Critical Mass

On May 1, 2021, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed a bill into law that banned Idaho public schools from teaching students "Critical Race Theory" ("CRT"). Meanwhile, lawmakers in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, South Dakota, Arizona, New Hampshire, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Rhode Island, and West Virginia are considering similar bills.

This begs the obvious question: Why? What is "Critical Race Theory" and why are so many states in a rush to ban it?

To be honest, this subject is a bit touchy and complex, so rather than try to answer the question by critiquing CRT, I'll try to clear up a couple of common misunderstandings about this issue, one pertaining to the bill in question and another about CRT itself.

Thinking Critically

The headline of one news article that covered this story read "Idaho wants to make it illegal for schools to teach students how to think critically about racism" (Business Insider). But is that really what the law does?

Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R)

Let's look at the operative section of the text of the bill in question.

(a) No public institution of higher education, school district, or public school, including a public charter school, shall direct or otherwise compel students to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to any of the following tenets:

(i) That any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior;

(ii) That individuals should be adversely treated on the basis of their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin; or

(iii) That individuals, by virtue of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin.

Basically, the text here says that no Idaho public school can teach that:

1. Anyone is superior or inferior to anyone else based on their identity

2. Anyone should be treated differently because of their identity

3. Anyone is responsible for past offenses committed by others who share their identity

I don't know about you, but that seems pretty fair to me. Furthermore, I don't see anything in these points that would "make it illegal for schools to teach students how to think critically about racism".

Now, where does CRT fit into all of this?

What's in a Name?

To answer that question, we need to examine the name "Critical Race Theory".

When in doubt, go to the source.

According to Merriam-Webster, the word critical (when used in the context of "critical thinking") means "exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation".

Using that definition of the word critical, it would stand to reason that "Critical Race Theory" means something along the lines of "exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation to issues of race", or something thereabout. Well, why would anyone want to ban that?

The issue is, that's not what critical means in the context of "Critical Race Theory". Instead, the word Critical (note the capitalization) in the name "Critical Race Theory" refers to "Critical Theory", a philosophy upon which CRT is based.

Basically, "Critical Theory" is a Marxist social philosophy that (among other things) asserts that social problems are created and perpetuated by societal structures and institutions (like law and government) rather than by individual actions.

In simple terms, Critical Race Theory is based on Critical Theory, which itself based on Marxism. 

'X' Marx the Spot

Just as a refresher, Marxism is the name given to a loosely-related collection of political and social philosophies based on the work of Karl Marx, a German philosopher who lived from 1818-1883.

Karl Marx, not Santa Claus.

Marx believed that history was an ongoing "class conflict" between the "ruling class" (which he called the "bourgeoisie") and the "working class" (which he called the "proletariat"). Today, his work is best known for being the philosophical foundation of Communism.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can draw two important points from this analysis:

1. Critical Race Theory is not simply "critical thinking about race", but is rather a specific social philosophy based on Marxism.

2. The bill signed into law in Idaho does not ban classroom discussions on race, but rather insists that they adhere to three specific principles of equality and individuality.

My Take

The name "Critical Race Theory" is somewhat misleading due to the potential misinterpretation of the word "Critical". Since CRT is rooted in Marxism, I propose that a more accurate name would be "Marxist Race Theory", or MRT. That said, it's easy to see why CRT proponents would hesitate to adopt that moniker (as a school administrator, try to get anything with the word "Marx" added to the curriculum and soon you'll be looking for a new job).

It's worth repeating: Laws like the one passed in Idaho don't do anything to prevent thoughtful discussions about race; if you actually read the text of the bill, you'll find it's just common decency. And if you're upset that adherence to these principles effectively bans your agenda (be it CRT or anything else), then you have my permission to go pound sand.