Ibram X. Kendi sort of has a point in his piece in The Atlantic about critical race theory and how there’s no debate over it. His argument is that the debate that’s currently happening isn’t about critical race theory at all, but about an “imagined monster” made up by Republicans to scare people. It’s hardly different from the Washington Post’s recent piece on conservative activists “weaponizing” critical race theory, which it defines as “an academic framework centered on the idea that racism is systemic, and not just demonstrated by individual people with prejudices.”

Kendi instead uses Kimberlé Crenshaw’s definition instead: “a way of looking at law’s role platforming, facilitating, producing, and even insulating racial inequality in our country.” So, essentially, he’s using the argument that critical race theory is taught only in law schools. How, then, does he explain how teachers themselves are putting together talking points about critical race theory, and the NEA is voting to promote it? K-12 public schools aren’t teaching it, right?

Kendi says Republicans have created an “imagined monster” to fight against, so they’re really fighting against themselves:

There are differing points of view about race and racism. But what we are seeing and hearing on news shows, in school-district meetings, in op-ed pages, in legislative halls, and in social-media feeds aren’t multiple sides with differing points of view. There’s only one side in our so-called culture war right now.

…

The Republican operatives, who dismiss the expositions of critical race theorists and anti-racists in order to define critical race theory and anti-racism, and then attack those definitions, are effectively debating themselves. They have conjured an imagined monster to scare the American people and project themselves as the nation’s defenders from that fictional monster.

So all of those concerned parents “storming” school board meetings are Republican operatives?

Exactly.

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This from the guy who says there’s no such thing as “not racist” and wants it eliminated from our vocabulary. There’s only anti-racism, which you can read about in his books “How to Be an Antiracist” and “Antiracist Baby.”

Yep.

Yeah, like when Sen. Tim Scott said America wasn’t a racist country and Kendi countered that “the heartbeat of racism is denial,” making Scott a racist.

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Tags: activistscritical race theorydebateIbram X. Kendiimagined monsterrepublicansThe Atlantic