August 2021
Whether it’s using a shovel or a diploma, there’s honor in feeding a family through honest work. Today, plumbers, electricians and machinists earn as much as many people with bachelor’s degrees. Fittingly, society better recognizes the contributions of first responders and those in uniform. Those who work as farmers, hairstylists, restaurant and retail workers, small-business operators and more also need to be recognized for fueling our economy.
So when did education become a bad thing?
Today critical race theory is a hot topic. CRT is an obscure legal theory that, like most academic concepts, resided in the ivy-covered halls of those pursuing post-graduate degrees. Since I’m not a race theorist, let’s examine the debate from four perspectives.
Everybody’s talking about Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism, this-ism, that-ism, Ism ism ism. (John Lennon, ‘Give Peace a Chance’)
One: It is highly doubtful and there’s no evidence that CRT is being taught in communities like Scribner, Mitchell or Omaha. However, it’s equally clear that the modern GOP is using the issue strategically to rile up its shrinking voting base.
Predictably, the progressive left is working to discredit Republican CRT saber-rattling. For the rest of us, CRT is just the latest wedge issue ginned up to separate voting blocs.
Everybody’s talkin’ ’bout ministers, sinisters, banisters and canisters, bishops and fishops, rabbis and pop eyes, bye-byes.
Two: Clearly, CRT is touching a sensitive nerve. Since it’s highly unlikely, and in fact has yet to be demonstrated, that this theory is a widespread thing, perhaps the more important question is, what is it about this issue that has folks so riled up?
In the past, we focused societal fear on the Russians, Chinese and terrorists. On the eve of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the last time Americans came together in shared national grief, the Cold War specters of the past are mostly gone. The new partisan-invoked threat is each other, or so some need us to believe.
Between social media, cable “news,” the Great Lie, a pandemic and hyperpartisanship, anxiety is intentionally being ratcheted up. As anxiety goes up, trust goes down, and Americans become increasingly isolated.
No one wants to be called a racist. And most are not. The far left needs to drop this divisive narrative.
Ev’rybody’s talking ’bout John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Bobby Dylan, Tommy Cooper, Derek Taylor, Hare Krishna.
Three: I am empathetic to the concern that some students may be taught a Howard Zinn-like approach to American history. Writing about citizenship, Andrew Oldenquist posits that students must first be taught love of country.
This makes sense to me. In fact, I teach it.
Americans have always been pretty good about eventually looking under the rug. No doubt we need to engage the agony and the ecstasy of our nation’s 400-year history. And like all the men and women who have made up this nation since its birth, our history is complex, frequently painful, but often extraordinary. It is a nation composed of mere mortals who aspired to create a “city on the hill,” yet indubitably fell short of perfection. While no one can change the past, we should acknowledge it and then learn from history. That is the proper role of education.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Four: Throughout American history, various groups have, at various times, moved from the societal periphery to viewing themselves as ensconced citizens and demanding the full rights that come with that. This idea oversimplifies 400 years of American racial history, but I suspect that, sociologically, we are seeing Black Americans pushing that just demand to a higher level.
Understandably, as groups stake their claim in the American dream, they want their journey, hardships and celebrations to be fully acknowledged. We see this among The Sons of Italy, The Knights of Columbus, or via the display of Irish flags on March 17, Polish flags during The Feast of St. Stanislaus Day or Mexican flags on Cinco de Mayo. It’s what Americans do.
Ev’rybody’s talking about revolution, evolution, flagellation, regulation, integrations, meditations, United Nations … Congratulations.
Today, an effort is being made to achieve clarity of the innumerable contributions, and suffering, that generations of African Americans have made. While some want to demonize CRT, I suspect what we are actually seeing are Americans working out the language by which we can discuss race in a meaningful way. And then figure out how to scoot over a bit to assure that everyone gets an honored seat at the table of the American dream. Most have demonstrated a willingness to stand up so that others can finally sit down.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
Kris Thompson - It is doubtful that people are concerned about an obscure academic theory. We need to look beyond the pages of the World-Herald to better understand what the issues are; for example, to "Critical Race Theory: An Introduction" by Delgado and Stefancic.
ReplyDeleteAs far as CRT and education, the issue is not so much that CRT is being taught, but that educators have become CRT practitioners, as noted by Delgado and Stefancic.
"Today, many in the field of education consider themselves critical race theorists who use CRT’s ideas to understand issues of school discipline and hierarchy, tracking, controversies over curriculum and history, and IQ and achievement testing...Unlike some academic disciplines, critical race theory contains an activist dimension. It not only tries to understand our social situation, but to change it"
GerardHarbison - This quote is heavily edited and out of context. It's clearly referring to scholars in the field of education, not K-12 teachers. Here's the unedited quote (I doubt Kris has ever read the book)
"Although CRT began as a movement in the law, it has rapidly spread beyond that discipline. Today, many scholars in the field of education consider themselves critical race theorists who use CRT’s ideas to understand issues of school discipline and hierarchy, tracking, affirmative action, high-stakes testing, controversies over curriculum and history, bilingual and multicultural education, and alternative and charter schools. (See, e.g., Foundations of Critical Race Theory in Education [Edward Taylor, David Gillborn & Gloria Ladson-Billings eds., 2d ed. 2015].) They discuss the rise of biological racism in educational theory and practice and urge attention to the resegregation of American schools. Some question the Anglocentric curriculum and charge that many educators apply a “deficit theory” approach to schooling for minority kids.
Political scientists ponder voting strategies coined by critical race theorists, while women’s studies professors teach about intersectionality—the predicament of women of color and others who sit at the intersection of two or more categories. Ethnic studies courses often include a unit on critical race theory, and American studies departments teach material on critical white studies developed by CRT writers. Sociologists, theologians, and health care specialists use critical theory and its ideas. Philosophers incorporate critical race ideas in analyzing issues such as viewpoint discrimination and whether Western philosophy is inherently white in its orientation, values, and method of reasoning.
Unlike some academic disciplines, critical race theory contains an activist dimension. It tries not only to understand our social situation but to change it, setting out not only to ascertain how society organizes itself along racial lines and hierarchies but to transform it for the better."
K Thompson - I have read most of the book. I double-checked, and my quote is accurate. The only text I omitted with the ellipsis was this: "Political scientists ponder voting strategies coined by critical race theorists. Ethnic studies courses often include a unit on critical race theory, and American studies departments teach material on critical white studies developed by CRT writers."
ReplyDeleteThe discrepancy probably comes from which edition you are using. Mine comes from the first edition because I located a PDF version of it online.
The larger point remains: the issue is not that CRT is being taught in schools, but that its views are impacting school teaching, including K-12.
GerardHarbison - "Writing about citizenship, Andrew Oldenquist posits that students must first be taught love of country."
No other country seems to find it necessary to teach 'love of country'. People whose country treats them with a reasonable degree of decency just acquire a love for the people and things they know. Then again, no other country feels the need to play their national anthem before every single freaking sporting even either. Most have no equivalent of the Pledge of Allegiance. Why is American patriotism so weak?
These are things about the United States of America I frankly do not love. Real patriotiism does not require indoctrination.
northo(JIM MCCARTHY) - Didn't Galusha run Homer's? Curious how he transitioned from that to be a community pontificator. [ED: This made me laugh outloud. Tis good to be remembered albeit 20 years ago.]