I am very happy to see that Critical Race Theory, the vile scourge of our generation, is being resisted more and more. Here is but one example of parents fighting its inclusion within our school systems.
Watch this parent absolutely obliterate Critical Race Theory at an Illinois school board meeting:
“How do I have two medical degrees if I’m sitting here oppressed?” pic.twitter.com/gmCRJaphXt
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) June 17, 2021
The left sees the issue quite differently and in fact, think conservatives are being overly dramatic. For example, Vanity Fair said this…
The right-wing freakout over critical race theory—or, at least what some Republican politicians and pundits think it is—has been playing out simultaneously in statehouses and TV studios, with lawmakers crafting bills to ban schools from teaching about systemic racism and conservative media figures fanning the flames.
The argument from the left is that the right’s hysteria over CRT is all about distracting from America’s omnipresent racism. To quote CNN…
Much of the hysteria on the right about critical race theory is unbelievable, but quite a few people believe it all the same. “Critical Race Theory” has become the song of the summer for right-wing media and politicians, the one they’re playing on repeat, returning to it when they’ve got nothing else on tap. And while there’s nothing particularly novel about this particular moral panic, it is serving a useful political purpose: arguing about critical race theory shifts the conversation away from the continued consequences of structural racism.
As it stands now, the right is winning the fight against CRT (Yay!) according to a YouGov poll. It found that 58% of Americans have an unfavorable view of CRT, while only 38% saw it favorably.
More impressive is the intensity of the opposition.
25% very favorable
53% very unfavorableSo the ones who like CRT are just going along with what the media tells them but aren't excited by it. Most Americans are horrified though. This is a winning issue for Republicans.
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) June 16, 2021
Understandably, the left is angry and are plotting activism. Despite the fact that most parents don’t racism taught to their children. Case in point.
Texas teacher goes on insane rant now that she can't teach critical race theory to students. pic.twitter.com/7tCHts9oKk
— The First (@TheFirstonTV) June 23, 2021
So if CRT is being banned from public schools, more and more each day as parents rise up to protest it, what will the left do to continue pushing it? Likely they will refer to a tactic that has worked well for them in the past – change the language. By changing the terms used, the left evokes sympathy for their views without changing their argument. As you accept the left’s new words to describe the same issue, you may find yourself agreeing with them; whether you realize it or not. Here are a few examples of what I mean.
- “Illegal alien” becomes “non-citizen” or “migrant” because human beings are not illegal.
- “Abortion” becomes “pro choice” because who wants to murder children?
- “Mother” becomes “birthing person” because who can dispute that men can give birth to children as well?
- And don’t call women prostitutes because as “sex workers” they are part of a legitimate industry of commerce.
Click here to watch a 5-minute video, Control the Words, Control the Culture” which does a really good job explaining how the left are the masters of this technique.
So, what words will the left use to rebrand Critical Race Theory? (Drumroll, please…) “Transformative Social and Emotional Learning.” Here is a description of how it is being related.
This article seeks to develop transformative social and emotional learning (SEL), a form of SEL intended to promote equity and excellence among children, young people, and adults. We focus on issues of race/ethnicity as a first step toward addressing the broader range of extant inequities. Transformative SEL is anchored in the notion of justice-oriented citizenship, and we discuss issues of culture, identity, agency, belonging, and engagement as relevant expressions of the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning 5 core competencies. We also point to programs and practices that hold promise for cultivating these competencies and the importance of adult professional development in making these efforts maximally effective for diverse children and youth. We conclude by offering a few next steps to further advance transformative SEL research and practice.
When you see words like “equity” and “justice,” that’s pretty much a giveaway. But, I digress. Social and Emotional Learning (now being branded as “Transformative Social and Emotional Learning”) has actually been around for a awhile having been championed by the pro-left Novo Foundation who are very pro-CRT.
The Federalist article, “How ‘Socio-Emotional Learning’ Became Another Vehicle For Anti-White Racism In Schools,” reported on how SEL is becoming CRT 2.0 and warns parents accordingly. Here’s a quote from that article.
In a June 2020 webinar entitled “SEL as a Lever for Equity and Social Justice,” CASEL’s Niemi and two earnest colleagues proclaimed that SEL should be used to elevate favored students, based primarily on race, over disfavored students. “A color-blind . . . approach,” intoned one presenter, “ignores the humanity of the people you’re interacting with.” He continued: Doing so makes us “reproductive of the inequities that we are experiencing [yes, these people really talk this way] in our schools, in our communities, in our healthcare systems, etc., etc.”
In this vein, Niemi declared that “social-emotional learning must actively contribute to anti-racism. . . . We see SEL as a tool for anti-racism.” No decent person approves of racism, but the new concept of “anti-racism” has a more sinister meaning. Under this system of ideas, white children are by definition oppressors, minority children (except, presumably, higher-achieving on average Asian children) are by definition oppressed, and all of education must devolve into a churning mass of guilt and resentment.
SEL is CRT under a new name, a game well played by the left.
Parents beware.
P.S. Oh, let me leave this here.
On the off chance that CRT is not successfully rebranded as SEL and they have to call it something else, I suggest that parents be on the lookout for the following terms. Why? More often than not, they lead back to CRT or that type of thinking. (Of course, not in every instance. So, judge carefully when reviewing the school curriculum and your children’s homework assignments.)
- social justice
- justice oriented
- equity
- allies
- diversity and inclusion
- microaggressions
- systemic racism
- lived experience
- lived reality
- cultural competence
- intersectionality
- white privilege
- white supremacy
- white fragility
- implicit bias
- land acknowledgement
- empowerment
- inclusiveness
- fairness
- multiculturalism
- disinformation
- hate speech
- outcome-based education
- cultural proficiency
- under-represented
- direct action
- global citizenship
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