I think what he’s trying to say (his misunderstanding) is that he thinks Critical Race Theory (and all teaching about racism and its effects) inherently and unfairly labels all white people as “racist” and that that - in an of itself - is racist against white people.
His misunderstanding is that what he’s actually feeling is accountability and guilt. He doesn’t like feeling held responsible for situations that he feels weren’t or aren’t within his direct control. It makes him feel judged as being “bad” merely for existing.
When in reality, the only “bad” he is doing is fighting against the measures (like education) that bring equality, and/or doing nothing - by refraining from supporting those measures.
He doesn’t feel it should be his responsibility to compensate for the actions of his ancestors and the ancestors of other white people, that led to situations of inequality that still exist today. And he also doesn’t want to be held accountable for situations in the present day that disadvantage and treat minorities unfairly either.
He doesn’t feel that it is within his scope of responsibility to ensure that minorities can enjoy the same quality of life as the majority.
In the twisted heart of people like this is that they genuinely believe in their inherent superiority. White people persecuting black people is just the natural order of things. Accusing them of atrocity for that is racist, like making fun of a black person for their hair. He just can’t come out and say that.
As a white person and former conservative, I can tell you flat out that most of these people don’t believe that white people are inherently superior. But they still harbor racist attitudes and viewpoints. It’s a weird mental gymnastics. And a LOT of it comes down to them being taught eugenics and social Darwinism.
I dunno. I’ve never been very conservative but I’m a white man who spent much of my life doing blue collar work in small town Missouri and people make assumptions about such a person. Did people tell me they thought minorities were inferior? No, not often, but they were assumed to be lazy, or dishonest, or criminal (often by lazy dishonest criminals).
The thought that they had been better off as slaves than they had been in Africa, or that George Floyd got what he deserved was pretty common. And many of the people I worked with were black, some of the people who held these views would have called them friends; but they never would have acknowledged them as equals, not if they weren’t around. It was just a sort of tribalism that no one really explored or talked about it.
I’m not disagreeing with you. I’m sure your lived experience is different from mine. But people like that may not be as rare as you think.
I think what he’s trying to say (his misunderstanding) is that he thinks Critical Race Theory (and all teaching about racism and its effects) inherently and unfairly labels all white people as “racist” and that that - in an of itself - is racist against white people.
His misunderstanding is that what he’s actually feeling is accountability and guilt. He doesn’t like feeling held responsible for situations that he feels weren’t or aren’t within his direct control. It makes him feel judged as being “bad” merely for existing.
When in reality, the only “bad” he is doing is fighting against the measures (like education) that bring equality, and/or doing nothing - by refraining from supporting those measures.
He doesn’t feel it should be his responsibility to compensate for the actions of his ancestors and the ancestors of other white people, that led to situations of inequality that still exist today. And he also doesn’t want to be held accountable for situations in the present day that disadvantage and treat minorities unfairly either.
He doesn’t feel that it is within his scope of responsibility to ensure that minorities can enjoy the same quality of life as the majority.
That’s what it all comes down to.
In the twisted heart of people like this is that they genuinely believe in their inherent superiority. White people persecuting black people is just the natural order of things. Accusing them of atrocity for that is racist, like making fun of a black person for their hair. He just can’t come out and say that.
I seriously doubt he feels guilty.
As a white person and former conservative, I can tell you flat out that most of these people don’t believe that white people are inherently superior. But they still harbor racist attitudes and viewpoints. It’s a weird mental gymnastics. And a LOT of it comes down to them being taught eugenics and social Darwinism.
I dunno. I’ve never been very conservative but I’m a white man who spent much of my life doing blue collar work in small town Missouri and people make assumptions about such a person. Did people tell me they thought minorities were inferior? No, not often, but they were assumed to be lazy, or dishonest, or criminal (often by lazy dishonest criminals).
The thought that they had been better off as slaves than they had been in Africa, or that George Floyd got what he deserved was pretty common. And many of the people I worked with were black, some of the people who held these views would have called them friends; but they never would have acknowledged them as equals, not if they weren’t around. It was just a sort of tribalism that no one really explored or talked about it.
I’m not disagreeing with you. I’m sure your lived experience is different from mine. But people like that may not be as rare as you think.
I think we’re saying the same thing.