Is this a Valid Definition of Critical Race Theory?

[Geoist]

I find reparations and affirmative action particularly offensive because they punish people merely based on their race

I don't really believe in race-based programs for a variety of reasons and I think those oppressed communities can be helped in ways that don't directly target race.

 

[upsideguy]

She's very well educated and wants to bring us back together. Interesting that people who know absolutely nothing about Dr. Borisenko, who doesn't see life through the racial lens, are doing their usual divisive Trump schtick.

About — Dr. Karlyn Borysenko

www.drkarlyn.com

No, Trump did the divisive Trump schtick. I never saw a US president go so out of the way to serve only his base. He was almost vindictive to people who did not support him (including people that did, but lived in states whose electoral votes did not go his way.) So spare us this innocent poor, misunderstood Trump. It is not only stale, its a false narrative.

BTW. Being well educated it great. It doesn't make you right, it just makes you well educated. The words of well educated people do get my attention, but there are a lot of well educated wack-a-doos out there as well.

Once again, a YouTube Source I find of interest bringing up a topic of valid discussion.

This young psychologist (and member of a knitting society, who knew that was political?) has put forward an interesting definition of Critical Race Theory.

I post the video, but will also post the Definition below it for discussion purposes:



Here is her definition:

"1. Critical Race Theory is an Ideology started in academia in the 1970's that says racism exists everywhere - in every person and system - and the job of the critical theorist is to assess HOW (not if) racism occurred in any circumstance. Racism is always ASSUMED to have occurred.

2. Another way to think of critical race theory is this: it's the opposite of what Martin Luther King preached. It is the idea that we should judge people on the basis of their race, that race is the only thing that matters about them, not the content of their character."

She goes on to explain how this is problematic as if one starts with a conclusion that racism has occurred and one work's their way back from that initial conclusion, that is confirmation bias in action. You'll only look for information that supports your conclusion.

Worse, you will dismiss any information that does not conform to your expectations. You will look until you find something that confirms your expectations, and disparage anyone who does not agree/conform with the conclusion.

The poll question is:

Do you agree with this definition, and analysis:

Yes.

No.

Other, explain.

No, its a definition for those that want to whitewash the problem. It is actually rather dismissive on her part either overtly because she doesn't want to talk about it or implicitly because she really doesn't grasp the issue.

CRT tells us that racism is systematic (structural).... not in every person. There is no presumption that racism occurs in every circumstance, just an acknowledgement that society has stacked the deck against those that are not WASP. That is a big difference from what she is saying here.

This is from a wiki article on the subject that I believe is far more spot on: "....Critical race theory is loosely unified by two common themes: first, that white supremacy, with its societal or structural racism, exists and maintains power through the law;[6] and second, that transforming the relationship between law and racial power, and also achieving racial emancipation and anti-subordination more broadly, is possible.[7]..."

People that do not see the systematic nature of racism are either dismissive or don't grasp the issue.

 

[Geoist]

Wrong. She hit the nail on the head. The member was engaging in an ad hominem attack on the source of the video, and made no attempt to engage in a debate on the subject being presented.

Your OP was deceptive on who this YouTuber was. You pretended like she was some apolitical psychologist who likes to knit (how sweet!) In reality, she's a diehard Trumper.

 

[Geoist]

The member was engaging in an ad hominem attack on the source of the video

Ah yes, stating the typical stereotypes of a liberal don't apply to this woman is an 'ad hominem' attack. Jesus Christ, spare me the concern trolling.

 

[Captain Adverse]

No, its a definition for those that want to whitewash the problem. It is actually rather dismissive on her part either overtly because she doesn't want to talk about it or implicitly because she really doesn't grasp the issue.

CRT tells us that racism is systematic.... not in every person. There is no presumption that racism occurs in every circumstance, just an acknowledgement that society has stacked the deck against those that are not WASP. That is a big difference from what she is saying here.

People that do not see the systematic nature of racism are either dismissive or don't grasp the issue.

I simply do not agree with a word you have just said.

1. I do not agree that racism is everywhere, nor that it is systemic.

2. I think people like yourself are conflating cultural differences with "systemic racism." If I emigrate to another country, I am bound to deal with a new culture, language, culture shock, etc.. But if I want to fit in with that new place it behooves me to adapt to their culture. NOT demand they adapt to mine. I make this point because our nation, regardless of it's current make-up, IS based on "western" cultural norms and expectations. It is those ideas, ideals, and social backgrounds that created our system and society.

3. Recognizing the above, I also recognize that my group many of whom were brought here unwillingly are now for better or worse "American." Those of us who have adapted to the norms succeed. Those of us, as will happen anywhere else in the world, who don't adapt...don't succeed. It is not "racism." It is culture.

4. Moreover, this culture HAS changed. It is no longer "slave-holding." It is no longer "Jim Crow" flawed. There is no reason why Black American's can't prosper here. The fact is that we DO!

5. I consider CRT a virus designed to destroy our society, turn it into warring racial groups.

I can understand white guilt. But I think that looking to the past and refusing to accept the present are the real problems.

Here's a little video for you:

 

[upsideguy]

She's very well educated and wants to bring us back together. Interesting that people who know absolutely nothing about Dr. Borisenko, who doesn't see life through the racial lens, are doing their usual divisive Trump schtick.

About — Dr. Karlyn Borysenko

www.drkarlyn.com

... timed out of my previous post....

She is well educated, in general. She has a PhD in psychology. Unfortunately, she wants us to respect her expertise on a matter that is much closer to sociology, political science, history or maybe even the law, not psychology. Hence, her "well educated" credentials really do not apply. There is no evidence that she actually understands the subject matter upon which she wants us to listen. In this particular matter, there is no evidence she has any expertise whatsoever. Her credentials are very much questionable.

There is also ZERO evidence that she "wants to bring us back together".... I think there is much more evidence she wants to whitewash the issue with obfuscation.

Why are we even listening to what she has to say?

 

[Geoist]

1. I do not agree that racism is everywhere, nor that it is systemic.

Two questions for you:

1. Did systemic racism ever exist?
2. If it existed, when exactly did it end?

 

[Geoist]

Why are we even listening to what she has to say?

Because conservatives are so desperate to have their own 'experts' they cream themselves anytime anyone with a degree above a bachelors makes their arguments.

 

[Individual]

Is CRT supposed to help reduce school shootings?

 

[Yakshi]

They should go back to complaining about Mr. Potato Head; at least there, they could understand what they were upset about.

You think so? I'm on the fence. I think they might be funnier when they're angry and don't know why.

Post's post about Tucker and Fox News jackhammering their brains into dog food by repeating the term CRT over a thousand times since the insurrection might explain why they're furious over CRT, which they can't explain, but not the insurrection, which they can't recognize.

I don't know, that's pretty funny.

 

[post]

Is CRT supposed to help reduce school shootings?

No more than any other distracting, divisive white identity politics hissy fit.

"Grass roots issue" or RWE billionaires Murdoch and Koch political distraction manipulation? Eliminate taxes on the wealthiest, run up the national debt, convince the rubes to resent the least wealthy and powerful while the RWE oligarchs destroy the future of the rubes' grandchildren, drowning them in tuition and national debt.... rinse, repeat!

Critical race theory and Trump's executive order on diversity ...​

https://www.vox.com › critical-race-theory-diversity-tra...
Sep 24, 2020 — Trump has attacked diversity training, critical race theory, the 1619 project, and anything that reckons with America's racist past.

Donate to The Lincoln Project - Lincoln Project​

https://action.lincolnproject.us › donate_em060721 › ut...
Who is the real Antifa? We've always stood up to authoritarianism. ... Heroes stood up to fascism in World War II. Now we have to stand up to Trump and his ...

Few complaints on 'critical race theory' in Ohio | The Courier ...​

https://thecourier.com › news › few-complaints-on-criti...
Jun 7, 2021 — Few complaints on 'critical race theory' in Ohio ... groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and The Heritage Foundation ...

 

[Yakshi]

If Fox News complained about trees being too tall 1300 times over 3 1/2 months, Trump supporters would spend their days screaming at telephone poles.

 

[skeptic llc]

I refuse to watch a video about or otherwise engage in discussion of CRT because I wish to prevent my brain from turning into pudding. Been there, done that, it was dumb.

 

[Individual]

No more than any other distracting, divisive white identity politics hissy fit.

"Grass roots issue" or RWE billionaires Murdoch and Koch political distraction manipulation? Eliminate taxes on the wealthiest, run up the national debt, convince the rubes to resent the least wealthy and powerful while the RWE oligarchs destroy the future of the rubes' grandchildren, drowning them in tuition and national debt.... rinse, repeat!

Critical race theory and Trump's executive order on diversity ...​

https://www.vox.com › critical-race-theory-diversity-tra...
Sep 24, 2020 — Trump has attacked diversity training, critical race theory, the 1619 project, and anything that reckons with America's racist past.

Donate to The Lincoln Project - Lincoln Project​

https://action.lincolnproject.us › donate_em060721 › ut...
Who is the real Antifa? We've always stood up to authoritarianism. ... Heroes stood up to fascism in World War II. Now we have to stand up to Trump and his ...

Few complaints on 'critical race theory' in Ohio | The Courier ...​

https://thecourier.com › news › few-complaints-on-criti...
Jun 7, 2021 — Few complaints on 'critical race theory' in Ohio ... groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and The Heritage Foundation ...

Sorry for causing you to have a hissy fit.

 

[HK.227]

racism exists everywhere - in every person and system

I agree with that part.

Sexism also exists in every person and every system.
Ageism also exists in every persona nd every system.
Politicizing also exists in every person and every system.
Every -ism exists in every person and every system, because in the absence of omniscience all -isms are an inevitable result of generalizations, which are unfortunately also a prerequisite for abstract thought and sapience as we know it.

Being aware that this is the case is not a cause for despair, rather it's a tool that can help us control the unhealthy aspects of those -isms.
Doing so on a basic level is how societies developed manners, and associated them with being sophisticated and cultured, and as a useful extension thereof, with having high value as an individual.

It also shouldn't be necessary to mention that it requires honesty and good faith to implement the above in a productive manner, but I am going to do it anyway.

 

[cpwill]

Everyone, don't be fooled by the fact she's a psychologist and looks like a butch lesbian. Karlyn Borysenko is a diehard Trumper so we all know her perspective on CRT is going to be far from nuanced.

I like this because of the way it assumes "tribal membership" means "truth".

Hey everyone! I know you may be tempted to listen to her because she's got markers that suggest membership in Our Tribe, but, don't be fooled! She's actually a sneaky Other Triber!

 

[ALiberalModerate]

Everything Conservatives don't like ends up being a tied to a communist plot - according to them. It gets old. Critical Race Theory is a narrative. The 1619 project is a narrative. Ultimately they are both simply points of view. Narratives typically are based in a truth. For example, everyone has biases. Biases are part of the human condition, we are all afflicted with them. We can never fully eliminate our personal biases, but we should be cognizant of them so that we can, as much as possible, keep those biases from influencing our actions and how we interact with others. In that regard, Critical Race Theory is completely correct.

Where it goes wrong is when it's taken to the extreme as an orthodoxy that seeks to explain everything in society because in doing so, it ignores the fact that we all have individual agency. In that regard, Critical Race Theory is no different than any of the other orthodoxies various groups tend to cling to. For example, in Critical Race Theory, the overarching orthodox narrative is that racism is at the root of all human interactions and government policies, which of course is nonsense. Similarly, in popular right wing mythology, the overarching orthodox narrative is that anything they don't like is ultimately a marxist plot or ideology, which of course is nonsense as well.

 

[Geoist]

I like this because of the way it assumes "tribal membership" means "truth".

Hey everyone! I know you may be tempted to listen to her because she's got markers that suggest membership in Our Tribe, but, don't be fooled! She's actually a sneaky Other Triber!

Actually, many of the YouTubers I watch/listen to look like members of 'the other tribe' (e.g. Beau and Vaush).

But yeah, I drew attention to people's preconceived political biases. The right LOVES to complain about identity politics, but I see far more identity politics coming from them than anyone on the left. Just yesterday, Grim posted a video of a black man complaining about CRT. It's clear CA is attempting to do the same. The schtick gets old.

 

[post]

Everything Conservatives don't like ends up being a tied to a communist plot - according to them. It gets old. Critical Race Theory is a narrative. The 1619 project is a narrative. Ultimately they are both simply points of view. Narratives typically are based in a truth. For example, everyone has biases. Biases are part of the human condition, we are all afflicted with them. We can never fully eliminate our
-snip-

In contemporary America, antifa should be antiwip,

White Identity Politics, acting out its feelings of insecurity despite being on "third base," never for a moment contemplating what
being marooned in a "run down" between home plate and first base must feel like.

Opinion | Exit Polls Point to the Power of White Patriarchy (Published 2020)

Some people who have historically been oppressed will stand with their oppressors.

www.nytimes.com

Exit Polls Point to the Power of White Patriarchy
Some people who have historically been oppressed will stand with their oppressors.
Nov. 4, 2020
"By Charles M. Blow
Opinion Columnist
It is obscene that the presidential race is too close to call at .. Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. EST.

After all that Donald Trump has done, all the misery he has caused, all the racism he has aroused, all the immigrant families he has destroyed, all the people who have left this life because of his mismanagement of a pandemic, still roughly half of the country voted to extend this horror show.

Let me be specific and explicit here: White people — both men and women — were the only group in which a majority voted for Trump, according to exit polls. To be exact, nearly three out of every five white voters in America are Trump voters. It is so unsettling to consider that many ..are either racists or accommodate racists or acquiesce to racists..."

13 percent of the U.S. population, 65 of such positions would be just about par, but there are three, none of them are women.

The sole representation of these women, IOW, "in a seat at the table..." Vice President Kamala Harris.

Alpha Kappa Alpha - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"...The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen students led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African-American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.

The sorority is one of the nation's largest Greek-letter organizations consisting of college-educated women of many diverse backgrounds from around the world, it serves through a membership of more than 300,000 women in 1,024 chapters .."

Merck’s Ken Frazier, One Of Four Black Fortune 500 CEOs, Will Retire In June

Frazier will be succeeded by current CFO Robert Davis.

www.forbes.com

Feb 4, 2021 "Topline. Pharma giant Merck said on Thursday that Kenneth C. Frazier will retire as its CEO, reducing the number of Black chief executives of Fortune 500 companies to just three. WASHINGTON, DC ..."

Are white American males hurting more than contributing, since mid April, 1865, and everyone else, the antitdote?

No, for goodness sakes there are plenty of white males who have a heart and give a damn about other people. What an idiotic poll.

Opinion | ‘Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil’ (Published 2020)

For Trump, the truth about patriarchal white supremacy defiles the American heroes who practiced it.

www.nytimes.com

‘Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil’
For Trump, the truth about patriarchal white supremacy defiles the American heroes who practiced it.
July 5, 2020
By Charles M. Blow
"Opinion Columnist

As Donald Trump gave his race-baiting speeches .., hoping to rile his base and jump-start his flagging campaign for re-election, ...
In the video, a student named Julian von Abele exclaims, “We built the modern world!” When someone asks who, he responds, “Europeans.” Von Abele goes on:

“We invented science and industry, and you want to tell us to stop because oh my God, we’re so baaad. We invented the modern world. We saved billions of people from starvation. We built modern civilization. White people are the best thing that ever happened to the world. We are so amazing! I love myself! And I love white people!” He concludes: “I don’t hate other people. I just love white men.”

Von Abele later apologized for “going over the top,” saying, “I emphasize that my reaction was not one of hate” and arguing that his remarks were taken “out of context.” But the sentiments like the one this young man expressed — that white men must be venerated, regardless of their sins, in spite of their sins, because they used maps, Bibles and guns to change the world, and thereby lifted it and saved it — aren’t limited to one college student’s regrettable video. They are at the root of patriarchal white supremacist ideology..."

 

[MrWonka]

Do you agree with this definition, and analysis:

No. CRT simply acknowledges the reality that for all of American History white Christian men have overwhelmingly controlled every institution of power and they still do. The result is a natural bias in favor of white Christian men in almost all arenas of life in America.
The second aspect of it is acknowledging the reality that while we have certainly improved and limited direct racism in our society, historical racism has a lasting impact on the modern-day, and implicit racism prevents us from correcting that.

It's like the game Monopoly. As the game progresses certain people acquire more wealth and property than others. They have the ability to use that wealth and property to leverage even more wealth and power. If you're black, your ancestors weren't allowed to play this game from the start. In fact, they were property on the board that was being bought and sold. By the time black people finally gained their freedom all the property on the board was already owned by white people. They had the "freedom" to move about the board, but it is virtually impossible for them to make it around the board without ending up bankrupt no matter how good they might be at playing it.

 

[mrjurrs]

Wrong. She hit the nail on the head. The member was engaging in an ad hominem attack on the source of the video, and made no attempt to engage in a debate on the subject being presented.

THAT was his sole point and effort.

That is also a typical response from your side of the argument. Deflect, diminish, attack, use whatever tool available in the arsenal of moral panic to demonize and by doing so think to win the point.

Critical Theory came out of the Frankfurt School of communist/socialist ideology. It is designed to sow division and dissension in society, to isolate and create battling groups.

CRT is a part of that school of thought, and it creates racism, it does not stop it or address it.

This is the problem I see. This is the problem I oppose.

Ding ding ding! Another winner in the 'I don't know what CRT is but it's bad!' contest.

Looking forward to your source on how CRT creates racism.

 

[Jason Warfield]

CRT has evolved a little over the years but it remains fairly simple; an honest accounting of racism in history, particularly in the US with honest and frank discussions as to why these things happen now and in the past.

It is not an easy discussion for whites. It challenges us because we often don’t look good historically on this subject. It also means a more honest look at figures in history and we come the conclusion that…gasp…they weren’t saints! So, for whites to hear a more realistic history than the one we are taught in first grade is often jarring.

The other uncomfortable part of CRT is that prompts discussions of race and racism of today. And this where the Republican Socialists get all worked up. They are either true racists and just want people to just shut up and accept “their place”. Or they can’t deal with the idea that perhaps they aren’t the top of the heap simply through superiority of race. Or that there is actually anything wrong and are for some reason consumed with “white guilt” they don’t want to admit.

So, folks like Tucker and Trump and his Republican Socialist Party have taken what is…to be perfectly honest…a fairly benign way to learn how to a better person by understanding historical racism and how it affects us today…and turn it into the latest scourge of the white man…

And no; I don’t suffer from white guilt. I don’t know if such a person exists in my family tree, but if there are slave owners or KKK members in my family history…then that was on them. I know better as a result of understanding that it happened, why it happened…which leads me to try my best to not do it myself and be a better person for it.

That is all that CRT does; simple but important.

 

[Lutherf]

Critical Race Theory would more properly be called "The Grand Unified Theory of Cultural Failure".

Since the beginning of time man has looked for grand theories that explain everything. We all want that cosmic bumper sticker that perfectly explains everything we must know in this world. CRT has become that bumper sticker for the "woke".

The fundamental premise is "Your failure is not your fault but, rather, due to the systemic roadblocks intentionally put before you by white people". The fact that your presentation in ebonics at the board meeting was only a failure because you're black. The fact that everyone also disapproved of the cracker moron from accounting that spoke hillbilly and constantly dropped f-bombs is immaterial because everything is really about race. The racial chip on your shoulder is viewed negatively because society is pre-programmed by honkeys to hate you. The academic chip on the multi-degreed Walmart shelf stocker isn't part of the equation.

The other thing that CRT requires, and it's based on the first thing, is that society change to accommodate you. The idea that you should change to accommodate society is simply one of those racist constructs intended to keep you down. The only way we can overcome racism, according to CRT, is to destroy society as it is and rebuild it in ways that outcomes are guaranteed and not based on the inherent racism of white society. We call that "equity" and opposition to that concept is proof of racism.

 

[cpwill]

Actually, many of the YouTubers I watch/listen to look like members of 'the other tribe'

that.... actually reinforces the point I was making....

But yeah, I drew attention to people's preconceived political biases. The right LOVES to complain about identity politics, but I see far more identity politics coming from them than anyone on the left. Just yesterday, Grim posted a video of a black man complaining about CRT. It's clear CA is attempting to do the same. The schtick gets old.

One of CRT's claims is that white people don't get to criticize it because structural racism and blindness; it makes minority spokesmen more effective.

 

[Captain Adverse]

Critical Race Theory would more properly be called "The Grand Unified Theory of Cultural Failure".

Since the beginning of time man has looked for grand theories that explain everything. We all want that cosmic bumper sticker that perfectly explains everything we must know in this world. CRT has become that bumper sticker for the "woke".

The fundamental premise is "Your failure is not your fault but, rather, due to the systemic roadblocks intentionally put before you by white people". The fact that your presentation in ebonics at the board meeting was only a failure because you're black. The fact that everyone also disapproved of the cracker moron from accounting that spoke hillbilly and constantly dropped f-bombs is immaterial because everything is really about race. The racial chip on your shoulder is viewed negatively because society is pre-programmed by honkeys to hate you. The academic chip on the multi-degreed Walmart shelf stocker isn't part of the equation.

The other thing that CRT requires, and it's based on the first thing, is that society change to accommodate you. The idea that you should change to accommodate society is simply one of those racist constructs intended to keep you down. The only way we can overcome racism, according to CRT, is to destroy society as it is and rebuild it in ways that outcomes are guaranteed and not based on the inherent racism of white society. We call that "equity" and opposition to that concept is proof of racism.

Well said!