Why Won’t White Conservatives Admit That Their Issue Isn’t Critical Race Theory?

The real issue is anything that threatens white supremacist culture. Let’s go to school.

Maia Niguel Hoskin, Ph.D.
ZORA

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QAnon “Shaman” Jake Angeli at the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Image: Getty

Earlier this month, a video went viral of a man who criticized Critical Race Theory but at the same time could not define it. The man said that Critical Race Theory was the most crucial issue in the Virginia gubernatorial election but later he could not define the theoretical framework or justify his feelings against it. Go figure! The truth is many White Americans who oppose CRT are also completely unaware of what it is. But this is nothing new. It’s not uncommon for people to hold strong opinions about topics they are clueless about, yet claim to be an expert.

That said, many other White Americans who have expressed opposition to the theory are not guilty of having gaps in knowledge about it. Remaining blatantly and willfully remaining uneducated about CRT, yet obstinate about it, speaks to a deeper issue. Bigger still than anti-CRT issues is the general resistance of the CRT idea paired with — for many White Americans — a deeply rooted rage that stems from fear of anything they perceive to be a threat to their racial privilege. Their indignant and almost boastful resistance to familiarize themselves on the topic of basic U.S. history…

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Maia Niguel Hoskin, Ph.D.
ZORA
Editor for

@zora Guest Editor, Professor, Forbes Contributor, Race Scholar, Activist, Therapist, Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Wife, Mother, & Addict of Ice Cream &Cheese.