During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement instituted comprehensive societal changes to minimize the effects of racism. The Civil Rights Movement was not without flaws but it did create opportunities for minorities and instigate ongoing anti-discrimination endeavors. However, in 2021, after fifty years of sweeping anti-racism efforts, we are still experiencing complaints. A primary source of complaints are adherents to Critical Race Theory. They not only complain about racism but demand the elimination of Whiteness. Unlike the Civil Rights Movement, Critical Race Theory is doing great harm to our society. CRT maintains that only Whites can be racist and describes them collectively as White Supremacists. CRT blames Whites for racial injustice and dismisses dissenters as racists. CRT holds that racism is more than individual acts of bigotry. It is a systemic problem that has infected our country since its beginning. CRT also maintains that race is not a biological fact but a culturally induced phenomenon. So races do not exist, but racism does. According to CRT, racism infects our entire society and divides our country into two major groups; White oppressors and oppressed Blacks. CRT invective also discredits our monocultural society because it is too associated with White culture. This is unfortunate because countries with a single culture fare better that those with multiple cultures. For years sub groups assimilated into our monocultural society and the American way of life flourished. But we are witnessing attempts to subvert our monocultural society and replace it with multiculturalism. Multiculturalism has been described with terms like “diversity, inclusion, and equity”, typical social equality jargon. This language implies that non-White socio/economic groups are far better than a largely White society. Whiteness was once a positive attribute but for CRT it represents only racism, our perennial and ever-expanding societal flaw. CRT thinks that downsizing or eliminating the White population would end racism. Its hard to keep up with the different forms of racism; Systemic Racism, Ideological Racism, Structural Racism, Discursive Racism, Institutional Racism and others. I will only mention one of the others, “Silent Racism.” Silent racism concerns persons who haven’t committed a discriminatory act or uttered a bigoted word. But they may furtively harbor racist thoughts and be unwilling to make the concessions necessary for a racism-free society. For some time, Whites were generally perceived as privileged by non-Whites who viewed themselves as victims. But in recent decades, being a victim enhanced one’s standing in society. Victimhood was rewarded with additional privileges whereas White privilege was being diminished. Consequently, many non-Whites now deliberately portray themselves as victims. Those who are perceived as victims of racism have become a significant vocal element of society. Victim groups first demanded “equality” but as they gained power and establishment support , they sought “equity.” Equity means equal outcomes which requires the imposition of governmental “racial preferences.” The less offensive phrase “affirmative action” is often used in place of “racial preferences.” Universities support the claims of these victim groups and even offer ethnic studies focusing on their alleged inequities. Although racism is the most prominent inequality, numerous others are being discovered; gender identity, sexism, social class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and others. One prominent university offers a program entitled “Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice.” Universities are also producing clever spokespersons for victim groups that claim Whiteness is encumbering their advancement. One such spokesperson even suggested that Whiteness is protected by the government in the same way that property ownership is protected. Another used the term “intersectionality” to describe how injustices are compounded and overlap (intersect) making denigrated minorities victims of several injustices simultaneously. A final comment on racism and I promise I’m not making this up. It has been recommended that Congress pass an anti-racist amendment to the Constitution. This amendment would create a Department of Anti-racism (DOA). The DOA would have the power to approve or reject public policies that it decides might produce racial inequities. It could also discipline public officials who will not change policies that the DOA categorizes as racist.
2 Comments
|
AuthorGail Jarvis is a Georgia-based free-lance writer. He attended the University of Alabama and has a degree from Birmingham Southern College. His writing is influenced by years of witnessing how versions of news and history were distorted for political reasons. Mr. Jarvis is a member of the Society of Independent Southern Historians and his articles have appeared on various websites, magazines, and publications for several organizations. He lives in Coastal Georgia. Archives
June 2023
|