Critical Race Theory Questoned

For John, BLUF:  Why is this of interest, why it is of importance, at least here in Lowell, is the question of if our new School District program, "Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices" is a form of Critical Race Theory.  So what is Critical Race Theory (CRT)?  This is about one view.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

---

What critical race theory is really about

From The New York Post, by Investigative Journalist Christopher F. Rufo, 6 May 2021, 7:25pm.

Here is the lede plus two:

Critical race theory is fast becoming America’s new institutional orthodoxy.  Yet most Americans have never heard of it — and of those who have, many don’t understand it.  This must change. We need to know what it is so we can know how to fight it.

To explain critical race theory, it helps to begin with a brief history of Marxism.

Originally, the Marxist left built its political program on the theory of class conflict.  Karl Marx believed that the primary characteristic of industrial societies was the imbalance of power between capitalists and workers.  The solution to that imbalance, according to Marx, was revolution:  The workers would eventually gain consciousness of their plight, seize the means of production, overthrow the capitalist class and usher in a new socialist society.

It didn't happen that way.  What resulted was, generally, misery.  Over 100 million died as a result of really smart people trying to overcome economics and stear nations toward controlled economies.

This article is by Investigative Journalist Christopher F. Rufo, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.  It was adapted by The New York Post with permission of City Journal.

In summary,

No longer simply an academic matter, critical race theory has become a tool of political power.  To borrow a phrase from the Marxist theoretician Antonio Gramsci, it is fast achieving cultural hegemony in America’s public institutions.

Part of the issue is how one understands "equity".  We tend to think of it in legal and financial terms.  However, the Critical Race Theoriests have a different understanding.  Since the Marxist class based approach didn't work, CRT would offer a different, more obvious classification, with enforcement:

An equity-based form of government would mean the end not only of private property but also of individual rights, equality under the law, federalism and freedom of speech.  These would be replaced by race-based redistribution of wealth, group-based rights, active discrimination and omnipotent bureaucratic authority.

On the one hand, we should all wish that everyone gets their fair share.  On the other hand, it has been American tradition that one earns what one gets.  And to an ever-expanding degree, the number of people with a fair share of the pie has been expanding.  As it should be.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff