The Human Condition: Critical Race Theory

By DR. DANIEL SCHNEE on March 8, 2023.

As campaigning for the 2024 United States presidential election has already begun, the subject of Critical Race Theory has become a subject of vigorous discussion among conservative pundits everywhere. But though it is a subject of increasing import to Canadians there seems to as yet be consensus on what it is exactly.

In its essential form CRT is something studied at university: you can take a class (usually in law school) that examines how legal and institutional processes are influenced by ideas of race or ethnicity. More specifically one studies how the idea of race has been constructed so that exploitation of various minorities could “justifiably” occur. As such it would seem both interesting and important to understand. But the University of California (UCLA) law school has documented several hundred anti-CRT initiatives at various levels of government across the U.S. Seven states have even banned it, and another 16 states are in the process of doing so. Georgia’s House Bill 104, for example, bans the use of “divisive concepts” from being taught, and the language of the bill is also not particularly clear about what should replace it.

Such legislation is also often centred on elementary to high school education, rather than university, where CRT is considered progressive indoctrination. This is incorrect, if one defines CRT by its basic definition and scope. CRT as such is not the ideological threat conservatives make it out to be.

But what is of concern is how the core concepts of CRT can be an excellent vehicle for ideology if taught in a certain manner. To that end Florida governor Ron DeSantis has introduced a State Act that would prohibit educational institutions from teaching anything that causes people to feel guilt or “any form of psychological stress” due to their race, national origin, etc.

Whether or not one agrees with him, he is revealing a growing problem within education. The works of anti-racism thought leaders such as Robin DiAngelo or Ibram X. Kendi are being used in schools, and many ideas contained within are objectively illogical as well as ideological. Once again this is not due to basic CRT being problematic, but rather the reasoning of such writers being considered both objective and factual.

For example, though the Oxford Dictionary definition of racism includes prejudice against a person based on their race or ethnicity, this basic fact is often overlooked to make a larger point. Thus, author Alex Khasanabish (in his book Frequently Asked White Questions) defines racism solely as “a system of oppressive social relations,” making it ‘impossible’ to be racist against white people. Alternately, white people ‘cannot’ experience racism, because the world is structured by white supremacy. This is not analytical CRT. This kind of reasoning instead supplants objective education with subjective ideology.

So with someone like Ron DeSantis on one side and Alex Khasanabish on the other, it would seem CRT is stuck in the middle, functioning as an arena for sociopolitical jousting, rather than a subject for open and honest discussion. On several points DeSantis and Khasanabish could find common ground. But there will be no justice for anyone if either respond by acting dictatorial.

History is replete with despots who imagined themselves to be on the right side of history.

Dr. Daniel Schnee is an anthropologist and jazz/rock drummer

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