The Need for a Calm, Objective Discussion about Critical Race Theory
The video went viral: The man hates Critical Race Theory (CRT), but when the interviewer asks him to define CRT, the MAGA supporter is gobsmacked: “Well, I’m not going to get into it because I don’t understand it that much,” he replies sheepishly.
And who does understand it? Very few of us, I’d venture to say, have really delved into this topic that has sharply divided our nation. The political right—commandeered by Trumpism—vilifies CRT as anti-American Marxism. The left either dismisses CRT as an exaggerated threat or stalwartly embraces it as the roadmap to a truly just and equitable society. But few from either side really know much about it.
Nor am I qualified to expound as being anything close to an expert on the theory. But I have read and heard enough to know that at the root of CRT is the undeniable racism that is autochthonous in the founding of this nation. To deny or dismiss our historical enslavement of one race and the plundering of another race in the despicably selfish pursuit of “manifest destiny” is to reject manifest reality. For that reason alone, CRT is worth consideration.
In the heated rhetoric that dominates the debate, neither side seems willing to concede even a jot or tittle.
No Acceptable Starting Point
But because most on the right tend to view virtually every topic from a binary perspective, Marxist CRT must be opposed, they fulminate. And more than merely opposed, obliterated without any deliberation. CRT is, in Trumpism’s black-and-white way of thinking, utterly meritless, lacking any redeeming qualities, and wholly evil. If allowed to survive—Trumpists seem to genuinely believe—it will spread and infect our entire culture, destroying the very underpinnings of our republic.
The right is correct in claiming that CRT not only condemns racism as being endemic in our nation’s formation, but also that the theory similarly judges us for the perpetuation of systemic racism right up to our present culture. Indeed it does. That notion about CRT’s assertion is not in dispute. The pertinent question to be answered is whether the theory is correct in its assertions. Is America built upon racism? Do fundamental elements of racism still pervade our culture’s institutions? Those on the right reflexively say no. Those on the left instinctively say yes. Few from either side are willing to civilly engage with the other side in an objective discussion of the matter. The two sides are too far apart to even begin a calm, rational, and meaningful discussion on the matter.
Face Up to Fundamental Facts
Yet a calm, rational, and meaningful discussion of the topic is exactly what we need. We need a composed conversation in which the right will finally face up to and openly admit that the USA—for all its merits—also has some deep-rooted historical flaws and persistent racial inequities. Similarly, in that composed conversation, the left needs to acknowledge that the CRT movement does indeed have undeniable ties to Marxism.
But in the heated rhetoric that dominates the debate, neither side seems willing to concede even a jot or tittle. The right wants to expel CRT as far as the east is from the west, while the left wants to utterly dismiss the right’s concerns about CRT—including its indisputable Marxist roots. Compromise is called for, but instead, those on the right would intractably forfeit the vital lessons the nation could learn from acknowledging and examining the darker side of our past. Meanwhile, those on the left stubbornly ignore the right’s legitimate concerns about CRT’s radical roots and potential perils.
How should we approach this torrid topic? Our starting point must be education. Rather than taking an impassioned stance based on hearsay—as did the man in that YouTube video mentioned above—we need to address the issue based on genuine knowledge. We need to recapture and repurpose some of our time devoted to leisure and use it for self-education. Studying Critical Race Theory will require a considerable time investment. But for the good of the nation, the investment is crucial.
Learn. Choose truth. Respect your opponent. Make America honest again … or for the first time.