R: BLM thugs are rioting in the streets! The woke mob is destroying America! Stop Sharia Law! There’s a crisis at the border! Build the Wall!
FOX: A schoolteacher in Poughkeepsie told her class about institutional racism
R: But teaching our kids about that will divide us
R: I’m just concerned that suggesting nonwhites get a raw deal will destroy the colorblind utopia where America would otherwise be headed
D: I see
R: And furthermore, Pants Up Don’t Loot Free Kyle Rittenhouse Blue Lives Matter Boycott the NFL Go Woke Go Broke Pocahontas LOL
R: Why haven’t you wokesters figured out that the most racist thing you can do is accuse white people of being racist
D: Are you sure about that
R: Yes, because that makes nonracists angry & resentful, which makes them WANT to act racist
D: So how exactly would we be wrong
R: Don’t you understand if you cry “racism” over every little thing we’re just going to tune you out when you talk about it
D: But you already tune us out
R: Well, that’s your fault
D: I guess I must have missed the Republican Party’s era of conscientious anti-racist activism
R: Well, perhaps you’ve heard of… MARTIN LUTHER KING?
D: Oh, here we go
R: Dr. King was a REPUBLICAN! And the Klan was founded by DEMOCRATS!
D: I can set my stopwatch for the microsecond you will stop listening
R: Check and MATE!
D: In the ‘60s, racist Southern conservatives were Democrats; today, they are Republicans. This happened after Reagan embraced the “Southern Strategy”. It has been over 50 years since the GOP has embraced any kind of civil rights activism, and
R: None of that is important to me
R: My point is, MLK said we should judge people exclusively by the content of their character, which proves he believed that we should never talk about race ever again
D: And to think we might not want people like you to have a say in our children’s education
R: ABOLISH CRT!
• • •
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Yes, but if angry white parents spent months complaining to school boards that their kids were being taught about institutional racism, it would be less “gangbusters electoral strategy” and more “those feral rednecks are insane”
And for the record, I have not conceded that Rufo just “gave a name” to a thing that was already happening: he used the name of an existing legal academic theory to describe something completely different. It’s a little like calling the Native Americans “Indians.”
I am well aware that informing conservatives that they are factually incorrect is exclusively the domain of pointy-headed political naifs, as it changes the minds of no one and makes our side appear fussy, pedantic, & completely out-of-touch with the pulse of Real Americans
The Right continues to insist otherwise because they are fundamentally dishonest people who don’t care.
Robert Byrd was not a racist for his entire life. He renounced the Klan & was honored by the NAACP.
The Right continues to pretend that never happened because they are fundamentally dishonest people who don’t care.
Critical Race Theory is not taught in public schools. The term is misused to reflect any blanket acknowledgement of white privilege or institutional racism, which does exist.
The Right continues to insist otherwise because they are fundamentally dishonest people who don’t care.
Some comedians discuss serious issues in their acts. They are more than entitled to do so. Their views can be enlightening, or infuriating.
But “Don’t take him seriously; he’s just a comedian” does not absolve anyone of the responsibility to stand by the meaning of his words.
I understand that context is important. That is not what I am describing here. It is the blanket defense of ANY comedian’s words with the argument that you’re not allowed to take them seriously, even if context indicates that they intended their words to be as serious as cancer.
I’ll acknowledge that I’m talking mostly about Dave Chappelle & Bill Maher, two comics capable of great insight who have also used their platforms to promote ignorant & infuriating ideas. A recent comment on the latter’s Facebook page struck me as something of a Platonic ideal: