>>> THE NATIONAL EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION, THE COUNTRYS
LARGEST TEACHERS UNION, ADOPTED
A RESOLUTION LAST WEEK AT ITS
ANNUAL MEETING TO SUPPORT THE
TEACHING OF CRITICAL RALSCE
THEORY, OR CRT.
THE UNION OF MORE THAN 2 MILLION
EDUCATORS RESOLVE TO, QUOTE,
PUBLICLY CONVEY ITS SUPPORT FOR
THE ACCURATE AND HONEST TEACHING
OF UNPLEASANT ASPECTS OF
AMERICAN HISTORY, SUCH AS
SLAVERY AND THE OPPRESSION AND
DISCRIMINATION OF INDINL NUS,
BLACK, BROWN, AND OTHER PEOPLES
OF COLOR, AS WELL AS THE
CONTINUED IMPACT THIS HISTORY
HAS ON OUR CURRENT SOCIETY.
BUT A GROWING NUMBER OF
CONSERVATIVES CONSIDER CRT
DIVISIVE AND ANTI-AMERICAN.
JOINING US NOW, CONTRIBUTING
EDITOR AND FELLOW AT THE
MANHATTAN INSTITUTE, CHRISTOPHER
RUFELL, WHO "THE NEW YORKER"
CREDITS FOR EXTENSIVE RACE
THEORY.
HE WROTE MOST RECENTLY A "USA
TODAY" PIECE TITLED, WHAT I
DISCOVERED ABOUT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND WHY
IT SHOULDNT BE TAUGHT.
AND THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" CALLS IT A DANGEROUS IDEALOGY
CALLS IT A DANGEROUS IDEALOGY
THAT WILL TAKE RACISM INTO A
RETROGRADE.
>> THATS LIKE DR. EVILS FATHER
CLAIMING TO INVENT THE QUESTION
MARK.
IM DOUBTFUL.
BUT I DID LEARN ABOUT YOU,
CHRISTOPHER, FROM "THE NEW
YORKER" PROFILE, ALSO THE "WALL
STREET JOURNAL."
I WANT TO START WITH YOU AND
EDDIE BOTH.
GIVE ME A DEFINITION OF CRITICAL
RACE THEORY, BECAUSE IT IS
CONFUSING TO ME, AND I THINK
OTHER PEOPLE CONFUSE IT, AND
SOMETIMES ITS LIKE THIS
CATCH-ALL.
FOR INSTANCE, I AGREE WITH -- I
AGREE WITH NEA THAT OUR CHILDREN
SHOULD LEARN ABOUT SLAVERY.
WE SHOULD LEARN ABOUT THE
MISTAKES AND THE SINS THAT WEVE
MADE AS A COUNTRY.
I STILL BELIEVE IN AMERICAN
EXCEPTIONALISM.
BUT TEACHING SLAVERY AND
CRITICAL RACE THEORY, THOSE
ARENT THE SAME THINGS, ARE
THEY?
CHRISTOPHER, YOU FIRST.
>> THATS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST KIND
OF MISCONCEPTIONS.
YOU CAN TEACH ABOUT SLAVERY
WITHOUT TEACHING CRITICAL RACE
THEORY.
IT WAS FOUNDED ON RACISM, WHITE
SUPREMACY AND PATRIARCHY. CRITICAL RACE THEORY REFORM LATS
CRITICAL RACE THEORY REFORM LATS
THE OLD MARXIST DICHOTOMY, AND
THEY ARENT SAYING WE SHOULD
EXAMINE THE RACIAL INEQUALITY OR
RACIAL INJUSTICE, THEY CALL FOR
SOMETHING DEEPER.
THEY CALL INTO QUESTION THE
RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. THEY IMPOSE CAPITALISM AND
THEY IMPOSE CAPITALISM AND
BELIEVE A SYSTEM SHOULD BE
ADOPTED.
ITS ROOTED IN MARXISM AND IS
FRANKLY INAPPROPRIATE AS A
FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING CHILDREN.
>> SO, EDDIE, WHY DONT YOU GIVE
ME YOUR DEFINITION OF CRITICAL
RACE THEORY AND AT LEAST WHAT
YOUVE KNOWN IT TO BE AS YOUVE
BEEN AN ACADEMIA FOR SO MANY
YEARS.
>> SURE.
CRITICAL RACE THEORY EMERGES
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF LAW
SCHOOLS, JOE, IN RESPONSE
PARTICULARLY TO THE BACHI CASE
AS THEY TRIED TO THINK OF RACE,
RACISM AND THE LAW, THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROCESS AND
DUE PROCESS.
WE NEEDED TO EXPAND OUTWARD.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW RACE
FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE LAW.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THESE
BROADER AND SOCIAL REALITIES.
THERE IS A TENDENCY TO THINK
ABOUT THE U.S. IN A VERY COMPLEX
AND NUANCED WAY.
I THINK ITS VERY IMPORTANT THAT
YOUR OPENING QUESTION ACTUALLY
REVEALS SOMETHING.
CHRISTOPHER, IF I CAN CALL YOU
BY YOUR FIRST NAME, YOU ALREADY
EXPLAINED VERY EXPLICITLY THAT
THIS IS NOT ABOUT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, THIS IS ABOUT BRANDING.
YOU TWEETED IT.
THIS IS A FIRE SO CAPTURE ALL
THOSE THINGS THAT ARE UNPOPULAR
FOR AMERICANS.
PART OF WHAT I WANT TO SUGGEST,
JOE, IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT
WE ACTUALLY GET CRITICAL RACE
THEORY RIGHT, THATS NOT
ACTUALLY THE POINT THAT
CHRISTOPHER AND HIS ALLIES ARE
ENGAGED IN.
WHAT WE NEED TO BE ASKING IS WHY
ARE THEY DOING THAT AT THIS
POINT?
WHY ARE THEY MAKING THESE
ARGUMENTS AT THIS MOMENT?
>> SO, EDDIE, THOUGH, I HAVE
READ PIECES THAT SUGGEST THAT
CAPITALISM IS RACIST, THAT IF
IM A CAPITALIST, WHICH I
BELIEVE IN CAPITALISM, I BELIEVE
IN AMERICAN CAPITALISM, IT NEEDS
TO BE REFORMED.
JUST LIKE YOU AND I, I BELIEVE
WE DO HAVE TWO AMERICANS.
AND WE NEED TO WORK TOWARDS
MAKING IT ONE AMERICA.
BUT IS CAPITALISM, IF YOURE A
CAPITALIST, DOES CRITICAL RACE
THEORY SUGGEST THAT YOU ARE
RACIST AND THAT CAPITALISM IS
RACIST AND WE HAVE TO MOVE
BEYOND CAPITALISM?
>> IT CERTAINLY HOLDS -- LET ME
BE VERY CLEAR, IM NOT A CHRISTO
CRITICAL RACE THEORIST, BUT IT
CERTAINLY HOLDS ITS CLAIM THAT
CAPITALISM HAS ITS BEGINNINGS
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE
TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE.
SO THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED
RACIAL CAPITALISM THAT INVOLVES
THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN
PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPOSABLE.
AND TO THE EXTENT TO WHICH THEY
ARE DISPOSABLE BECAUSE OF THE
COLOR OF THEIR SKIN, IT ALLOWS
FOR THE ACCUMULATION OF SURPLUS
VALUE.
SO THATS A COMPLEX ARGUMENT
THAT IS TETHERED TO NOT JUST
CRITICAL RACE THEORY BUT
CRITICAL LEGAL STUDIES, WHICH IS
ALSO A FEATURE OF AMERICAN LAW
SCHOOLS THAT HASNT SOMEHOW
DRAWN THE IRE OF CHRISTOPHER
RUFO AND HIS ALLIES AND THOSE
FOLKS.
>> A COUPLE THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL, ITS NOT ACCURATE
TO SAY IM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT
THE SUBSTANCE.
IVE WRITTEN POLICY PAPERS,
WHITE PAPERS, IM DEEPLY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE.
WHAT IM CONCERNED ABOUT AND
WHAT MILLIONS OF PARENTS ARE
REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT IS THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING IN HUNDREDS
OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS
AND CHICAGO WHERE THEYRE
TEACHING CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS
KINDERGARTEN THAT WHITENESS IS
THE DEVIL AND ATTEMPTS TO LURE
PEOPLE INTO IT WITH THE PROMISE
OF STOLEN LAND AND STOLEN
RICHES.
THATS A BOOK BEING USED IN
HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS, AND PEOPLE
DONT THINK THATS RIGHT.
PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW WHERE IT
COMES FROM, PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW
WHAT IDEALOGIES INFORM IT --
>> WHATS THE NAME OF THAT BOOK,
JUST FOR THE RECORD?
WHATS THE NAME OF THAT BOOK?
>> THE BOOK IS CALLED "NOT MY
IDEA."
ITS BEING TAUGHT IN HUNDREDS OF
SCHOOLS IN ILLINOIS EXAMINEAND C
ITS ACTUALLY THE SUBJECT OF A
FEDERAL LAWSUIT BY A TEACHER
NAMED TERESA DEMAR BHOFS FORCEWH
FORCED TO TEACH IT.
YOU CAN RETREAT TO THE FEDERAL
TERRITORY AND SAYING ITS
LOOKING TO THE HISTORY OF RACISM
AND SOCIETY, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT
THE SPECIFICS, THEY ARE TELLING
KIDS THEY ARE FUNDAMENTALLY
RACIST BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF
THEIR SKIN.
THEYRE TELLING PEOPLE THEY
SHOULD FEEL SHAME, GUILT AND
ANGUISH BECAUSE OF THEIR INBORN
CHARACTERISTICS AND TRAITS.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF LESSONS
IVE UNCOVERED IN DOZENS OF
SCHOOLS.
ITS NOW BEING ENDORSED BY THE
NEA IN 14,000 SCHOOL DISTRICTS
ACROSS THE KUCHBT.COUNTRY.
AND YOU CANT RETREAT BECAUSE
PARENTS SEE WHAT THEIR CHILDREN