#157 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday September 30)
Good morning,
Adam Torson offers his view on teaching “critical race theory” (“CRT”). While he agrees with me that it should be taught as one of several ways to consider American history, he feels I unfairly characterized CRT:
“It seems that you use "critical race theory," as an umbrella term for the entire anti-racist movement. That's problematic for a few related reasons:
First, it paints with too broad a brush, obscuring what CRT scholarship does and doesn't say. For instance, there are scholars who defend the position that the United States is irretrievably racist, but CRT is not such a perspective. CRT scholars regularly invoke the uniquely American values you argue they ignore. Along the same lines, the idea that CRT teaches that people should feel guilty for being white, commonly raised by cable TV critics, is simply a fabrication. This is a helpful explainer to which I've been referring:
Second, it buys into the manipulative framing of the cynical people constructing this moral panic. It's a scary sounding term to be used as a cudgel, and so sweeping all anti-racism into its ambit is a way to delegitimize the whole project. The 1776 project as an answer to indoctrination is ironic to say the least. I'm not suggesting that's your objective, but that your discussion of CRT accepts the framing of it's supposed critics. And of course, it distracts from imminent concerns like efforts to fight the pandemic or cutting child poverty in half this year.
Third, CRT is an academic perspective, a research agenda, not a political platform. It has a particular perspective and surely CRT scholars share certain beliefs, but it isn't like a political party demanding doctrinal purity. There are no membership cards.
Fourth, it's just imprecise. There are other schools of thought about racism in the United States, and to call everything CRT ignores that scholarship.
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Mark Ferrell touches on some of the issues associated with racism in America and the need to address its effects:
“We cannot discount the impact of biological and environmental effects that can lead to poor decision-making and diminished mental capacity. Nor can we ignore that generational pattern, which has been repeated over the centuries. I believe that this is as a direct result of racism, but is not racism itself. Continuing racism only exacerbates and perpetuates it. As a society, we have a responsibility to address this in a meaningful way and give people the tools and guidance necessary to break the cycle, which in the long run will benefit us all.
My attitude is: We pay for it one way or the other. Either we provide care and education before; or we provide prisons and parole after. Not to mention society's expense, suffering, and loss from the impacts of crime, addiction, and lost productivity. Anyhow, that's my 2¢.
I admit, I know very little about Critical Race Theory and whether or not my comments/thoughts are covered in it. But I don't think you can address the issue completely without considering the developmental aspects of children and adults affected by racism.”
IMMIGRATION
Diego Cartegena weighs in with a recommended book: You are already well versed in the history of immigration law in the US, but thought I’d share: One Mighty and Irresistible Tide | Jia Lynn Yang | W. W. Norton & Company (wwnorton.com)
BROADWAY RETURNS
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jimmy Fallon on the return to Broadway, with some great cameos. Really fun spoof of Hamilton included:
Have a good day,
Glenn
From the archives: