Mormons and Critical Race Theory

[Res Ipsa]

Now that you fail to cite a single example from that long interview with Christianson of anything specifically happening that's bad with critical race theory in Utah, you're switching to a new article. And it doesn't talk about Utah.

This article talks about what has and is happening throughout the nation. Here is an important excerpt from the article that you read:

"Ethnic studies without Critical Race Theory is not ethnic studies,” Manuel Rustin, a high school history teacher who helped oversee the drafting of California’s Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, told EdSource earlier this year. “It would be like a science class without the scientific method. There is no critical analysis of systems of power and experiences of these marginalized groups without Critical Race Theory.”

This means that within several years, when the high school graduation mandate goes into effect, California’s 1.7 million secondary school students would be exposed to critical race theory – and its trademark practices, such as interrogating “whiteness,” systemic racism, colorblindness and meritocracy as tools of power and oppression – on an unprecedented scale.

A sample course description included in state’s model curriculum affirms critical race theory’s centrality for the field of ethnic studies.

"Students will be introduced to the concept Critical Race Theory as they highlight and discuss [an assigned] reading in small groups,” reads the description of an actual course taught at San Juan High School in Citrus Heights. "One of the main focuses of ethnic studies is translating historical lessons and Critical Race Theory into direct action for social justice."

Focus groups in California surveying 48 teachers and 17 administrators last year found that “an essential focus of ethnic studies content is critical theory and critical framing,” according to a recorded presentation by Rose Owens-West, the consultant who led the sessions. “We heard [that] for effective K-12 ethnic studies, instruction should reinforce content, allowing students to engage in critical analysis around the topics of critical race theory, critical literacy and critical media.”

Would you seriously think that what happens in California or other parts of the country doesn’t stand a chance of happening in Utah and other states that up to this point have experienced a lesser, and yet not entirely absent, influence from these theorists that have been heavily influencing educational strategies and dogma in other states?

And that what is happening in secondary schools is or will be integrated into elementary school curriculum?

Slippery slope. Utah, Idaho, and other states are taking preemptive action to see that curriculum emphasizes the natural equality of ALL students and pushes towards a curriculum that lifts ALL students to a higher plain. This just seems right to me. You and your folks seemingly would like to focus on and integrate a general platform of division into the schools. That is NOT healthy for the future of our great country.

I’m assuming that you do think our country, even with its blemishes, is a pretty great…if not the greatest place on earth, right? I’m referring to the fact that we live within a constitutional republic with a Constitution and Bill of Rights. You don’t want to see our freedoms eroded, correct? Freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, etc.?

I’m concerned that leftists are intent on fundamentally changing the very fabric and foundational truths of our country…that ALL men are created equal with unalienable rights. Educational philosophies and practices developed with the intent of dividing students from one another…figuratively and/or literally in real time, are ineffective and even dangerous.

But I’m fully aware that the far left, Marxists, and other folks are going to disagree. As I said, see you at the school board meetings and at the ballot box. I’m referring to WE THE PEOPLE. The silent majority, up until now. But NOT out in the streets of Portland and other liberal ‘hot spots’ intent on creating anarchy and civil strife.

Regards,
MG

Fear mongering balderdash. When you pompously declare “all men are created equal,” what you really mean is “let’s pretend that all men are created equal.” It wasn’t true when the declaration was published and it isn’t true today. You just give the words lip service. Then you refuse to look at what’s actual happening in our country to see whether people are being treated as if they were created equal.

Your post is the most divisive thing I have seen written in a long time. To say what you said, regurgitating scary propaganda, while claiming to be against division is utmost hypocrisy.

Bluster away. You’re not fooling anyone.

[MG 2.0]

But you've failed to point to anything specifically within critical race theory that is at odds with "freedom", or for that matter, anything bad about it at all. You just appear to assume it's bad. Reactionary thinking like this is just as much of a threat to freedom as whatever it is you're afraid of.

Do you support/agree with this statement:

Critical race theorists join some feminist theorists in emphasizing the potential fluidity and latitude for contest over gender, racial, and sexual identities.
https://cyber.harvard.edu/bridge/Critic ... tical4.htm

If so, what does that look like to you in the development of curriculum in the secondary and elementary schools?

Another question:

Do you see intersectionality studies in all of its living color of possibilities as being a necessary part of your child’s education? Is it as important to emphasize Bronies over, let’s say, learning how to write? Or read? Or become proficient at math? Or learning basic American and world history? That’s where we’re headed.

Racial/gender studies are taking precedence over the basics that were once considered to be a well rounded education. There are only so many hours in the day, school days in a year. Where should the energies and resources of the educational establishment be emphasized/placed?

In my opinion, the hard leftists would like nothing better than to promote intersectionality studies over the elements of an education that gives students the basic tools to compete with and succeed along side the students of other nations that may not be subjected to the political correctness doctrines of the left that are and have been creeping into our schools.

As a classical liberal I would think you would be more in favor of promoting neutrality in the educational system where all students are taught to respect and knowledge the common rights, responsibilities, and equality of men/women.

Have you moved along the spectrum from classical liberal to hard leftist?

You seem to have very narrow views that would indicate you may have done so are ‘progressively’ (pun intended) moving that direction.

You have children I suspect? Would you not have them receive a classically liberal education rather than an education where they are indoctrinated to a particular political view/philosophy held by one group of individuals?

Me thinks that the conservatives are becoming the new classical liberals in some respects.

As I said earlier, your viewfinder seems very restrictive.

I hope you take the time to thoroughly give my introductory question some thought and an adequate response.

Regards,
MG

[MG 2.0]

Your post is the most divisive thing I have seen written in a long time. To say what you said, regurgitating scary propaganda, while claiming to be against division is utmost hypocrisy.

Bluster away. You’re not fooling anyone.

And your response is BS.

Regards,
MG

[drumdude]

Racial/gender studies are taking precedence over the basics that were once considered to be a well rounded education. There are only so many hours in the day, school days in a year. Where should the energies and resources of the educational establishment be emphasized/placed?

In my opinion, the hard leftists would like nothing better than to promote intersectionality studies over the elements of an education that gives students the basic tools to compete with and succeed along side the students of other nations that may not be subjected to the political correctness doctrines of the left that are and have been creeping into our schools.

I think this is a valid criticism. There is only so much time and resources we have to teach students. While we are teaching them to recognize microaggressions, and making them question their unconscious biases, China is teaching their children math and technology and growing their global power exponentially.

We're spending all this effort to show them every little fault with race relations in America, while China is literally exterminating an entire people and culture. The American children are learning about slavery and the Holocaust while modern Holocausts continue almost completely ignored in China and North Korea.

20 years ago when I was in public school, we had at least one class every year on American history with a heavy focus on how Americans mistreated minorities. And this was in Texas, a state notorious for trying to whitewash American history. I considered myself a fairly enlightened classical liberal after all of that education, and it was extremely disheartening to enter college where those simple ideals of Martin Luther King were suddenly seen as not radical enough, not progressive enough.

[MG 2.0]

Racial/gender studies are taking precedence over the basics that were once considered to be a well rounded education. There are only so many hours in the day, school days in a year. Where should the energies and resources of the educational establishment be emphasized/placed?

In my opinion, the hard leftists would like nothing better than to promote intersectionality studies over the elements of an education that gives students the basic tools to compete with and succeed along side the students of other nations that may not be subjected to the political correctness doctrines of the left that are and have been creeping into our schools.

I think this is a valid criticism. There is only so much time and resources we have to teach students. While we are teaching them to recognize microaggressions, and making them question their unconscious biases, China is teaching their children math and technology and growing their global power exponentially.

We're spending all this effort to show them every little fault with race relations in America, while China is literally exterminating an entire people and culture. The American children are learning about slavery and the Holocaust while modern Holocausts continue almost completely ignored in China and North Korea.

20 years ago when I was in public school, we had at least one class every year on American history with a heavy focus on how Americans mistreated minorities. And this was in Texas, a state notorious for trying to whitewash American history. I considered myself a fairly enlightened classical liberal after all of that education, and it was extremely disheartening to enter college where those simple ideals of Martin Luther King were suddenly seen as not radical enough, not progressive enough.

Here is an ideal lesson that actually gives a well rounded view of civil rights and the value/purpose of the court system in the United States to define/arbitrate instances where individuals believe their liberties are being trampled upon. It is meaty and thorough. It encourages introspection. And it does so without creating two lines in a classroom where some students are going to be systematically embarrassed because of certain disadvantages.

In my opinion, the great weakness/defect in our educational system are the misplaced priorities that are causing deficiencies in certain aspects critical to a well rounded education.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/os-go ... tify-them/

No critical race theory necessary. And it’s secondary education not elementary.

As things are and as they are going we are looking at a future where we will have politically correct graduates that can neither read, write, or do math proficiently but they will be able to quote chapter and verse as to why they feel shame because of their white privilege.

There are schools of thought that are pushing out/away a good basic education in favor of so called ‘enlightenment’.

Regards,
MG

[drumdude]

And it does so without creating two lines in a classroom where some students are going to be systematically embarrassed because of certain disadvantages.

The other thought experiment is to imagine a scenario where critical race theory ends. Could there ever be one? Are we waiting for a certain threshold of wealth to be transferred from whites to blacks? Are we waiting for a certain quota of minorities to become CEOs of major corporations? When you push so hard on the pendulum to swing it in the opposite direction, you don't really care if it overshoots the goal and becomes the mirror of the problem you're trying, presumably, to fix.

[Gadianton]

Critical race theorists join some feminist theorists in emphasizing the potential fluidity and latitude for contest over gender, racial, and sexual identities.

If so, what does that look like to you in the development of curriculum in the secondary and elementary schools?

Because critical race theory agrees with feminists on some topics, doesn't mean critical race theory is being taught in schools.

consider racial fluidity in particular: A-Mike himself argued for a tenet of critical race theory on this very thread when he told us about his 40-year old black friend who wasn't from Africa. Likewise, the Mopologists argue that the Lamanites are no longer "the principle ancestor" of the American Indian, even pressuring the Church to change the Book of Mormon title page. They cite similar genetic studies that critical race theory does showing that racial conceptions are often superficial. The point of the modern Mopologist is to show there is no such thing as pure lineage in the way the Church has always conceived of it, and they do that to avoid the Book of Mormon being falsified by genetics. The apologists on Z would point out that we're all related to Genghis Khan.

But that doesn't make the apologists critical race theory, and likewise, that critical race theory might share some beliefs with femist theorists, doesn't mean they are feminist theorists nor does it mean they have anything to do with kids and gender identity. You're doing a lot of guilt by association, here, MG. I want to know specifically the problems with critical race theory in Utah schools.

Or learning basic American and world history?

critical race theory might have its place in learning history, to some degree, I don't know. I can tell you that "basic american history" as in Columbus the hero and visionary discovering America is hardly learning unbiased history.

Racial/gender studies are taking precedence over the basics that were once considered to be a well rounded education

CFR. The article you linked to claimed that critical race theory is implicit to social studies. I remember taking a class called "social studies" in middle school. Is there a school of thought within social studies that is losing out inappropriately to critical race theory? Nothing you've cited shows any indication that kids are going to spend ungodly hours studying racial equality at the expense of learning math and English.

In my opinion, the hard leftists would like nothing better than to promote intersectionality studies over the elements of an education that gives students the basic tools to compete with

But your opinion isn't formed by any evidence you've been able to reference thus far. You're just really riled up envisioning a bad outcome based on speculation. If you'd like to show a specific example in a school anywhere in the nation where math is largely discontinued, and in its place, students spend additional hours learning about race, I'd be very interested, and a little concerned.

[drumdude]

"Nothing is changing, if it was changing it would be small changing, but you can't outlaw changing because then we can't make the changes we aren't going to make which are small when we're not going to make them."

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

critical race theory special pleading is a cancer. Especially in 2022.



- Doc

[MG 2.0]

Because critical race theory agrees with feminists on some topics, doesn't mean critical race theory is being taught in schools.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/fairfax- ... -classroom

https://nypost.com/2021/08/11/mom-says- ... r-lawsuit/

https://thefederalist.com/2016/07/29/fe ... l-schools/

https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-te ... nk-berrien

https://mustreadalaska.com/anchorage-sc ... ding-list/

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/20 ... ation.html

From this source:

critical race theory curriculum evaluation techniques that focus on cultural representation and social justice have the potential to adversely impact math and science instruction. For example, a toolkit provided on New York University's Steinhardt Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools' website asks teams to assess math curricula from the standpoint of the diversity of ethnicity and sex identification. critical race theory implementation introduces the threat that the mathematical principles discovered by Euclid, Fibonacci, Pythagoras, Archimedes, and Newton be canceled because they are dead white men and not non-binary or BIPOC.

These links are just for starters and illustration. Critical race theory is impacting overall quality education.

Equity training and critical race theory go hand in hand. Over emphasis on perceived/created racial inequality separates students. Individuals are disciplined and treated not on the basis of individual merits or rule infractions, etc., but on what group they belong to. Quotas are established.

It’s a mess.

And now we have school districts changing their requirements for placement/graduation based upon racial groups rather than as individuals. The standards are being dumbed down or done away with. Same thing at the college level. Result? An overall decrease in quality students being graduated from secondary schools and colleges.

All in the name of equality/equity.

And you think equity training and critical race theory doesn’t play a part in this degradation? You would have to be intentionally blind to the obvious.

The educational system is being played by leftists.

Regards,
MG