WARNING: Critical Race Theory!

February 2021

WARNING:  Extreme leftist ideology is taking over public schools.

A school district in Oregon decides that requiring students to show their work in a math problem reeks of white supremacy.¹ Third graders in California must “deconstruct their racial identities” and “rank their power and privilege,” while Illinois’ new Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards will require all licensed teachers in the state to adopt a progressive political orthodoxy and “embrace and encourage progressive viewpoints and perspectives” to pass along to their students². No more reading, writing, and arithmetic. Schools are to become radical leftist incubators that focus on social justice and politics.

It is called Critical Race Theory, and it is everywhere.

Critical Race Theory, or “Critical Theory,” has been visibly at the forefront of leftist indoctrination in the United States for the past decade. Originating in Germany in the 1930s, Critical Theory was primarily limited to the halls of academia in this country until it morphed into Critical Race Theory (CRT) in the 1970s. Since then, it has made its way into colleges and universities, federal agencies, and public schools.³

CRT’s Marxist underpinnings

Identity politics, social justice, and political correctness have been common descriptors of Critical Theory over the years. This evolution is described in Mike Gonzalez’s new book, The Plot to Change America: How Identity Politics is Dividing the Land of the Free.⁴ The underlying principle of the ideology is Karl Marx’s world view of “oppressor vs oppressed.”  There is no middle ground; every individual lives in the role of one, or the other. In Critical Race Theory, these oppressor/oppressed relationships are always viewed through a lens of race. CRT is all about who has power. To determine where that power might illegitimately lie, everything is examined for racism. And, as stated in her recent article in The Federalist, Stella Morabito describes Critical Race Theory as “a classic Communist divide-and-conquer tactic.”⁵

Not a legacy of the Civil Rights Movement

Many people incorrectly assume that Critical Race Theory is a more intellectual and sophisticated continuation of the Civil Rights Movement. Not so. The Civil Rights Movement had classical liberal and religious foundations⁶. It hoped that blacks and whites could eventually live together as equals under God, even allowing for grace and forgiveness.

In Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay’s new book, Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody,⁷ the authors explain that to Critical Race Theorists, “race is a political construction that was invented by white people to give themselves power while excluding all other races from it.” Their view is that racism is permanently and irrevocably present in every area of society, from institutions and societal systems to relationships and day-to-day communication. It is deeply embedded in the fabric of our country, leading to a state of perpetual racial conflict.⁸

Critical Race Theorists want children to be taught political ideology above all else.

It used to be that children went to school to learn academic subjects and to gain skills that would help them become mature, contributing citizens. They took classes in English grammar and literature, mathematics, American and world history, science, civics, and foreign languages. They were taught to respect and be kind to each other and to judge others by their character, not their skin color. This has become an almost quaint notion now, however. With Critical Race Theory, the goal is to examine nuances of oppression and then name and shame the so-called oppressors who are judged entirely by the color of their skin.

Anything the government touches promotes Critical Race Theory

As Jarrett Stepman explains in The Daily Signal,⁹ CRT ideology has permeated every corner of federal agencies as well as public schools. Included in his article is an excellent webinar from The Heritage Foundation entitled “The New Intolerance: Critical Race Theory and its Grip on America.” The grip on America is tight and spreading.

White Supremacy and White Fragility are the new standards for judging society.

When Robin DiAngelo came onto the academic scene in 2018 with her new book, White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism, a new cottage industry was born. White people, especially white males, are now targeted as irredeemable since they are viewed as the cause of all human misery and inequality. White supremacy is the cause of every societal ill, and to argue anything to the contrary is proof of one’s own white fragility. Discussions and counterpoints are not allowed, thus cementing the notion that whites are automatically guilty and should be silenced.

It is not only white males who are to be silent, however.

CRT targets almost anything that is pro-American, pro-Judeo-Christian, and pro-conservative. National teachers’ unions promote Critical Race Theory concepts in everything they espouse, from textbooks and broad curricula to teacher training and certification. History textbooks are systematically wiping out the religious founding principles of our country and the heroes who sought God’s guidance in their fight for independence. Teachers are trained in progressive ideology, and they are expected to promote that ideology to their students. Conservative and Christian students need not expect to be able to express their viewpoints.

What does this ideology do to a classroom?

Critical Race Theory turns a classroom into a star chamber where differing opinions are not tolerated, and students must either give in to the political orthodoxy or give up on an A in the class. Students often are subjected to subtle and not-so-subtle biases from their teachers in the areas of politics, history, and current events. Even in classes that have nothing to do with politics, CRT concepts are often interjected into the discussion. For example, Black Lives Matter activists are already pushing their agenda into classrooms across the country.¹⁰

CRT has even infiltrated churches and other religious organizations.

Neil Shenvi is a Christian scholar who has spoken out against Critical Race Theory and has a thoughtful review of Latasha Morrison’s recent book, Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation.¹¹ Below are Morrison’s CRT-based guidelines for what people should do to encourage racial reconciliation. Shenvi points out in his review, however, that strategies such as these can be used to quickly shut down discussion from whites and even non-whites who might have different opinions on how to heal racial tensions:

• Don’t “whitesplain.” Do not explain racism to a Person of Color (POC). Do not explain how the microaggression they just experienced was just someone being nice. Do not explain how a particular injustice is more about class than race. It is an easy trap to fall into, but you can avoid it by maintaining a posture of active listening.
• Don’t equate impact with intent. Yes, we all know your heart was in the right place and you meant well. But your words or behavior had a negative impact on those around you, and that is what matters. Apologize and do better next time.
• Don’t demand proof of a POC’s lived experience or try to counter their narrative with the experience of another POC.The experiences and opinions of POC are as diverse as its people. We can believe their stories. But keep in mind: just because one POC does not feel oppressed, that doesn’t mean systemic, institutional racism isn’t real.
• Don’t chastise POCs (or dismiss their message) because they express their grief, fear, or anger in ways you deem “inappropriate.” Understand that historically, we white people have silenced voices of dissent and lament with our cultural idol of “niceness.” Provide space for POCs to wail, cuss, or even yell at you.Jesus didn’t hold back when he saw hypocrisy and oppression; POCs shouldn’t have to either.
• Don’t get defensive when you are called out for any of the above. When a POC tells you that your words/tone/behavior are racist/oppressive/triggering, you stop.
• Don’t try to explain yourself (see above.)
• Don’t become passive-aggressive or sarcastic.
• Don’t leave in a huff. (It may be helpful, however, to inconspicuously step outside/go to the restroom and take a deep breath.) Remain cognizant of the dynamics of white fragility and take note of how it usually shows up in you.

Lectures such as these are tiresome and do little to promote unity and reconciliation. Unfortunately, increasing numbers of Christians seem to be substituting Critical Theory for biblical Christianity, as the Colson Center’s Joseph Backholm describes in his Breakpoint podcast, “Is Critical Theory Biblical?”¹²

The goal is to infiltrate, brainwash, and silence.

A recent PragerU video explains that there is no such thing as an apolitical classroom today.¹³ Neither are other institutions safe from CRT radicals, including federal agencies, corporations,

and even the military. The rush to be “woke” is overwhelming, even from institutions that once

were once dependably traditional, pro-American, and Christian. Bobby Harrington’s “The Long

March through the Institutions of Society”¹⁴ offers an excellent history of how Critical Theory has evolved and how it has led to today’s cancelling of anyone or anything that does not support this new radicalism.

 There must be pushback against a Critical Race Theory takeover.

CRT activists know to start their radicalization with the children, which is why it is so important that parents, grandparents, and other concerned citizens find out what is going on in their schools. Check every course curriculum. CRT infiltrates all subjects, from history and English to math, science, and health. Attend Board of Education meetings and speak up about your concerns. There is strength in numbers, and many parent groups have been successful when they have joined together.¹⁵ It is not too late to save our children and our society.

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References:

1. https://www.breitbart.com/education/2021/02/16/oregon-educators-making-math-students-show-their-work-is-white-supremacy/
2. https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/ultra-woke-illinois-mandates-are-top-threat-to-u-s-education/
3. https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/01/12/critical-race-theory-infiltrates-government-classrooms/
4. https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/01/12/critical-race-theory-infiltrates-government-classrooms/
5. https://thefederalist.com/2020/09/29/critical-race-theory-is-a-classic-communist-divide-and-conquer-tactic/
6. https://newdiscourses.com/2021/02/no-critical-race-theory-does-not-continue-the-civil-rights-movement/
7. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53052177-cynical-theories
8. https://www.heritage.org/civil-rights/report/critical-race-theory-the-new-intolerance-and-its-grip-america
9. https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/01/12/critical-race-theory-infiltrates-government-classrooms/
10. https://www.dailysignal.com/2021/02/12/activists-outline-their-plan-to-push-black-lives-matter-in-classroom/
11. https://shenviapologetics.com/a-short-review-of-morrisons-be-the-bridge/; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAABuCC96tI
12. https://breakpoint.org/is-critical-theory-biblical/
13. https://www.prageru.com/video/there-is-no-apolitical-classroom/
14. https://renew.org/the-long-march-through-the-institutions-of-society/
15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=IwAR3Y6HPBDaNmpwyprnx5lGIVaohu6VlU0uiH8CjnfhxHk5SO-_Wr6npLLew&v=oycazbeFTcc&feature=youtu.be

In mid-January, our friends at The Heritage Foundation hosted this excellent panel discussion on CRT which underpins Identity Politics, an ongoing effort to reimagine the United States as a nation riven by the division between racial groups, each with specific claims on victimization.

In education and the workforce, as well as entertainment and social media, CRT has become entrenched, driving decision-making based on skin color rather than individual merit and talent.