California, Washington | June 17, 2021
Why we can and should ban critical race theory from public schools
California, Washington | June 17, 2021
There is an effort underway in several Republican states to ban critical race theory from the public school system. Some conservatives have objected to this push, arguing that the precedent it sets could prove disastrous for the conservative movement later on. After all, aren’t we the ones who defend and depend on the free exchange of ideas? If we violate the neutral square in which this free exchange occurs, who’s to say conservative ideas won’t be banned next?
The problem with this argument is that the “neutral square” to which they’re referring, the public school system, is not neutral at all. It is a government-run, government-funded, and government-staffed system, which means the state is going to be thoroughly involved in its curriculum one way or the other. And it is: The state sets academic standards for students, requires attendance, and prescribes common class material that teachers are expected to stick to when teaching.
The question, then, is: What do you want the state teaching your children? One would hope it’s not critical race theory.
CRT, which has been around since the 1970s, has become a toxic and divisive doctrine that is infiltrating the corporate world and the classroom. CRT teaches that racism is present in every structure and system upon which America was built; that white people are and always will be inherently oppressive; and that discrimination in favor of minorities is therefore justified. In other words, CRT promotes a kind of rank racialism that demonizes entire racial groups. By insisting that race is determinative of character, it would destroy any real progress we’ve made over the past several decades.
Here are a few examples of CRT at work: In Seattle, white teachers were told they were guilty of “spirit murdering” black children and that they must “bankrupt their privilege in acknowledgment of their thieved inheritance.” In Cupertino, California, third-graders were instructed to list their racial identities and rank themselves according to “power and privilege.” And in Buffalo, New York, students were taught that “all white people” perpetuate systemic racism, and kindergarteners were required to watch a video of dead black children that warned them about “racist police” who might kill them at any time….
(Excerpts from the Washington Examiner)