A critical race equation: CRT – R = CT

 

Too many opponents of Critical Race Theory demonized the doctrine by calling it Marxist with no further explanation. That gave the impression those doing the demonizing were the only ones afraid of the doctrine.

There’s no reason to demonize the term Marxist. In general, it’s a critique of capitalism. However, Marx was more than an economist. Marx was a philosopher, historian, sociologist, political theorist, and revolutionary. The term Marxism isn’t confined to economic theory. Marxist thinkers have developed theories in all of the social sciences throughout the 20th century. The term is also used to describe a worldview.

Now, here’s a critical race equation: CRT - R = CT

I’ll spell it out: Critical Race Theory - Race = Critical Theory.

What’s critical theory?

No matter where you look, every definition of Critical Theory defines it as a Western-Marxist philosophy, but that doesn’t demonize it. In general, critical theory is a critique of society and culture to reveal and challenge power structures. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states, “Any philosophical approach with similar practical aims could be a critical theory, including feminism, critical race theory, and some forms of post-colonial criticism.”

Therefore, CRT opponents are correct when they label CRT a Marxist derivative, but the question is, why should that be concerning?

Marx famously said, “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” This sentiment was echoed by the authors of the textbook, Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, they wrote, “Unlike other academic disciplines, critical race theory contains an activist dimension. It not only tries to understand our social situation, but to change it.”

The problem lies in how the “social situation” is interpreted.

Marx interpreted the “social situation” through what became known as conflict theory. Marx produced this doctrine as an economist. It states that society is in a perpetual conflict because of competition for limited resources. This creates the social situation of the rich versus the poor. Therefore, the social order can only be maintained through power and subjugation and not through consensus and conformity. Marx predicted that the “social situation” would only get worse and would only improve after the poor overthrown the rich and seized control of all social institutions.

Now, various critical theories have taken conflict theory and substituted - rich vs poor - with their own negative dichotomies. Feminist studies promotes the perpetual conflict between women and the patriarchy and CRT promotes the perpetual conflict between people of color and white supremacy, and these conflicts or negative dichotomies are presented to the public as the present “social condition”.

In other words, critical theories are about the present, not the past.

Many CRT sympathizers have accused CRT opponents of not wanting negative aspects of American history like slavery and Jim Crow taught in schools, but that is not the case, CRT opponents don’t oppose critical views of history, they oppose the indoctrination of negative dichotomies or conflict theory and its proposed solution.  

First published in New Pittsburgh Courier 7/28/21