What Is Critical Race Theory?
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Started by metmike - June 20, 2021, 2:23 a.m.

What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05

Is “critical race theory” a way of understanding how American racism has shaped public policy, or a divisive discourse that pits people of color against white people? Liberals and conservatives are in sharp disagreement. 

The topic has exploded in the public arena this spring—especially in K-12, where numerous state legislatures are debating bills seeking to ban its use in the classroom. 

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By TimNew - June 20, 2021, 7:25 a.m.
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Think my biggest problem with it, one of many,  is the basic premise that all white people are racist and POC are inapable of racism.   So, the foundation of the "Critical Race Theory" is racist in itself.

By mikempt - June 20, 2021, 7:54 a.m.
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A wise man once said," I was born with this skin color,if you dont like it then you are the problem."

By mcfarm - June 20, 2021, 8:30 a.m.
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exactly CRT in it simplest form is racism pure and simple. And finally people are becoming aware of its threat and fighting back in tons of schools and small towns.


https://citizenfreepress.com/breaking/the-children-will-lead-us-awesome/

just an example of a brave little person joining the fight

By mcfarmer - June 20, 2021, 10:01 a.m.
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CRT is the latest bogeyman conjured up by persons wishing to excite the  republican base. Absolutely without doubt.


It has been around for decades without notice, I taught history many years and while it wasn’t called CRT we learned much of what it encompasses.

The folks who look for any excuse to bash education latched onto it and wave it as a red flag to inflame the gullible and ignorant among us.


It says racism can be “baked in” to a society and function without the overt actions of societies‘ members. Full stop. 

That is where the false claim of “all whites are racists” comes from. Many folks are all too willing to gobble down whatever their favorite source feeds them. That is not restricted to either side.

For most folks the only knowledge of CRT they have comes from some talking head feeding it to them.

 The right is being fed a diet of lies in an attempt by old white guys to cling to power. It may be successful for a time but you can’t stop demographics, unless of course you “bake old white guy power” into law.

This “baked in” idea of racism is absolutely undeniable. Look no further than the “red lining” done by the housing industry in the past. Other examples abound.

It is coming to the forefront now due to the attempts to reduce voter turnout in some states. Tell me honestly, are the measures attempting to reduce the number of rich white guy votes ? Because don’t tell me it’s “election integrity“ no substantive examples have been shown where the last election was not overwhelmingly fair and honest. 

“But folks don’t trust the elections” Well yeah, because the republicans have been pounding ”unfair!” into their mushy brains without any relevant examples of proof.

 Garbage in/garbage out.



Edit:

 I’ll leave you with this, something I quoted often in my teaching:


 “You are not born racist. You are born into a racist society. And like anything else, if you can learn it, you can unlearn it. But some people choose not to unlearn it, because they’re afraid they’ll lose power if they share with other people. We are afraid of sharing power. That’s what it’s all about.” — Jane Elliot



By TimNew - June 20, 2021, 7:27 p.m.
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We do not live in a racist society.  Racism exists,  but it is not predominant.  More anecdaotal.  

I worked in mortgage banking for a while.  Banks are color blind.  They assess risk and race never enters the assesment.  EVER.  The only color they really consider is Green, as in MONEY.

Redlining was/is not racist.  They looked at risks of certain neighborhoods,  primarily at prosepctive property values.  Neighborhhoods that were redlined included all racial demographics .   Are property values likely to go up,  or down?  That's all redlining ever was/is.

How well are the homes maintained?  What is the crime rate?  

Those were two importact criteria of many, and it had nothing to do with race. 

All too often we see non-racist policy used to argue racism.   It's not race.  It's cultural.

But if you have an inherent need to believe in systemic racism,  for whatever reason,  CRT will line right up with your desires. 

But it's BS.

By TimNew - June 21, 2021, 1:38 p.m.
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critical race theory | Definition, Principles, & Facts | Britannica

critical race theory (CRT), intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.

By mcfarm - June 21, 2021, 2:31 p.m.
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just cannot imagine why a guy claiming to be a former teacher is so damn dismissive about the parents that he is supposed to be working for. Holy gee a parent should be damned concerned when we have racism enter our schools by way of the administration that the parents employ. Anytime school board meeting are attended in 100 degree heat or 20 below zero in great numbers of concerned parents as they have been this year would be a sure sign that they are paying attention and good for them. Dear mr former teacher why so dismissive about parents having a say in the indoctrination that has been disruptding actual education that they pay for with their hard earned money.

By mcfarmer - June 21, 2021, 5:23 p.m.
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Someone want to translate this:

“just cannot imagine why a guy claiming to be a former teacher is so damn dismissive about the parents that he is supposed to be working for. Holy gee a parent should be damned concerned when we have racism enter our schools by way of the administration that the parents employ. Anytime school board meeting are attended in 100 degree heat or 20 below zero in great numbers of concerned parents as they have been this year would be a sure sign that they are paying attention and good for them. Dear mr former teacher why so dismissive about parents having a say in the indoctrination that has been disruptding actual education that they pay for with their hard earned money.”


I‘ve read my share of reports from 13 year old students, but you’ve lost me on this one.

By mcfarm - June 21, 2021, 6:04 p.m.
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it' s simple English. Keep you damn politics at home along with your personal bias. We do not pay you to indoctrinate our kids. You work for us. The administration works for us.  The school board is where we are finally heard. You are an embarrassment to the great teachers we use to have in most school systems.

By mcfarmer - June 21, 2021, 6:13 p.m.
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I want to keep this:


”it' s simple English. Keep you damn politics at home along with your personal bias. We do not pay you to indoctrinate our kids. You work for us. The administration works for us.  The school board is where we are finally heard. You are an embarrassment to the great teachers we use to have in most school systems.”


I thought personal/professional attacks were frowned upon ?

By metmike - June 21, 2021, 6:18 p.m.
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Enough with the personal attacks on both sides or I'll just delete the entire non productive thread ............which would be a first for me and should have known better than to introduce such a hot button political topic.


By mcfarm - June 21, 2021, 6:40 p.m.
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By metmike - June 21, 2021, 7:08 p.m.
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Thanks mcfarm!

You do realize that explanation at your link completely agrees with mcfarmer?


https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=++lamont+hill+on+critical+race+theory+interview+with+women+prof&&view=detail&mid=A7A63270D61075757B46A7A63270D61075757B46&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3D%2520%2520lamont%2520hill%2520on%2520critical%2520race%2520theory%2520interview%2520with%2520women%2520prof%26form%3DSWAUA2


This guy, the guest is projecting what I thought your position is(black republican Vernon Jones)...............and he got censored and kicked off of the interview/show just as it was getting started........ because of the intense emotions between the 2 guys............so this really is an extremely hot button topic!!!

 Mr. Jones insulted the host, then the host booted him and went into a series of much bigger personal insults to Mr. Jones, when Mr. Jones was no longer there to defend himself.

From what I've seen this guy, the host is extremely biased and intolerant of anybody that disagrees with him.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=++lamont+hill+on+critical+race+theory+interview+with+women+prof&ru=%2fvideos%2fsearch%3fq%3d%2520%2520lamont%2520hill%2520on%2520critical%2520race%2520theory%2520interview%2520with%2520women%2520prof%26form%3dSWAUA2&view=detail&mid=8B2412A469173DAA56E08B2412A469173DAA56E0&rvsmid=A7A63270D61075757B46A7A63270D61075757B46&FORM=VDQVAP


By mcfarm - June 21, 2021, 7:16 p.m.
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yes MM hold your water....I was trying to post the other side of the argument and could not get back on...computer glitch....after that mess of an interview above here is what Hill and co want you to know...https://www.independentsentinel.com/lamont-hill-interviews-psychiatrist-who-says-whites-are-all-psychopaths/




By metmike - June 21, 2021, 7:54 p.m.
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mcfarm,

Both sides abuse the term racism and both sides insist with absolute certainty that their side only does it when its legit and the other side totally abuses it. 


My opinion is that one side does it a couple orders of magnitude more than the other........however......

note our recent discussion that featured you guys being totally convinced of  Biden being racist(when all the authentic evidence shows that he's the opposite of a racist)...for the sole reason of Biden being a democrat and republican sites fed this total bs to readers that gobble it up.

By GunterK - June 21, 2021, 9:25 p.m.
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Interesting discussion you guys have here. Didn’t mean to join (because it is a complicated subject), but there were 2 links, posted by mcfarm, that made me go Bingo!!!

The first link features an interview with Dr. Imani Perry, a black professor at Princeton University, a foremost expert of CRT. She basically repeated what other black scholars in the 70s and 80s have already pointed out… the fact that our laws do not quite promote legal equality.

Dr. Imani Perry stated, that AT THE CORE of CRT is the desire to "achieve LEGAL racial equality, not just color consciousness".

This statement alone makes it quite clear…. CRT courses should be given to members of Congress, not to kids in kindergarten

Here is the link one more time…

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=++lamont+hill+on+critical+race+theory+interview+with+women+prof&&view=detail&mid=A7A63270D61075757B46A7A63270D61075757B46&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3D%2520%2520lamont%2520hill%2520on%2520critical%2520race%2520theory%2520interview%2520with%2520women%2520prof%26form%3DSWAUA2

What’s going in the schools is something else….

From the numerous complaining parents on the news, we learned that apparently they separate the kids into groups… the dark-skinned ones over here!…. and the light-skinned ones with their white-privilege cards over there! “you guys are the oppressed, and the other guys are the bad ones, the oppressors”… and “the oppressors should be ashamed of their ancestors”

No wonder that countless parents, both black and white, have taken their kids out of such schools… schools that make small children lose their innocence and turn them into racists. No wonder that so many governors forbid CRT teaching in public schools.

mcfarm posted the link about that psychotic psychiatrist who wants to kill all white people she sees. I could see how people like her are being mass-produced in these CRT classes.

https://www.independentsentinel.com/lamont-hill-interviews-psychiatrist-who-says-whites-are-all-psychopaths/

I could also see young impressionable people coming out of CRT class and killing themselves, because they were taught to be ashamed of their race, and all the horrible things their race has done in the past.


By mcfarmer - June 21, 2021, 9:56 p.m.
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Mike, critical race theory shouldn't be a hot topic. It has been around and taught for decades without a peep from anyone. It is an established part of any historical curriculum. Everyone here learned about Jim Crow laws, that is CRT; Sundown laws, the list goes on.

It only now is hot because the leaders of the right need something  to wave in front of the base to keep them fired up. 

The big lie is slipping away, they are being seen as the party of “no“ once again. All the bad things they predicted have yet to occur, the market hasn’t crashed since Biden was elected like Trump said it would. They need something to raise the blood pressure of the easily goaded.

This is one classic experiment taught to all education majors:


https://exploringyourmind.com/blue-eyes-and-brown-eyes-the-jane-elliott-experiment/

By metmike - June 22, 2021, 2:33 a.m.
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Thanks mcfarmer,

I love and respect our teachers. They do a wonderful, dedicated and often tough job teaching our children. The ones teaching in inner cities have it the toughest. A teachers best friend is a kid that has 2 parents at home that understand the value of their child being educated and this is lacking in many inner city homes.

However, this story is pretty dang scary!

1.  A teacher would manipulate children in her classroom that way....... provoking them to become hostile to each other and to the point of hitting each other. As a parent, I would be pretty ticked off that she used my child as a guinea pick to trick them to hate other children.

2. What did she say later. Oh, just kidding kido's. What I told you last week was just made up to see if I could get you to be mean to each other?

3. And now an experiment from just 1 teacher and 1 set of kids is being used to teach  all children?

I'm very involved in 5 different schools as a chess coach as well as was the room dad for my sons growing up, so I feel pretty connected with what's going on in our classrooms.

As such and as a scientist, I read this story with jaw dropping shock.

An obviously biased teacher(admittedly an anti racist activist) doing 1 experiment to  get kids to be mean to each other to prove her point is, incredibly, somehow being seen as science and being used to teach about it at other schools?

As a scientist, I'm appalled that a principle in human behavioral science would use such a non scientific, flawed, biased, individual/singular experiment as the basis to teach and not use rock solid more powerful evidence that really should exist throughout society in many layers/realms if the principle is sound. 

As a parent, volunteer educator and human being, I'm appalled that children were unwittingly used in this manner.

We should expect our teachers to ALWAYS try to bring out the best in their students............not to conduct experiments on them to see if they can bring out the worst in them.

Is it ok, if later on the teacher explains "I only tricked you because of my experiment...... you can stop hating and being mean to Tommy and Billy and stop hitting June and Doreen now because the experiment is over!"



By TimNew - June 22, 2021, 4:53 a.m.
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CRT goes well beyond "Jim Crow laws".  It insists that the US system is inherently and intentionally racist,  which is total BS. Every argument accepted by supporters of CRT can be easily shredded by looking at the facts,  at how the system(s) actually work.  But of course, once you have accepted that the US is a completely racist society, facts no longer matter.

The reason that this debate has come to the forefront...      It's not some "manufactured bogeyman".  

A lot of students were in "remote classrooms" due to corona..    Many parents were overhearing the lessons being taught by the teachers and took offense at what they felt was indoctrination.  Teachers were actually starting to object to parents "listening in" calling it "disruptive".  Then the parents started showing up at school board meetings and the educators could not hide their dismay over this intrusion.  Imagine the audacity of parents thinking they should have a say in their childrens education.


Anyway,  I posted the Encyclopedia Britanica definition of CRT above.  I realize it's an obviously right wing biased source.   Taking that into account, their description goes far beyond "Jim Crow Laws"

By mcfarmer - June 22, 2021, 7:26 a.m.
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Mike, yes something like that would draw criticism today. It was the sixties, kids got beat in school then again at home. Different times for sure.

Our country has racist foundations, it was enshrined in the constitution. Times have changed, just like the example above, but to deny racism exists today is the ultimate in white privilege.

  Some kids still get beat and racist policies are still out there. The sixties aren’t ancient history, people haven’t miraculously morphed into some new species.

So folks have just started paying attention to education since the pandemic ? Nothing for over forty years ? Yeah, I don’t think so.


You all can have the last word, but I think most everything has been said.

By TimNew - June 22, 2021, 8:12 a.m.
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No one has denied that Racism exists, so that's a Strawman on your part.    I clearly said above that it does exist.

What I challenge is CRT's contention that it is a fundamental part of the US today.  CRT's ridiculous claim that race is a manufactured construct used to favor whites and oppress non-whites.  

A lot has happened since the 60's and this country is not where it was then.  But some seem to have a need to claim that we are still there.

By GunterK - June 22, 2021, 9:08 a.m.
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related reading...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9711437/Washington-Post-condemned-video-urging-Americans-set-white-accountability-groups.html

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9711147/Minnesota-girl-9-slams-school-board-BLM-posters-displayed-school.html


By metmike - June 22, 2021, 1:48 p.m.
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mcfarmer,

Yes, good point on the 1960's being MUCH different than 2021. 

A teacher that did that today would be fired and with just cause for child abuse.

It's so ironic though that it's being used  as a model for teaching today.


Ironic because of the group using it.

The same group that wants society to judge and condemn and defrock American political hero's for their past of owning slaves............when slave ownership was legal and accepted in mainstream society.

But such is the world of politics. People will pick and choose whatever favors their position/ideology and use double standards when applying it to the other side.

This is a general comment, not directed at you mcfarmer. 

You bring some really solid/relevant points here, as a valuable contributor that we need to read and I hope that it continues!

Thanks for that!

By mcfarm - June 23, 2021, 7:18 a.m.
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https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-loudoun-county-school-board-mulls-transgender-critical-race-theory-policies


And this is the result when you have an out of control school district pushing race hate. There are some that can say this has been around. We all knew. Nothing to see here move along. Sure get all those talking points out there but what is underneath. Wok school boards like this one having the audacity to forget just what they are supposed to be doing. Teaching reading, writing , math, and English. Not shaming little kids into thinking they are some kind of rejects because they happen to born a certain color. And then what happens, well the usual for the wok, they shut down all conversation, go home and make new plans on special face book pages. Parents have had it and good for them.

By metmike - June 23, 2021, 12:12 p.m.
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The divisiveness on this and other issues continues to grow. People are being lured to their favorite news sources to hear the news the way that they like to hear it and those sources intentionally provide a `1 sided view with THEIR side always right and the other side always wrong and often evil/dishonest.

Never 2 sides to any issues and the information is intentionally injecting emotions and feeling of outrage into viewers/readers.

The result is a riled up population of people in the US.

Look at the massive riots last Summer............inspired by the outrage over 1 incident that was magnified into people burning down buildings, looting, injuring/killing cops.......billions in damage..........and it accomplished nothing. This was caused in part by the politicians but more so the left biased media. They wanted this.

This all could have been prevented if the media handled it more responsibly........but they provoked the riots intentionally.

Then we had Trump and his cruds do the same thing about a made up election steal with his brainwashed flock after the election and we got the 1 day riot in the nations Capitol...............and tens of millions of republicans are still convinced that the election was stolen from Trump..........after the most secure election results in the last couple of decades.......proven dozens of times with the allegations of wrong doing..........shown to be the actual fraud NOT the election results.

Doesn't matter. People will believe what they want to believe............meaning things that line up with their cognitive bias controlled belief system. Authentic facts to them are only facts that support what they think that they know. They will defend it to the point of silliness and embarrassing themselves.

This could have totally been prevented if Trump just told the truth, not even concede but just not intentionally enrage his supporters.

So the point is, the gatekeepers of telling us information are INTENTIONALLY enraging people that support their side of the issue. Politicians and media almost entirely. It's now part of the strategy. Use the American people. Get your side riled up more than the other side is riled up for its causes..............and blame the other side for them being riled up(accuse them of doing the exact same thing that you are doing).

Those that see things objectively and calmly and  want a middle ground are having their voices  being totally drowned out because its the side screaming the loudest and acting with the most vigor that gets all the attention.

By TimNew - June 23, 2021, 1:07 p.m.
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Emotions get high when people consistently mischaracterize issues like CRT.  It is not the same old same old as some are fond of repeating, endlessly.  It did not exist until the 70's, and then as a legal industry concept. It has only been morphed into our schools over the last few years.  

It is based on the concept that racism is an integral part of US culture and institutions, as quite clearly stated in the Encyclopedia Britanica link I posted above.   Is that a forbidden source here as well?  

It is a destructive and misleading piece of propaganda, and parents, exposed to it over the last year due to remote schooling are very concerned.    

By metmike - June 23, 2021, 2:11 p.m.
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It's definitely much different than the past few decades and just part of society as a whole which is going thru the cultural revolution.

Old ideologies and people that represented them are being eliminated.....including history and historical figures being seen in a different (negative) light.

Government and economic/energy models, societal norms and so on  are being replaced. Say good bye to many monuments and statutes and street/school names and team mascot names. Say hello to the new progressive ideologies.

It's not just coming.............it's already well underway. There's no stopping it. There's no stopping carbon taxes coming up for instance, no matter how green the planet continues to get from the greenest energy source of all...........fossil fuels and the beneficial CO2 that has been redefined as pollution...........and people already believe it.

Enough people so that the agenda is now proceeding. The other side is resisting strongly, like with this issue for instance. In many cases, its a lost cause.

The Climate Accord is all about this. It will do almost nothing, natta, zero for the climate. The US is back in it and now the Cultural Revolution can accelerate its progress. 


Unless the republicans can resurrect 30 million dead people to stop it (-:

By GunterK - June 23, 2021, 2:34 p.m.
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"  Unless the republicans can resurrect 30 million dead people to stop it (-:"

Don't underestimate the 75 mill who wanted to stop all this in 2020

By TimNew - June 24, 2021, 4:47 a.m.
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6 percent of the population fought in the American revolution.  It was a relatively unpopular effort.

By metmike - June 24, 2021, 9:41 p.m.
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By GunterK - June 24, 2021, 10:16 p.m.
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thank you for this wonderful video... it's a keeper.

By metmike - June 25, 2021, 3:59 a.m.
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YW Gunter!


By TimNew - June 25, 2021, 4:35 a.m.
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You could see the fire was fake.  It never changed, same flame, same logs throughout the entire video.  So I bet everything in that video was fake,  so I didn't watch it.


Yes,  this is sarcasm.  But it's very similar to arguments I see all the time against this sort of information.

The people who really should watch this never will. 

But thanks for the video.  It's spot on