The Fourth Estate and the Swamp have joined forces with academia to promote the idea that all interactions – legal, cultural, or societal – should be viewed through the prism of race and perspective. Critical Race Theory (CRT) has its supporters in the halls of power and in the formative years' classrooms. While its proponents suggest that it is the only way to promote healing, the reality is something quite different.
Whether it is mid-20th century atrocities or federal persecutions in the early days of McCarthyism, history shows us that the "othering" of people because of beliefs or immutable characteristics does not lead to healing. It leads to hate and division.
Purdue University is one of the driving behind the narrative of CRT. A study published on its education portal explains why the CRT approach should be used, saying that it:
"… emphasizes the importance of examining and attempting to understand the socio-cultural forces that shape how we and others perceive, experience, and respond to racism. These scholars treat literature, legal documents, and other cultural works as evidence of American culture's collective values and beliefs."
The Nutshell Issue of CRT
If the daily interactions of non-white people are tainted by racism, then someone must be a racist. Who might that be? And how should someone feel about a person who (perhaps unknowingly) victimizes them for the color of their skin?
It stretches the limits of reason to propose that a society can be unified when one part is oppressing the other. CRT breeds distrust, it fosters grievance, and it will, ultimately, lead to hate.
It is perhaps for this reason that pushback to the notion of CRT is making its way to the public sphere.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently made headlines by announcing that $17 million would be spent on developing civics curricula with "foundational concepts" and not "unsanctioned narratives like critical race theory." He further insisted that "There is no room in classrooms for things like critical race theory."
Late last year, the United Kingdom's Women and Equalities Minister, Kemi Badenoch, announced in Parliament that, "We do not want teachers to teach their white pupils about white privilege and inherited racial guilt… Any school which teaches these elements of critical race theory, or which promotes partisan political views such as defunding the police without offering a balanced treatment of opposing views, is breaking the law."
Rights and Wrongs
Perhaps the critical race theorists are right? They certainly seem to have large swaths of the media, academia, and political establishment supporting the tenets of their ideas. But perhaps not. Even when it appears that the world has reached an agreement and the individual is left behind, it is wise to remember Gandhi's warning that even if you are a minority of just one, "the truth is still the truth." Or as Athanasius of Alexandria once said while defending his position on the Trinity: "Is the world against Athanasius? So be it. Then Athanasius is against the world!"
But those who oppose Critical Race Theory are not as alone as they may think. Yes, the government's public-facing organs seem wedded to the ideas this theory proposes, yet the truth is, the government and the media are the real minority.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
