Just when you think you’ve heard all there is from the world of academia, something like this pops up and it just has to be seen to be believed.
St. John’s College in New Mexico has instituted a study group for white males. The group is intended to address the people who are most guilty of engaging in racist and sexist behavior: white men. The college administration sent an email to students informing them of the new study group. According to Hank Berrien of the Daily Wire:
The email started by accusing white men of the usual litany of evils, plus ripping the capitalist system: “We will read about and discuss the privilege of white people (especially white males) patriarchy, sexism and racism in the neoliberal capitalist empire of the United States.”
The email goes on to outline the primary subject that will be discussed: “The main topic for discussion will be an ongoing one: How do we deal with the depravity of whiteness and the brutality of masculinity? How can we get to the root of this problem?”
The depravity of whiteness?
How would this sound if we removed the word “whiteness” and replaced it with “blackness,” or “brownness” It would sound virulently racist, wouldn’t it? The implementation of this study group is indicative of the type of thinking that is promoted in American culture today. Being white is seen as something negative. It is a source of shame.
Those perpetuating this way of thought are doing nothing to unite Americans; indeed, these ideas are designed to divide us further. Yes, racism has been a serious issue in this country. There is no debating this. However, the United States has made much progress in combatting the impact of bigotry and prejudice.
Is there still work that needs to be done? Yes. But the approach that has been encouraged by the left is inherently flawed. They are attempting to create a movement that villainizes white people. They are casting them as monstrous bigots who desire to oppress everyone who isn’t white. The assumption is that white people are ignorant, brutal, and depraved because of the color of their skin.
Does any of this sound familiar? It should. This is exactly the thinking that justified slavery and Jim Crow. It is dangerous. Here is one of the Merriam-Webster definitions of racism:
The people on the left who are pushing this narrative are painting white people as inferior because of their “whiteness.” The reason this type of thinking is alarming is because it renders an entire race of people as inherently evil. It is expressly calculated to marginalize an entire group of individuals.
These people purport to stand against racism and bigotry, but they are – in and of themselves — guilty of creating a new type of racism. If this cancerous way of thinking continues to pervade the American culture, we cannot move forward. It is a threat to real unity in our country.
Ideas like these are already beginning to marginalize white people. On college campuses, white people are being told that they are not allowed to speak on issues of race, sexuality, or religion simply because they are white. Their “privilege” somehow prevents them from speaking intelligently and compassionately on these matters.
We cannot achieve greater unity by trying to fight racism with more racism. We need more understanding. We need to be willing to have a dialogue. Instead of demonizing one another, we need to operate under the assumption that those we disagree with have pure motives. Study groups such as these will only serve to make us more divided.
Simply put: The “depravity of whiteness” study group is a depraved idea.
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