In this Very Special Episode of Civil Discord, Maurice and Amanda do a deep dive into Critical Race Theory—what it is, what it isn’t, where it comes from, and where it’s going. Amanda works in critical theory and explains CRT in academia; and Maurice discusses how CRT shows up in the wild. Plus, stay tuned for Maurice’s PSA on Juneteenth!
We Discuss:
- The distinction between Critical Theory and Critical Race Theory
- Why Foucault was not a Critical Race Theorist; and why the poststructuralist left is radically different from the woke left
- The six main tenets of CRT
- How CRT is a self-admitted offshoot of Hegelian, Marxian, and Leninist ideology… but only the lamest parts
- The Negation of the Negation
- CRT and anticapitalism
- CRT: Anti-white, or white supremacist?
- CRT as anti-Critical Theory
- Where CRT shows up in policy
- A libertarian approach to CRT in our schools
- Maurice’s thoughts on Marvel Comics and Juneteenth
Recommended Reading and Listening from Your Hosts:
- John McWhorter’s takedown of Ibram Kendi [or, Ibram Kendi’s takedown of himself]: https://twitter.com/JohnHMcWhorter/status/1401719805875458048
- Darkness at Noon: A light, fictional romp 17x more prescient than 1984:
https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-at-Noon-Arthur-Koestler/dp/1416540261
- ‘Harrison Bergeron’: Another prophetic short story that’s all about equity
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/harrison.html
- The Real Lincoln: The book that explains why Maurice is not our 16th president’s #1 fan
https://www.amazon.com/Real-Lincoln-Abraham-Agenda-Unnecessary/dp/0761526463