'You absolute hacks': PolitiFact examines why conservatives are trying to block Critical Race Theory, especially since it's not that big a deal

With Critical Race Theory being such a hot topic in the national conversation, it’s only natural that PolitiFact would tackle it.

And it’s only natural that this is how they’d tackle it:

Critical race theory is the new front in the Republican culture wars. It includes the idea of systemic racism, but is hard to define precisely, and it's unclear how much it shows up in the classroom. https://t.co/5yQhdp3cYC

— PolitiFact (@PolitiFact) May 25, 2021

Let PolitiFact be clear: the reason that Critical Race Theory is such a wedge issue is that conservatives and Republicans have made it one.

Conservative lawmakers in over a dozen states, including Missouri, Idaho, Tennessee, have introduced bills aimed at barring critical race theory in the classroom. The bills generally forbid teachers from offering any instruction that suggests that the United States is fundamentally racist, or that leads students to feel guilty for past actions by white people. Some of the bills expressly use the term “critical race theory” while others ban certain practices.

Educators warn that they will have their intended effect — turning teachers ultra-cautious, confining their lessons to a limited view of American history and current events.

“This will scare a lot of school districts,” said Columbia, Mo., high school social studies teacher Greg Simmons. “A lot of teachers don’t feel comfortable teaching around race anyway, and this will put a kibosh on all of that.”

Florida state Sen. Shevrin Jones, a South Florida Democrat and former public school teacher, said, “The crazy thing about this is, now critical race theory is not even taught in K-12 education.”

Regardless, Republicans are pressing the issue.

It’s hard to take this piece seriously, purporting it’s “unclear how much it shows up in the classroom” and it’s “hard to pin down” without referencing the extensively documented work of @realchrisrufo. Worse yet, it repeats the silly lie that these bills prohibit discussion.

— ∴ Nate Jacobson (@afterall_net) May 25, 2021

Good point, Nate, though you could’ve just ended the tweet after “It’s hard to take this piece seriously.”

It showed up at our kids’ high school.
Maybe do your freaking jobs and investigate.

— Hum Spot (@humspot1) May 25, 2021

Imagine writing all this and not including a single example of critical race theory in schools.

For your reference, you absolute hacks:https://t.co/JkuL0OPNd0

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) May 25, 2021

The "fact-checkers" can't find the Wuhan bat laboratory, Hunter Biden's laptop, or critical race theory in schools.

If they weren't blinded by partisanship, they could have easily found my extensive reporting on #CRTinSchools:https://t.co/GtUTeOfoQB https://t.co/odbqmN9WWi

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) May 25, 2021

Anyway, for what it’s worth:

Stop painting this as a partisan issue – plenty of people across the political spectrum dislike identity politics and think that judging and treating people differently based on the color of their skin is a step backwards for society.

— 🌺🏳️‍🌈Dr. Russian Bot 🏳️‍🌈🌺 (@sonysamurai75) May 25, 2021

It’s not just republicans. True liberals like myself, even here in Canada, a nation significantly less right wing than the US see the anti-liberal values it perpetuates. And to see how much is in classrooms, we need only look into critical pedagogy. https://t.co/R9k3x4vgu4

— Wes Jones (@WesDJones) May 25, 2021

This isn’t a partisan issue. I am a liberal and I am very much against this ideology.

— Chris Gibson (@Chris_Is_Tasty) May 25, 2021

Liberal here— the only reason I’m flirting with conservatism right now is because they’re the only ones standing up for us on this issue.

— Leafe Bettencourt (@Leafeb) May 25, 2021