White Fragility and Hamas
Why are some people supporting rape and murder?
As noted in the previous installment, I am using insights gleaned from my review of White Fragility to shed light on the bizarre support for Hamas seen since October 7th. Here I jump ahead a couple of posts to discuss Critical Theory.
White Fragility Digression
Understanding the soil in which it took root
(CARROLLTON, TEXAS - Cradle of Civilization) - Before I get back into my review of the book "White Fragility", I wanted to try to understand some things that I had read regarding this book. I read, for example, that this book is a fruit of Critical Race Theory. So, what is Critical Race Theory? I found an article on CNN.
Critical race theory recognizes that systemic racism is part of the American life, and challenges the beliefs that allow it to flourish.
So, it does seem that "White Fragility" is a fruit of Critical Race Theory (CRT).
The article also explains, via some of the proponents of CRT, that
"Critical race theory is a practice. It's an approach to grappling with a history of White supremacy that rejects the belief that what's in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it,"
- Kimberlé Crenshaw, a founding critical race theorist and a law professor at UCLA and Columbia universities.
In other words, contra Pumba, we can’t put our behinds past us.
Side note - holding onto the past, especially holding onto victim status, is a recipe for mental illness. Topic for the future vis a vis Stoic philosophy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
Here are a couple more things I found out from digging around on the internet:
Critical Theory (CT) seems to be the progenitor of CRT. Britannica's article starts with this:
Critical theory, Marxist-inspired movement in social and political philosophy originally associated with the work of the Frankfurt School. Drawing particularly on the thought of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, critical theorists maintain that a primary goal of philosophy is to understand and to help overcome the social structures through which people are dominated and oppressed.
So, now I think I understand where the term "Marxist" comes from when describing CRT. But, note, CT is not CRT. So, I'm not sure it is accurate to call CRT Marxist. However, the methodology and assumptions are similar in both theories. Note that the assumption is that social structures exist through which people are dominated and oppressed. Frankly, it would be hard to dispute that.
Britannica has this to say about CRT:
Critical race theory, the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of colour.
Note the shift in emphasis. CT seeks to understand and overcome the social structures through which people are dominated. CRT asserts that those social structures are "law and legal institutions" and that they are inherently racist, full stop.
And where does that take us? Well, have you seen or heard about the Smithsonian exhibit that put forward the idea that rationality and hard work are white constructs? No, really.
They did apologize though:
Smithsonian museum apologizes for saying hard work, rational thought is ‘white culture’ BY CHACOUR KOOP JULY 17, 2020 5:51 PM
Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article244309587.html#storylink=cpy
When looking at social structures through which people are dominated and oppressed, and blending that with the assertion that law and legal institutions are inherently racist, it is not hard to conclude that any dominant societal value is racist. As noted in the erstwhile Smithsonian exhibit, hard work and rational thought are traits of the white zeitgest. CRT then asserts these traits are therefore racist.
What then are the fruits of CT and CRT?
If you are white you are a racist.
Teaching kids to think rationally is racist.
Assessing their understanding of the material is racist.
Insisting that there is a body of material worth knowing is racist.
Suggesting that they didn't understand because they didn't work hard enough is racist.
CT has a stated purpose - understand the institutions that oppress and seek to overcome them. CRT - what is it's purpose? According to the CNN article it is to challenge the beliefs that allow racism to flourish.
Oooookay. We should challenge the belief that rational thought and hard work are good because that simply allows racism to flourish. What should we replace that oppressive social construct with? "White Fragility?"
I started this by asking “Why are some people supporting rape and murder.” I haven’t answered that question yet. There is not a bumper sticker answer.
Next week we will explore the fruits of CT through a consideration of Michael Foucault’s theory on power and the Frankfurt School. I believe the genesis of the irrationality that permits the championing of rape and murder is this philosophical view of human interaction.
I know it sounds riveting. It should be though because, to quote Aristotle,
“… since going astray from the truth just a little initially becomes multiplied ten-thousandfold standing far [from the starting-point]." (De Caelo I v. 271b7-10)
Or more simply
“a little error in the beginning leads to a great one in the end.” - St. Thomas Aquinas, an Aristotle super fan, in his introduction to De Ente et Essentia
"Teleology in less than 10 words - Go!" " We reap what we sow"