Critical Race Theory

Critical Race Theory

This is a fascinating topic which has been applied to efforts to educate persons about race. It has been imposed upon the public sector, agencies in the government, from an historical source which I would venture a guess came from the Obama/Biden administration. Trump was recently provided a review of this practice, a requirement for employees, and deemed that essentially un-American. In the first presidential debate of 2020, when asked about critical race theory from the moderator Chris Wallace, Trump admitted canceling the program for the basic reason that it was teaching persons to hate America. This is something he would not allow.

Mod­er­a­tor Chris Wal­lace asked Pres­i­dent Trump dur­ing the 9/26/202 de­bate why he “di­rected fed­eral agen­cies to end racial-sen­si­tiv­ity train­ing that ad­dresses white priv­i­lege or crit­i­cal race the­ory.” Mr. Trump an­swered: “I ended it be­cause it’s racist.” Par­tic­i­pants “were asked to do things that were ab­solutely in­sane,” he explained. “They were teaching peo­ple to hate our coun­try.”” - WSJ

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is all about race, racism and power.  It arose from the liberal portion of our Nation and has permeated many corners of our society, not just the public sector.  

Christopher F. Rufo/WSJ

One of the advisers to the President on this subject was Christopher F. Rufo, a Wall Street Journal opinion writer. From his piece appearing Monday, October 5, The Truth About Critical Race Theory, a summation.  

“…crit­i­cal race the­ory train­ing sessions in pub­lic agen­cies have pushed a deeply ide­o­log­i­cal agenda that in­cludes re­duc­ing peo­ple to a racial es­sence, seg­re­gating them, and judg­ing them by their group iden­tity rather than in­di­vid­ual char­ac­ter, be­hav­ior and merit.” 

“Examples are instructive. 

• At… the Treasury Department and federal financial agencies,…employees (were taught) that America was “built on the backs of people who were enslaved” and that all white Americans are complicit in a system of white supremacy “by automatic response to the ways we’re taught.”
• “Whiteness,” employees are told, “includes white privilege and white supremacy.” Consequently, whites “struggle to own their racism.”
• “…managers (are instructed) to conduct “listening sessions” in which black employees can speak about their experience and be “seen in their pain,” while white employees are instructed to “sit in the discomfort” and not “fill the silence with your own thoughts and feelings.” Members of “the group you’re allying with (are not) obligated to like you, thank you, feel sorry for you, or forgive you.”
• “At the Sandia National Laboratories (America’s nuclear technology arsenal) executives held a 3-day racially segregated training session for white male employees, run by White Men as Full Diversity Partners - the goal, examining “white male culture” and making the employees take responsibility for their “white privilege,” “male privilege” and “heterosexual privilege.”
• “… instructors wrote on a whiteboard that, “white male culture” can be associated with “white supremacists,” “KKK,” “Aryan Nation,” “MAGA hat” and “mass killings.” 
• On the final day, the trainers asked employees to write letters to women and people of color. One participant apologized for his privilege and another pledged to “be a better ally.”
• “At… Homeland Security, … a session on “micro-aggressions” argued white Americans have been “fed a racial curriculum based on falsehoods, unwarranted fears, and the belief in their own superiority,” and thus have been “socialized into oppressor roles.” 
• Trainers taught… employees that the “myth of meritocracy” and “color blindness” is a foundation of racist micro-aggressions and “micro-inequities.” 
• …statements such as “America is the land of opportunity,” “Everybody can succeed in this society, if they work hard enough,” and “I believe the most qualified person should get the job” are racist and harmful—merely code for “People of color are lazy and/or incompetent and need to work harder.” 
• If a white employee disagrees (with CRT teaching), his/her point of view is dismissed as a “denial of individual racism”—another type of microaggression.

Rufo notes, “To any fair-minded observer, these are not ‘racial sensitivity trainings,’ as Mr. Wallace described them at the Presidential debate. They are political indoctrination sessions. While this misrepresentation is a disappointment, it isn’t a surprise. Progressive activists and their media enablers routinely manipulate words to conceal the truth: Violent riots have become ‘mostly peaceful protests’ and ‘defund the police’ has become ‘reimagine public safety.’”

Millions have been paid to trainers.

The Government has spent millions on trainers nationwide.  The facts are being misrepresented.  Trump was right in stopping this program.  Biden disagreed and, catering to the left, to include the LGBTQ ID group, would have kept the practice in place. 

Wikipedia

From Wikipedia: “Critical race theory (CRT) is a theoretical framework in the social sciences  that examines society and culture as they relate to categorizations of race, law and power. (The emphasis is on categories of people of color).  It is loosely unified by two common themes. Firstly, CRT proposes that (1) white supremacy and racial power are maintained over time, and in particular, that the law may play a role in this process. Secondly, (2) CRT work has investigated the possibility of transforming the relationship between law and racial power, as well as pursuing a project of achieving racial emancipation and anti-subordination more broadly. Developed out of postmodern philosophy, it is based on critical theory, a social philosophy that argues that social problems are influenced and created more by societal structures (i.e. ‘systematic’) and cultural assumptions than by individual and psychological factors. It began as a theoretical movement within American law schools in the mid- to late 1980s as a reworking of critical legal studies on race issues.

^“By 2002, over 20 American law schools, and at least 3 law schools in other countries, offered critical race theory courses or classes which covered the issue centrally. In addition to law, critical race theory is taught and innovated in the fields of education, political science, women’s studies, ethnic studies, communication, sociology and American studies.”

By the time of the Obama era (2008-2016) it was bright into the public sector, from the university to the corridors of governments, and taught to employees.  Thus taken from liberal college and universities to government offices, to insure all those who govern are indoctrinated in CRT, the objective is to insure minorities are viewed as deserving and whites are guilty of oppression and suppression of opportunities for them whose status is below theirs. Progress in America towards minorities, and opportunity for all citizens is considered a myth.   

Certainly within the corridors of what has become an unbalanced liberal leaning education system in our Nation, this subject has become rather commonplace.  It emphasizes that minorities are being disenfranchised by a system controlled by white males.  Our nations’s progress since Abe Lincoln and emancipation is ignored.  It is essentially reparations, not financially, but in the form of forced guilt upon that segment of society that have achieved through education, self-motivation, personal success (financial and in society) and recognition that equality of hope, choice, freedom, liberty, and fortune does exist for those willing to try. The term ‘systematic’ refers to a system conjured up defined as ‘white privilege,’ comprised of white males, heterosexuals, adherents of Judeo-Christian values, to include Christians and Jews, and other people of faith in God, church attendees, Constitutional originalists, uncle Tom’s (as conservative blacks), non-feminists, pro-lifers, and others viewed or classified as conservatives.  

Carol Swain (a black educator)

Her comments, “Critical race theory is rooted in cultural Marxism; its purpose to divide the world into white oppressors and non-white victims. It uses personal narratives of marginalized minority “victim” groups (black, Hispanic, female, and homosexuals) as irrefutable evidence of the dishonesty of their mostly white heterosexual oppressors. “When it comes to race, there is no way out. Critical race theory assumes that racism is permanent and affects every aspect of our society to include political, economic, social and religious institutions. Being born with white skin is valuable property, and any notion of societal attainment of colorblindness, where race or ethnicity does not hinder opportunities is impossible. Neutrality in law and decision making is a pipe dream that can never be achieved. Therefore, the oppressive system must be dismantled and destroyed.

“This flawed theory of the world suggests that race and ethnicity will always taint and pollute every decision, the result being that racial minorities will consistently lose out to whites because of structural racism.”  

That is the system.  And the result of this thinking is a ‘no way out’ scenario.  The disparities will always exist, the discrimination will remain, and the only solution is though entitlements, wealth transfer, and limitation on free speech that effects the minorities that claim abuse. 

“The message is clear: If you are unfortunate enough to be born with black skin, you are forever a second-class citizen who pays a race penalty. Under this reasoning, the most-affluent blacks rank below the poorest whites when it comes to privilege and opportunities. More than 50 years of affirmative action programs and race consciousness has done nothing to change the trajectory or opportunities of people born without white skin. According to critical theory, every dysfunctional condition in black urban communities can be traced to slavery and its aftermath. There is no place for individual choice initiative.”

(Read More)

The Future - Encourage not Discourage

The problem is that CRT is a downer.  There is no hope expressed, only hatred and division.  I refer to the Obama era as one of Divisivism.  Americans, by electing Obama, thought a black man could curb the tilt towards ongoing racial strife, but instead he put his foot on the accelerator, the gear in reverse, and progress came to a stop. From a ‘beer summit’ to Ferguson he stirred the dark side of America raising from the graves the ghouls of the past, ignoring history all the while.  The Obama’s ignored the fact the slaves were freed with the blood of hundreds of thousands of white men.  Why should they or their ancestors be guilty, or pay reparations?  

President after President saw progress made, not immediate, towards a society that adhered to the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, battles fought, lives lost, all for the freedom of everyone, not just blacks, but hispanics, asians, the Irish, Jewish, the germans, immigrants, men and women. Obama did not continue that discourse, instead used his color, his platform, and revisionist history to alter the conversation and to stir hatred, dividing blacks and whites, those oppressed historically (not currently) from those whose parents led and continue to lead America to increased freedom, and the assurance of freedom and liberty for everyone.  in the late 1800’s the effort was made to start schools for blacks, the HBCUs created after the Civil War, before the Civil Rights Act.  These schools are heavenly subsidized, many, oddly, segregated.  There are over 100 today.  

The black community has a bad habit.  It idolizes losers and ignores those who have succeeded.  Why is that?  This may be political. Other cultures, all other cultures, do the opposite.   The leaders that champion the cause for black minorities need the stories from the past, the oppression and the poverty, the lack of education and the crime, to seek their own fortunes and fame, at the expense of their own people.  The Al Sharpton’s and Farakan’s come to mind.  So too Obama and his wife.  In the news media today we have Juan Williams, Don Lemon, Stacy Abrams (I do not know why), BLM’s Patrisse Cullors, Donna Brazile, many others of color.  There are Democrat black Congresswomen, and men, that continue a daily ‘racist’ platform. This does more to discourage blacks and minorities than encourage.  Trump encourages all Americans and that penchant for hope seems to drive the left crazy.  They want the power, Trump does not, thus he wants all Americans to succeed.  

If the blacks, one after another, are successful, well what happens, we have a more peaceful society, there is an improved focus on family, God and education in their communities, as well as in all communities, as well as in blended communities.  Quotas are not necessary.  The playing field becomes equal.

There is the age old question, however.  Forgetting about race, just consider the balance of power.  Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed this election year because the President is a Republican, the Constitution calls upon him to name a successor to an empty SCOTUS seat, and the Senate, who confirms, is also majority Republican.  If it was not, she would not be confirmed.  If the tables were turned the Democrats would do the same thing.  So with a society predominantly white, but changing, will attitudes change if society became predominantly black, or hispanic or other? Who would be referred to as the ‘supremests’?  A look to South Africa provides a glimpse. 

Educate Love not Hatred

Our schools need to teach the beauty of America.  This nation is a melting pot of many races, colors, ethnicities, cultures and personal predilections.  Except for the black community, so it seems, all others have embraced the freedom and uniqueness of our Nation.  It is considered great for good reason.  That is what we need to teach.  Teach everyone how to fish, not just how to buy a fish.  Encourage each person to be kind and loving, caring and supportive of each other.  Do not allow negative voices to darken the airways and fill heads with false facts, historical distortions nor twisted views.  The stepping stones to become the greatest nation in the world to live and succeed must continue to be laid, maintained and pave a future for citizens that insures equality, freedom, liberty, trust, love of family, and love of God. What is critical is who we are, not who we were, an who we can and will become, when we all pull together.

God Bless America.

Grace and Peace

by Thomas W. Balderston, author, blogger.  Books available at amazon on Kindle and paperback.  Blogs include Understand-Islam.com and TomBalderston.Blogspot.com.