Sometimes you have to give credit where it is due. Members of the far-left progressive chattering class, while espousing some of the craziest ideas imaginable, have excelled in one area: making everything about race and oppression. Example No. 5,982,096 demonstrating this truth involves author and founder of the 1619 Project Nikole Hannah-Jones, who recently suggested that all the hubbub over the Ukraine-Russia conflict is all about – you guessed it – the race of the people embroiled in the military conflict.

In a recent tweet, Jones argued that Europe is not a continent and that believing anything contrary to this is somehow indicative of racial bigotry: “What if I told you Europe is not a continent by defintion (sic), but a geopolitical fiction to separate it from Asia and so the alarm about a European, or civilized, or First World nation being invaded is a dog whistle to tell us we should care because they are like us.”

It did not take long for other Twitter users to point out why Hannah-Jones’ tweet could be geographically illiterate. The Washington Examiner noted:

“Europe, while part of Eurasia, is separated from Asia by the Ural Mountains, Black and Caspian seas, and other geographical features. While it is separated by land borders, it has long been viewed as one of seven continents because of its size.”

One user responded, “as a former geography teacher, I would have told you you flunked geography.”

Jones acknowledged that Americans should be concerned about the confrontation between the two countries. However, she insisted the attention to the matter is due to the lack of melanin in the people entangled in the battle.

“To be clear: We should care about Ukraine,” she explained. “But not because it is European, or the people appear white, or they are ‘civilized’ and not ‘impoverished.’ All people deserve to be free and to be welcomed when their countries are at war.”

Jones became a prominent voice on the hard left after the publication of the 1619 Project, which suggests the true founding of the United States was when the first slaves arrived on the North American continent. It has been widely panned for its historical inaccuracies. Like most of her contemporaries, she has made a name for herself by espousing positions that originate from critical race theory (CRT), which posits that racism is deeply embedded in American society and the country’s legal framework.

Nikole Hannah-Jones (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Her comments related to the Ukraine-Russia conflict are indicative of the type of mindset that hard leftists seek to cultivate. Instead of viewing the matter as geopolitical, folks like Jones seek to persuade the public to view this, and nearly all other issues, as inherently racial. A person’s concern over the hostilities in Europe cannot be motivated by the dangerous ramifications for international politics – it must derive from the fact that it is a battle between white folks. For the far-leftist, this is arguably the most important factor.

While it is easy to laugh at this display of poor thinking, it would be wise to take into account how folks like Jones are pushing to get everyone to adopt this deleterious mindset. If her ilk had their druthers, the nation would view almost everything through the lens of race and oppression. This dangerous thought process just causes more division in American society.

If Americans allow this racial mindset to take root and permeate, the rift will grow deeper. People will become more firmly rooted in tribes and echo chambers. Industries will become more siloed. In this way, the populace will become easier to manipulate and control. It’s the classic “divide and conquer” strategy being employed by those using race to further divide people. Without pushback, the consequences might be too severe to reverse.

~ Read more from Jeff Charles.