Thoughtful Speculation on Critical Race Theory
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If there is anything I've learned from the "woke" trends, it's that I'd better be doing a lot of thinking for myself. The days of trusting the government, institutions, media, and mainstream news are long gone. And honestly, good riddance. Maybe a wake up call is just the thing we need. Let's face it, we were being lulled to sleep by trusting these people and their seemingly pure motives for ordering our life and controlling how we understand the world.
Leading that faulty charge of controlling people's opinion is the newest woke tactic: critical race theory. And where better do they focus their attention then in public schools? Their target? Your children.
An insightful article titled Teaching Critical Race Theory Isn't Education; It's Indoctrination has been published on the Mises Institute website. The Mises Institute "exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian school of economics, and individual freedom, honest history, and international peace..." as stated on the website. Its' online resource is one of the most visited economics websites in the world.
The article begins with citing a Manhattan Institute survey of 1,505 Americans between the ages of 18-20, in which there were a lot of questions about Critical Race Theory (CRT). We know that CRT is being taught in high schools, but the question is: is this for educational purposes? Or this to indoctrinate the students?
The findings in the survey were eye-opening, as 68% of students reported that they were not taught arguments against CRT, or they were not taught that there were any respectable arguments against the theory. Notice the word theory which suggests that, at best, the teachings of critical race is a theory, an educated guess. The problem is that, once again, schools are expecting students to eat up this theory as unreputable truth and to not practice critical thinking against the theory.
It's a good rule of thumb to question the ones who want to avoid having to give answers. All theories deserve to be criticized to find out if they have any substance. Traditional schools are supposed to produce independent thinkers. But instead, according to this article, they are producing social-norm dependent activists.
The article goes on to take a critical look at leading CRT theorists Robin DiAngelo and Ozlem Sensoy. These two authored a book entitled Is Everyone Really Equal? An Introduction to Key Concepts in Social Justice Education. DiAngelo also wrote the book White Fragility.
The book White Fragility sets a Kafka trap for any who would try to argue the idea that every white person is fragile. A Kafka trap is when the denial of guilt is used as evidence of guilt. DiAngelo says that white people prove their fragility when they have one of the following 3 reactions to her claim:
disagree with her theory
remain silent
agree with her theory
The problem with this of course, is that there is no room for educational argument, for the process of critical thinking, and for the opportunity for students to logically set ideas in motion for themselves. Never mind standing up for yourself or your principles if you happen to be a white student who is not fragile, or a black student who is not oppressed.
Overall, this article lent a balanced insight into what education should be in contrast to what it currently is. I believe that honest history should be taught in schools because students need to know about the past of their country and people. It should neither be romanticized nor downplayed.
The issue with CRT is that it places an idea into student's minds that is untrue. A white person, upon acceptance of this theory, will feel guilty with no way out, and may do a bunch of "good deeds" or follow the woke narrative because they are caught on a guilt-trip. A person of color may accept the idea that they are oppressed and live life with an inner sense of low self-esteem or an unreasonable belief of entitlement. Nothing wrong with doing good deeds, but living life as a guilt trip, for whatever reason it may be? Humans deserve better than that.
At the end of the day, there is no theory in the education system that should be trusted without being tested and argued against. That is how the great principles of science, thought, and language have been produced. The process of argument is in place for students to practice critical thinking. If they are not taught that in school, then where and when exactly are they supposed to be allowed to think and question things for themselves? Especially since school tends to teach a student how to fit into society as a whole.
The Articles, & Sources
1. “Teaching Critical Race Theory Isn't Education; It's Indoctrination”, accessed December 20, 2022, https://mises.org/wire/teaching-critical-race-theory-isnt-education-its-indoctrination
2. "Recognizing and Escaping from Kafka Traps" accessed December 25, 2022, https://dangerousintersection.org/2020/06/25/recognizing-and-escaping-from-kafka-traps/
3. "What is a Kafka Trap and How Does it Work?" accessed December 25, 2022, https://discover.hubpages.com/education/kafka-trap#:~:text=When%20a%20Kafka%20Trap%20is%20set%2C%20denying%20guilt,a%20condition%20is%20affirmed%20through%20the%20accused%27s%20denial.
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