>>> THE RIGHT’S OBSESSION WITH
REWRITING HISTORY WHEN IT COMES
TO SLAVERY AND RACISM HAS
DISTURBING PRECEDENT IN
AUTHORITARIAN HIM.
TIMOTHY SCHNEIDER NOTES THAT
REPUBLICANS BANNING CRITICAL
RACE THEORY TAKES A PAGE FROM
RUSSIA’S PLAYBOOK, USING MEMORY
LOSS TO REWRITE THE PAST.
MEMORY LAWS ARRIVED IN MOMENT OF
CULTURAL PANIC, WHEN NATIONAL
POLITICIANS ARE RAILING AGAINST
TRADITIONALIST TEACHINGS.
IN RUSSIA IT’S THOSE WHO WRITE
CRITICALLY ABOUT STALIN OR
HONESTLY ABOUT THE SECOND WORLD
WAR. TENDS TO MEAN THE PARTS OF
TENDS TO MEAN THE PARTS OF
HISTORY THAT CHALLENGES THEIR
RIGHTEOUS
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
SHOULDN’T HAVE TO FEEL NEGATIVE
EMOTIONS AND DIFFICULT SUBJECTS
SHOULD BE KEPT FROM US.
HE JOINS ME NOW.
SO GEEKED OUT WE MANAGED TO BOOK
YOU.
SAW NICOLE TWEET OUT YOUR ESSAY
AND I READ IT TWICE, SO GOOD AND
FASCINATE
FASCINATING.
EXPLAIN MEMORY LAWS.
>> SO GLAD TO BE TALKING TO YOU
AND HAVE A CHANCE TO TALK ABOUT
THIS.
I’M AN AMERICAN AND HISTORIAN,
BUT WORK MOSTLY IN OTHER
COUNTRIES.
WHEN I SAW THESE LAWS PASSED IN
THE UNITED STATES AND DISCUSSED,
I WAS REMINDED OF THINGS WE’VE
SEEN IN EASTERN EUROPE,
PARTICULARLY IN RUSSIA.
BASIC IDEA OF MEMORY LAW IS MAKE
GOVERNING VERY EASY FOR
AUTHORITARIAN REGIME BECAUSE IT
PUTS EVERYTHING INTO THE PAST
AND CATERS TO EMOTIONS OF
MAJORITY.
TEACH THE POPULATION AND RAISE
THE CHILDREN TO THINK THE PAST
IS THERE TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD
AND THE FUTURE GOES AWAY.
AND EVERYONE LACKS THE FACTS
THEY NEED TO BECOME AWARE
CITIZENS.
CITIZENSHIP BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE.
CAN ONLY BE A GOOD CITIZEN IF
YOU KNOW THE DIFFICULT TRUTHS
ABOUT YOUR OWN COUNTRY.
YOU CAN ONLY RAISE PEOPLE TO BE
CITIZENS IF YOU EDUCATE THEM IN
SUCH A WAY, THEY’RE LOOKING FOR
DIFFICULT TRUTHS SO WHEN THEY
GROW UP THEY KNOW HOW TO
CHALLENGE POWER.
THAT’S THE WAY DEMOCRACY HAS TO
WORK.
>> IN THE PAST THE MEMORY LAWS
WERE NOT REALLY LAWS BUT
BULLYING.
DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY
ENFORCED THAT STORIES OF SLAVERY
BE TOLD FROM CONFEDERATE’S POINT
OF VIEW, SEEN FOR DECADES, NOW
SEEING CRITICAL RACE THEORY
BILLS THAT TONIGHT HAVE ANYTHING
TO DO WITH REAL CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, ALL HAVE THE SAME
LANGUAGE, ARIZONA, IOWA, TEXAS.
INDIVIDUAL SHOULD FEEL
DISCOMFORT, GUILTY, ANGUISH OR
ANOTHER FORM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL
DISTRESS BECAUSE OF RACE.
BARS ANY TEACHING TO FEEL
DISCOMFORT BECAUSE OF THEIR
RACE.
MEANING YOU CAN’T TEACH LET’S
SAY ABOUT JIM CROW OR ABOUT RUBY
BRIDGES IN A WAY THAT SAYS THOSE
WHITE PEOPLE WERE SCREAMING AT RUBY BRIDGES, THAT MAKES THE
RUBY BRIDGES, THAT MAKES THE
WHITE KIDS FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE.
CAN’T SAY JIM CROW WAS DONE BY
WHITE PEOPLE BECAUSE FEEL
UNCOMFORTABLE THOSE ARE MEMORY
LAWS RIGHT?
>> LOOK AT TWO COUNTRIES FOR
AUTHORITARIAN PATTERNS.
ONE, IF YOU PUT CENSORSHIP LAWS
OVER THE HEADS OF TEACHERS,
TEACHERS HAVE TO SELF-CENSOR.
I TEACH HISTORY, MAKING UP
LESSON PLANS LIKE THOUSANDS OF
TEACHERS ARE IN JULY FOR
SEPTEMBER.
I KNOW THE TEACHERS ARE THINKING
ABOUT THESE LAWS, WHAT THEY CAN
AND CAN’T TEACH.
AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE VERY
CONSERVATIVE THIS FALL AND TEACH
WORSE AND STUDENTS WILL SUFFER
AS A RESULT OF IT.
THAT’S ONE WAY AUTHORITARIANISM
WORKS.
SELF-CENSORSHIP.
OTHER WAY, STATE LAWS DOWN THE
LAW OF WHAT DOESN’T WANT TO
HAPPEN, WHAT SHOULD OR SHOULDN’T
HAPPEN AND EXPECTS PEOPLE TO
RISE UP AND RESPOND.
THAT’S WHAT IS HAPPENING,
TEACHERS FIRED IN TENNESSEE AND
COURSES CANCELED IN OKLAHOMA,
PEOPLE AUTHORIZED TO ENFORCE
THEIR VIEWS OF WHAT SHOULD BE
TAUGHT.
UNFORTUNATELY AMERICANS RESPOND
THAT JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE
DOES.
>> DO WE HAVE TO THINK OF
TEACHERS BEING ARRESTED,
STUDENTS WHO DON’T LIKE THEIR
HISTORY TEACHER NAMING THEM,
SAYING THEY WERE TEACHING THINGS
THAT MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE AS
WHITE STUDENT, TALKING ABOUT
ARRESTS?
WHAT ARE WE REALISTICALLY BEING
WORRIED ABOUT?
>> LAWS PROVE THAT CRITICAL RACE
THEORY IS TRUE.
IF YOU’RE ON THE FENCE, THESE
LAWS PROVE IT’S TRUE.
PEOPLE PASSING LAWS SAYING WE’RE
NOT RACIST, THIS IS NEUTRAL.
THEY’RE AIMING AT CONCEPT OF
RACISM THAT ONLY MAKES SENSE TO
WHITE PEOPLE, IT’S JUST FEELING
DISCOMFORT.
RIGHT?
SAD TO SAY, THAT’S NOT A CONCEPT
OF RACISM THAT MAKES SENSE TO
ANYBODY NOT WHITE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
AND AUTHORIZING FOLKS AS YOU SAY
TO SAY LOOK, TALKING ABOUT
LYNCHING MAKES ME FEEL
UNCOMFORTABLE.
TALKING ABOUT VOTER SUPPRESSION
MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY.
GUILT AND SHAME -- WE SHOULD
FEEL GUILTY ABOUT LYNCHING AND
ASHAMED OF VOTER SUPPRESSION,
NORMAL HUMAN EMOTIONS PART OF
GROWING UP AND TEACHING.
I TEACH DIFFICULT THINGS AND MY
STUDENTS GO THROUGH DIFFICULT
MOMENTS IN ORDER TO LEARN.
PERFECTLY NATURAL.
LAWS PUT TEACHERS IN POSITION OF
BEING DENOUNCED BY STUDENTS AND
PARENTS.
ANYBODY WHO HAS STUDIED HISTORY
KNOWS THAT’S THE PURPOSE.
THAT’S THE POINT.
THAT’S WHAT IS NOW SUPPOSED TO
HAPPEN.
>> I HAVE TAUGHT LYNCHING TO
PREDOMINANTLY WHITE STUDENTS,
IT’S UNCOMFORTABLE, AND FACED IT
BETTER THAN A LOT OF THESE
ADULTS.
AND WHO FEELS UNCOMFORTABLE
SEEING BODIES OF LYNCHED PEOPLE?