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Republicans have found a new target to make their supporters fear: Critical Race Theory or CRT for short.
Despite the nonsense you may have heard, it is not being taught in schools grades K-12, but the mere thought of it being taught to the youth of America has white folks up in arms. Gonna go out on a limb and say that the reason they don't feel so good is because a certain word is in CRT. Can you guess what word I'm talking abo--RACE. The word is race.
People fear what they don't understand. And you can bet the farm white folks and those that don't want CRT to be taught in schools don't understand a lick of it. To a lot of republicans and republican supporters, CRT is something new and as we all know, the GOP is totally against anything and everything new. In reality, CRT has been making the rounds for years now.
What's also old is the republican's battle strategy. Fear mongering has long been a tool of the GOP. For years they have made their followers believe that they would have their guns taken away if stricter gun laws were to be passed. Well, the democrats haven't taken guns away, but the number of mass shootings is going up. Hmm. Could it be connected to the easy access people have to guns in America? Nah, 'sgotta be something else. But like a player that doesn't known how to hold the Shield button to avoid getting caught in Ness' PK Fire, the republican base keeps falling for it, so why bother with any other moves?
OK, but what is Critical Race Theory? Well, to put if very mildly, it is a critical look on the role race has played throughout the history of America. It does not teach that whites are inherently racist. That's something uneducated folks like to say to discourage CRT.
Like everything else republicans pitch that will make America worse, such as the trans community having rights, CRT is the latest topic to come under fire. CRT has been called bigotry, racist, dishonest history and some even believe it will divide the nation. You gotta love the frame work republicans use to make the unknown seem frightening to their supporters. I mean, it isn't meant to fool people who are actually intelligent, but come on, son, at least come up with a more convincing lie.
So why are people so terrified of CRT? Simple: white fear. CRT upsets white people. Search any video on YouTube that has white parents speaking about the topic and you'll find dozens of parents tossing the same eye-rolling criticism against it and republican politicians share the same sentiment.
You may have seen the viral video of a mother from Missouri (provided in the link above) crying that she isn't racist because she doesn't want CRT taught. Man, I don't know what's worse, that woman's white fragility tears of denial or that echo chamber that applauded her.
Now to address some of the criticism against CRT.
CRT is racist.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), in another display of idiocy, said CRT was every bit as racist as the KKK.
Dang. Now this is some stupid on stupid. But for gullible white people, I can see why they would eat this up. Talking about race and how it has shaped society has always been something they've never been comfortable with. Heck, it is a hard enough time getting them admit they do see color. Calling CRT racist is the quickest way to get white people to try their darnedest to silence it. Because white people hate racism, are perfectly fine thinking the nation is not racist and being able to reap the positives of America's systemic race structure.
On CRT being dishonest history.
American history is dishonest history by not talking in depth about the role slavery played in the founding of the nation as well as the lasting impacts it has since carried with it. Parents are worried about their children being lied to in school? We are centuries too late for that.
On CRT dividing our nation.
Look, republicans, I know you lie on the regular, but this one has me fuming. If you truly didn't want America divided, why did you sow division by helping the former president peddle a lie about election fraud that led to the storming of the nation's Capitol, resulted in the deaths of Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt, the injury of nearly 140 police offers that risked their lives to protect you, endangered the lives of everyone in the Capitol who was working or visiting on January 6, you lying sacks of garbage? Nah, republicans you do not get to pull out the division card when you aided in one of the most violent attacks on the US Capitol in over 200 years.
America likes to pretend that it is nation that has and always has treated every single race equally. But it hasn't and to this day, it still doesn't. It's just really easy for white folks to swallow that lie because they are the benefactors to a systemic problem that favors them.
CRT makes white people feel uncomfortable. And as we all know, white fragility must be protected at all costs.
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