I’m not going to speak for black people but there certainly is more than just anger among black people from history. MLK, Frederick Douglas, WEB DuBois and many more are certainly upheld with pride. Those aren’t white people and I find it a very weird argument they you think studying history only benefits quite people. How exactly does studying history only benefit white people? Again how do you fix something when you don’t understand how you got there? Further you’re saying we don’t know the future so if we don’t know the past or the future why should anyone make any changes? Whether you intend it or not you’re arguing for ignorance and proving Santayana correct, “those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
I don't think these politicians know what CRT even is. Regardless, it wouldn't make sense to teach it to K-12 students as it's far too intellectual for them to understand. It's all just political bugaboo.
I went to high school in Texas where in the presidential straw poll, Bush would get 80%+ of the vote. Yet in our classes we still could have conversations about racism, stereotyping, what its roots were, how it manifests itself today. No one seem to have a problem with the discussion, and while there was much disagreement, no one was disrespectful or called the discussion a type of marxism. No one denied racism existed, just how much of a factor it was today vs the past. We talked about cultural appropriation even and whether that was a good or bad thing - and generally no one knew either way at the end. No one got angry or bent out of shape, instead, it was fascinating and everyone seemed engaged in a positive way. That could never happen today. It's like people are afraid people will learn to think for themselves and are scared to introduce ideas they find threatening. Critical race theory is just an idea around racism. And it's not even being discussed in schools because most people still don't even know what it is exactly. So what happens is that politicians use it to blanketly describe any discussion about race as critical race theory and use it to stop people from having conversations about race. We are a country of more than one race. Pretending race isn't real is yes, actually quite racist. You're denying the reality of nearly half the country. Humans have racist tendencies because racism is human nature. The key to overcoming racism and becoming a better country is being self aware of our individual biases. If we are all told racism doesn't exist anymore you are in fact encouraging racism. You're basically saying your unspoken biases and fears of people based on race are ok and shouldn't ever be challenged or discussed. That's crazy.
So based on what you believe this politician says, that CRT teaches that people are born racist. You mentioned that CRT was racist. If it taught that all children were born racist, which race is it that would be biased against?
Since I happen to be seeing a news story about XI Jinping and the upcoming People’s Congress meeting in the PRC. In the PRC they don’t teach things like Tiananmen Square. The CCP frequently argues that teaching such things would needlessly anger and confuse people and that those who are trying to teach or even remember things like that are only out to create anger and division. Also that reports about what happened in Tiananmen in 1989 were greatly exaggerated and unreliable. In other words basically the same argument we’re hearing here. That learning these things are just making people angry and that is kinda made up.
likewise, no child should be made to feel lesser than because of the color of their skin, but it happens all the time in this country. Or do we only care about the feelings of certain children? Hmm, perhaps the answer lies in teaching and parenting. If kids are taught facts about race in America, they can also be guided about how they might process it and feel about it. Unless of course a certain cohort is unable or unwilling to parent, or unless they’d much rather the kids remain ignorant and then angry.
Absolutely agree, this should go without saying, and if you think about it, we are actually saying the exact same thing.
Maybe somewhat in principle, but not in execution. You seem to lean against teachings that could make white kids feel bad about being white. My view is teach them, parent them, and they will have the knowledge, facts and won’t feel bad about being white. And they’ll grow up to be far better people.
My view is that history should be taught, and values should be taught, I agree with you on that, and no reasonable person should disagree. It's quite simple, nobody should be treated worse or differently because of the colour of their skin, everyone should be treated with kindness and respect. At the same time, nobody (white, black, whatever skin colour) should feel entitled to something just because of the colour of their skin. I understand that a history of racism has led to people of certain skin colours, specifically black people, on average having a worse starting position, specifically in this country. But on an individual level, any child born now is not at fault for that. Establishing something like collective guilt due to having been born with a certain skin colour seems wrong to me, even though I understand the thinking behind ot. Instituting expectations of handouts or preferential treatment due to having been born with a skin colour created the opposite effect of what it was intended to do, in my opinion. I believe in meritocracy. But I do understand that it is a complex topic, that racism still exists, and that there are no easy answers. Look at me - I am half German, half Korean. Germany did horrible things before 1945. Korea was a victim of Japanese oppression for a long time. I know Germany still pays reparations and has a special responsibility towards Jewish people, and I am ok with that continuing. But should I go around demanding reparations from Japan? It's a total coincidence or fate or whatever that I happen to be born as that kind of weird mix. I'm much better served focusing on my own personal opportunities and growth, rather than on trying to get favourable treatment because of something that happened before I was born. A colour blind society would be the best society. CRT promotes the opposite of that. It tries to combat racism by over-emphasizing race, which is in itself racist.
Man you literally type this much without saying anything. Yes history in America has caused the median black individual to start from a worse starting position than the median white individual. How that turns into "teaching guilt" is the jump in logical assumptions that any right wing ideologue hopes you make without questioning the merits behind the logical jump. Teaching kids why the median white family has 1000% more wealth than the median black family isnt teaching guilt. It's preventing little bassos and ATWs growing up attributing wealth gaps between white and black families to "black culture" and therefore decreasing racial prejudices which is something even right wing fascists will say they want publicly but obviously don't really want when you actually examine their rhetoric and policy positions.
My point is that learning history has a null effect at best and negative effect as worst. I don't see the benefit in pushing the slave narrative over and over again. It's important to know how a problem came to be, but it makes no sense to focus on the how so much so that you don't take action. That focus, which also makes people resentful, with a secondary focus on what we should do to fix a problem paralyzes someone from doing something in the here and now. How about... those who focus on the past are doomed to be imprisoned by it.
That quote about repeating mistakes exists due to historical precedent. So show me historical precedent for your insightful phrase here that makes it ring true.
No, they shouldn't at all. It's really strange to expect children to feel guilty for something they had no part in or for the actions of their ancestors from the past. It's unlikely that children naturally feel guilty or ashamed for things they didn't do, and any feelings of guilt or shame may be learned from others or is associated with care takers that are doing things they feel shameful or guilty about.
Most of us could look in the mirror. This current discussion topic. Stuck in the past. Nothing getting better. Great example. That quote is off anyway because we can't decide on what we have to learn from history.
So do you want a white child to grow up and see a accurate graph of a median white household having 1000% of the wealth of a median black household and conclude its because of black culture? Is that what you want? If so do you understand the implications in a society if half the white population in America believed that Black people are poorer on average because of their repairs as a race rather than historical reasons?
