroom and away from the minds of vulnerable children.  In April, Idaho became the first state to ban the practice: House Bill 377, entitled “Dignity And Nondiscrimination In Public Education,” prohibits public schools and universities from compelling students to “affirm, adopt, or adhere to” teachings often found in CRT instruction.

Florida, Texas, and Tennessee have followed suit. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who might be the most principled conservative politician in an elected office today, recently characterized CRT as “a bunch of horse manure. I mean, give me a break. This country has had more opportunity for more people than any country in the history of the world, and it doesn’t matter where you trace your ancestry from.” In the town hall session with Fox News host Laura Ingraham, DeSantis further said, “Here’s the problems with the Critical Race Theory that they’re peddling. They’re saying all of our institutions are bankrupt and illegitimate. Okay, so how do you have a society if everything in your society is illegitimate?” DeSantis asked. “It’s a harmful ideology. I’d say a race-based version of a Marxist-type ideology.”

‘It’s a harmful ideology. I’d say a race-based version of a Marxist-type ideology,’ — Gov. Ron DeSantis.

After some teachers in Tennessee suggested they might just ignore the proposed ban on CRT indoctrination in their state, a concerned father from Brentwood took to the airwaves to protest. Dr. Omar Hamada told “Fox & Friends” that CRT is “a wider agenda that erodes the very foundations that our nation was built on.” “It damages our children by making them think that they are guilty for being who they were created to be. That somehow their race makes them automatically a racist,” he continued.

But some of the real fireworks are occurring in Loudoun County, Virginia, where parents are furious over the teaching. At a school board meeting on May 11th, “parents brought the 🔥🔥🔥,” tweeted the Executive Director of Fight for Schools, Ian Prior.

One Loudoun County parent, who is black, condemned CRT with eloquence and directness that may be unequaled. After referencing Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, she said that she also had a dream that “we would implement love, not hate … CRT is not an honest dialogue—it is a tactic used by Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan on slavery very many years ago to dumb down my ancestors so we could not think for ourselves,” she said. “CRT is racist, it is abusive … let me educate you: an honest dialogue does not impress … think twice before you indoctrinate [with] such racist theories.”

‘You can destroy my country’s economy, or you can destroy my country’s culture—but you can’t do both.’

It is inspiring to see average Americans resist leftist indoctrination with such force and determination. For too long, the people who hold down regular jobs, pay their taxes, obey the law and faithfully vote for their preferred candidates have been either overwhelmed by the tidal wave of social justice indoctrination in the workplace and in public schools and universities or just too tired or discouraged to bother saying no.

But we have been seeing this trend for years, especially in universities, where white students are routinely told that they are racist and possess something called “white privilege.” Meanwhile, lefty academics like Robin DiAngelo, who wrote the truly ludicrous book White Fragility (2018)—apparently to develop a cult of self-hatred—continue to be paid enormous sums to bludgeon guilt-ridden employees at social justice workshops.

So why are the downtrodden masses starting to fight back now?

Perhaps it’s the inevitability of revolt when people have been oppressed for too long. As the economy spirals out of control under President Biden, people are putting their foot down and insisting that he not be allowed to force-feed us our children hardcore leftist ideology that is corrosive to the human mind and spirit. Maybe it’s another populist surge, and this time, the people are saying, “You can destroy my country’s economy, or you can destroy my country’s culture—but you can’t do both.”

[caption id="attachment_189070" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] From left: Louis Farrakhan, Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and former President Bill Clinton at the funeral service for Aretha Franklin in Detroit, Michigan, August 31st, 2018.[/caption]

PRIORITIZING AMERICAN VALUES OVER ABUSIVE RACIAL THEORIES

CRT is not only inherently racist; it is inherently stupid and critically insane in its assumptions. Why would anyone devise a theory that insists only white people can be racist , or that race is the chief arbitrator of inequality in America or anywhere else.

Clearly, black Americans are capable of racial discrimination too.

There is ample evidence that some black leaders—the ones who have made careers out of playing the race card and perpetuating the racial injustice narrative—have demonstrated consistent and often toxic antipathy towards the Jewish community. Perhaps the most famous example occurred when Rev. Jesse Jackson proclaimed New York City to be “Hymietown” while running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984.

Then there’s the Rev. Al Sharpton, who makes Jackson appear moderate. Sharpton has repeatedly used anti-Semitic language over his career, apparently knowing it is striking a chord with a small minority within the black community who would seem to resent Jewish people for whatever reason. And let’s not leave out Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who is unabashedly anti-Semitic and has even found some good things to say about Adolf Hitler. (There’s a marvelous picture of Farrakhan at singer Aretha Franklin’s funeral in August 2018. Farrakhan is standing with Jackson, Sharpton, and—wait for it—former President Bill Clinton.)

Clearly, black Americans are capable of racial discrimination too.

And why should we believe that race is the greatest divider in America—in 2021! This is just another smokescreen for the real division in America, one where liberal elites control the corporations, the social media, and the media. The Democrats, who used to be a party of blue-collar workers, are nothing more than the party of the white-collar woke, peddling outrageous social justice policies that really don’t make anyone’s life any easier or more prosperous.

It is really time to move beyond this obsession with race, one that ultimately fuels division, hatred, and misspent energy.

As former President Donald Trump proved, Americans of any race can agree that it is more important to have a good job in a prosperous economy, enjoy strong borders and a fair immigration policy, be able to provide for your family and loved ones—than it is to grind the old ax of racism and to demonize one race over another.

Has there been racism in America’s past? Of course. There has been racism in every nation’s past, and there is racism in every part of the world today. But did it ever really define America and what the country and its innate commitment to liberty were really all about? No, not as long as there were always people committed to reducing and eliminating racial barriers, and that has been America’s story as much as anything.

We do not need to contaminate young minds—or older ones for that matter—with abusive racial theories that quite frankly are the same sort of quackery that Nazi Germany so successfully used to indoctrinate an entire population against its Jewish community. It is really time to move beyond this obsession with race, one that ultimately fuels division, hatred, and misspent energy.