10 Counterpoints…

…To The Nonsensical CRT List of “10 Ways You Can Actively Reject Your White Privilege”

source of this image here.

Critical Race Theory is unfortunately gaining in strength, with what seems to be more and more people, seemingly sane and logical in other aspects of life, suddenly starting to subscribe to its proclamations. The scary thing is the way it has been widely ingrained into institutions of education (yes, this is real…a club in a university devoted to “mobilizing white students in anti-racist education and organizing;” and even churches. Instead of continuing the progress we have made and continue to strive for a society where people are not “judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” as Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed, CRT (critical race theory) is now blaming white people for everything wrong, claiming racism is always and ever present, and the color of your skin (rather than actual intellectual capacity based on facts) determines your expertise.

CRT has given birth to this list of morally-superior, virtue-signaling, shame-centered actions specific, of course, to white people. It doesn’t take much intellectual firepower to logically ignore the list for its uselessness and idiocy right off the bat. However, in times as polarized as today, with so many people refusing any self-introspection or lending an ear to an opposing viewpoint, it is critical for anyone who is willing to openly state and show the baseness of these types of posts/lists/statements/etc. On that note, here are the 10 counterpoints to the above “ways you can actively reject your white privilege”

1. CRT List: Take up minimal space during anti-racism dialogues and protests.

1. Counterpoint: Understand that you and others, regardless of race, have the right to equal space to talk and listen in dialogues regarding racism.

• you live in a free society, and you are a citizen of that society regardless of your race. Martin Luther King Jr. died for the dream that people will not allow the color of their skin to determine their own character, nor anyone else’s. No one is less than, nor higher than, you. So why try to actively take up less, or more, space? There is value in hearing people, regardless of race. The fact of an individual being white does not mean they have committed any sin for which they should repent. You cannot choose the skin you are born in, so why make it the central focus of anything pertinent to societal issues that requiring free and critical thinking, and the necessity of moral and ethical choices to be made?

2. CRT List: Stop contributing to gentrification and calling it “urban development.”

2. Counterpoint: Notice racism and any other injustice where it is actually happening and stand up against it, while recognizing that not everything is about race and social problems are more complicated than that (ie: gentrification is also a class/inequality issue).

• Looking at something as controversial and complicated as gentrification and automatically attributing it to the supposed evil of white skin denies any nuance of the subject. It automatically pretends to know that only white people are moving in to these neighborhoods, and only minorities are displaced. In cases where displacement happens, how is it assumed no minorities are part of it? Neither does it leave room for any research such as studies mentioned in this article in “The Atlantic” to sway a “believer” of CRT from the already made up view of the supposed racism. The fact that studies have shown gentrification to not only not cause displacement, but lead to diversity in levels higher than those neighborhoods not gentrified, cannot highlighted because it will disrupt the narrative.

3. CRT List: Listen when people call you on your microaggressions.

3. Counterpoint: Listen to anyone that would like to talk with you, and anyone that feels wronged by you in general, regardless of race. Have the courage to speak up when blamed for “unconscious bias.” Guilt requires intent.

• It is assumed in CRT that white people are the only race capable of racism. A basic definition of racism can logically disprove that claim — racism is defined: “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” Note the *typically* before minority or marginalized. We are all human. Despite our differences, we have the same brains, same bodies, and given the scientifically sound field of psychology, pretty similar ways of thinking and coping. It does not make sense, then, that one group of people (white people) are the only group in the whole human race capable of harboring the negative feelings/thoughts associated with racism against others. There are racists of all colors. The sooner we can admit the truth, the sooner we can go about continuing to work to fix the issue. All that to say, white people are not the only ones that can hurt others. Nor are white people, or any one for that matter, guilty of a perceived “microaggression” based on “unconscious” racism. Intent matters. If I accidently bumped into you and you fell, I would feel bad. I cannot though, be guilty of malice towards you because it was an accident. An accident is defined as: “an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.” It may also be an accident that whoever you are interacting with committed. Your perception of my bumping into you as intentional does not make it so. Hence, talking to each other may shed light on the fact that the accident was the perception of intent to harm. A perceived act does not equate to reality. So, a perceived “microaggression” does not necessarily equate to the reality of a situation. Listen, but also stand up for yourself if you are wronged — no matter the color of your skin.

4. CRT List: Never invite people of color to the table for the sake of claiming diversity.

4. Counterpoint: Never invite anyone to the table, regardless of race, with maligned motives. Otherwise, invite anyone you want.

• This is basic common sense…basic ethical standards for all human beings. This is not exclusive to white people. You live in a free society and are therefore free to invite whoever you want, wherever you want. It is your prerogative, regardless of the color of your skin. If, however, you invite someone solely for the selfish purpose of a virtue signal such as diversity, inclusivity, or any other intent that is there solely for your own gain, you are making a bad choice as a human being. If you are a black person and are inviting a white person to the table solely to say you had a white person there and it was therefore not an exclusive and discriminatory in nature meeting, that is a bad choice as a human being. (note though, there are many groups proudly discriminating and excluding other races, without any social backlash).

5. CRT List: Refrain from using your non-white [sic] friends as your “urban dictionary.”

5. Counterpoint: Remember that honest questions directed at more knowledgeable people are ok, regardless of their race. Intent matters.

• If you are someone who lives in the suburbs, what is the problem with asking someone from the city and “street” language that you don’t understand? When did curiosity and the attempt to gain more knowledge, or step out of your own box, become a bad thing? Honest inquiry cannot be shamed and made to be part of a “privilege.” Regardless or race, if someone does not understand something and is trying to understand it, should they not ask the person familiar with the subject? What does the color of your skin have to do with this? If the intent is purely a curiosity of something unfamiliar to you, then nothing you can ask is truly offensive. The perception of an offense does not necessarily represent reality. Stepping out of all or nothing thinking and allowing space to see none of this has to do with white privilege but rather human relations in general is the only way to understand that reality is not how you feel, but rather something to be found in the nuances of human interaction and thought.

6. CRT List: Stop lifting up non-confrontational people of color as examples of what POC activism should be.

6. Counterpoint: Activism is activism. Regardless of race. Pointing to people who are activists without being disrespectful or violent (regardless of race) does not equate to them being non confrontational. It is ok to show examples of a better way to do things.

• There is no such thing as a certain way “POC activism” should be, just like there is no such thing as “white activism.” Why? Because we are all people. Activists are people, regardless of race. Uplifting voices that do not support violence and riots does not mean they are “non-confrontational.” Martin Luther King Jr. confronted Jim Crow. He stood up and demanded justice. He was nothing less than confrontational in the most needed way. He was also an avid supporter of “nonviolent resistance” and talked at length of the virtues and positive effects of meeting injustice with nonviolence. Reading through his speeches and writings, there are multiple examples of his beliefs on this: “civilization and violence are antithetical concepts;” “I am concerned about a better world…about justice…about brotherhood…about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence;” “hate is too great a burden to bear.” The list goes on and on. You can find these, and more of his ideas on this, in this book. Most of the heroes of history chose nonviolence in the face of injustice. That is not “non-confrontational;” it is brave, courageous, aspiring, inspiring, and an example of a virtuous and moral individual. Something we should all, as humans, try to be.

7. CRT List: Call your friends, family, and co-workers out on racism — even if a POC isn’t in the room.

7. Counterpoint: Call out friends, family, or co-workers on racism — regardless of their race. Racism is not an action or sentiment that only occurs in white people.

• Being a just and courageous human being is not something to show off. If that is your intent, no matter what you are doing, you are missing the point. As John Wooden has famously stated, “be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are…the true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.” This has, again, nothing to do with being white. If you are human, this applies to you. Gandhi said “it is the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important.” The right thing, the important thing, is to be courageous enough to call anyone, no matter who they are, out on racism. Regardless of who is or is not there. Yes white people can be racist. Yes, black people, brown people, and people of all races can be racist too. I mean, these people want to build a whole city of black people, and “black allies.” Not sure who borders more on racism — a group of people wanting a whole city for themselves, or white people just because they are white?

8. CRT List: Understand that all anti-racism work doesn’t look the same and advocate accordingly.

8. Counterpoint: Understand that to truly be anti-race requires humility and ability to think beyond race; an ability to think critically and reject ideological all-or-nothing thought processes.

• The work should start within. It is not up to us (as sole individuals) to change the world, and we cannot try to change anything until we are able to look within, in our own biases and wrongdoings, and admit we have work to do within ourselves. If we can admit that, we can work on that, and we can therefore have empathy for all other human beings knowing that we are all flawed. It is only then that we can start to dismantle the “us vs them” mentality that the “anti-racists” have, which only keeps dividing people and painting all that don’t agree as evil. We can see that the people who don’t agree with us are still people, and are owed space and to be listened to just as much as the people who agree with us. It is only then that we can bridge gaps and move forward.

9. CRT List: Realize that all discussions about race aren’t for you. And be okay with it.

9. Counterpoint: Recognize that discussions of any kind in general may not be for you, given that closed groups may not want you there — regardless of your race. However, if a discussion is centered on a social issue, you (regardless of your race, as a citizen living in said society) have just as much right as anyone else to talk about the issue.

• If the closest university to you in having a meeting to discuss race, or anything else, as it appears on campus, that meeting is obviously for students, faculty, and employees only. You, if you do not go to the university, don’t have much to add to that — it is a closed group. However, if a discussion is happening on a *public* forum and involves a cultural/societal issue of the day, you (regardless of the color of your skin, as a citizen of said society) have every right to join, talk, and listen. It is not up to any one race, group, or individual to tell you not to do so. That is the point of living in a free society, and enjoying freedom of speech.

10. CRT List: Recognize that you’re still racist. No matter what.

10. Counterpoint: Recognize that someone else calling you a racist doesn’t make you one. Your actions and the inner work will help you determine where you stand. You are not racist based solely on the fact that you are any one race; recognize if anyone tells you that you are, solely based on your race, they are actively practicing racism and are, therefore, racist.

• No one is inherently nor irredeemably racist. There is no more to say than that. If you believe someone is, based purely on the color of their skin, then you are actively judging someone based on the amount of melanin in their skin. You are the one practicing racism. And an ideological conviction that allows this belief is racist. And regressive. And has no business in society today.

Till next time,

-Sensible.