Facebook Follies of Friends and Families

[The Minsky Moment]

They both look like strawmen to me.

[Valmy]

Is that what critical race theory is? Little kids are actually time travelers who created systems that existed centuries ago? I tell you some of the wacky pseudo-science that gets popular these days.

[DGuller]

They both look like strawmen to me.

When was the last time you visited an optometrist?

[The Minsky Moment]

Is that what critical race theory is?

It is virtually the opposite of what is being ascribed.

[Barrister]

Is that what critical race theory is?

It is virtually the opposite of what is being ascribed.

Okay, so there's the academic theory of Critical Race Theory.  It posits (gross simplification incoming) that various systems can produce racist results, even without anyone intending to be racist.  It has some useful observations for sure (though often falls down in suggesting any remedies).

But then we have the wider umbrella of anti-racism training, diversity instructors, social media activists and the like.  In some of those the idea that white people (or 'whiteness') are responsible for the legacy of slavery is not uncommon.

Various conservative activists are absolutely straw-manning the term "Critical Race Theory".  But that's not to say there isn't some merit to some of their objections about, say, what kids are being taught in school about race.

[crazy canuck]

What is it you think kids are being taught in school.

[Berkut]

Is that what critical race theory is?

It is virtually the opposite of what is being ascribed.

Okay, so there's the academic theory of Critical Race Theory.  It posits (gross simplification incoming) that various systems can produce racist results, even without anyone intending to be racist.

Rather it shows that given a lot of overt racism previously, simply removing the active attempts to perpetuate that racism does not address the remaining effects, and that systems that are not on their surface racist, can in fact have outcomes that are very derminatenal on racial lines given the previous systems constructs that WERE informed by racism.

I don't even understand why this is considered complicated or academic. I am not surprised that it isn't obvious though - the examples of systemic racism I've seen were often quite surprising to me.

It has some useful observations for sure (though often falls down in suggesting any remedies).

It is an academic framework for understanding data and social systems. It does not "fall down" for not suggesting remedies, just like the theory of gravity doesn't "fall down" for not suggesting a remedy to that annoying problem of humans going SPLAT when they jump off a tall building beyond "stop doing that".

[Berkut]

If anyone would like to see a freaking *perfect* example of systemic racism and what critical race theory is talking about, listen to Malcolm Gladwell's podcasts on how fucked up the US News college rankings are....

[Zoupa]

What is it you think kids are being taught in school.

I'm curious as well. I don't have kids so I have no idea.

[Syt]

[Valmy]

They seem awfully obsessed with not feeling bad about slavery.

[alfred russel]

They seem awfully obsessed with not feeling bad about slavery.

Didn't they just immigrate from Germany? Maybe white people in Germany have committed their own racial crimes, not an expert in German history and will have to check the tapes on that one, but they probably don't have much reason to feel the collective guilt of american slavery is on them.

[Valmy]

They seem awfully obsessed with not feeling bad about slavery.

Didn't they just immigrate from Germany? Maybe white people in Germany have committed their own racial crimes, not an expert in German history and will have to check the tapes on that one, but they probably don't have much reason to feel the collective guilt of american slavery is on them.

Yeah I don't get that either. One would think Euro Immigrants could feel smug about that part...I mean ones from central and eastern Europe anyway.

[Tonitrus]

It's kind of another version of the "All Live Matter!" idea.  In that, while being right/true...the reason behind a person making the point is in bad faith or comes from a bad motivation (that being usually to diminish or dismiss someone's legitimate grievance).

[Admiral Yi]

I think All Lives Matter started out as a good faith effort at solidarity and was immediately blacklisted, and then became a marker of bad faith.