I found this via link in an NYT article about Kendi, a tiny, blue highlight in a single sentence mentioning that some scholars disagree.
As a longtime teacher in all-black schools, I’ve long felt we do our students a disservice when we emphasize that “white people are trying to keep you down”. It’s not true in my lifetime, and it doesn’t inspire the kind of optimism that drives achievement.
I wish Glenn came back to his Christian understanding and following Christ. That is what encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. He is a brilliant man who I pray will love the Lord again. Blessings to him and his family!
Christianity was THE animating motivation for abolishing slavery, embodied in Wilberforce. Because Jesus died for all, loved all, respected all equally, Paul taught as correllary that there was "no Jew, no Greek, no man, no woman, no slave, nor free in Christ". He was able to eliminate all class distinctions ONLY because of the ground-breaking theology that Christ introduced. Without it, slavery would almost surely be an enduring institution today. I would humbly suggest you read Dominion by scholar Tom Holland. It may help your historical perspective. I don't say this arrogantly or with condescension. But your statement is based in ignorance, perhaps tinged with prejudicial thinking.
> It will get you “equity,” in the Kendian sense of the word, but it won’t get you a racial parity of standing. It won’t get you equality of respect. It will not give you objective mastery. It’ll not give you the solid foundation on which your status should stand. Instead, as petitioner for “equity,” you become a ward, you become a client. Your position is by their leave. It’s because they are sorry for you. It’s because they are guilty about what they take to be their role in your circumstance. That, my friend, is not equality.
This gives voice to exactly what I’ve been feeling the last couple of years. Maybe it’s because I come from a Muslim country and we’re excessively prideful people. But the feeling of being felt sorry for drives me nuts. Nothing Ann Coulter has ever said has bothered me one bit, but white liberals lecturing about “how America damages black and brown people” feels so goddamn demeaning.
Glenn, I am amazed and inspired by your courage and intellect. Thank-you for speaking clearly and truthfully. You benefit all people by sharing your learned views. I appreciate that you have sacrificed much in being honest and visible. Please consider writing about my hometown of Philly where we have over 500 murders per year, over 1,500 shootings per year, and many more car jackings and assaults. 92% black on black crime. Near zero arrests, prosecutions or incarceration. Come see what the Democratic Machine and education system has done to the blacks in Philly.
Is there a more brain-dead concept than to empower the government to fight "income inequality"? What sane, normal, rational human being thinks that human talent, drive, interests and opportunity can -- or should -- result in equal outcomes? The real question before the United States now is this: after 56 years of minority preference with Affirmative Action, should blacks or any other ethnicity have special privileges based on race? Should blacks receive university admissions and jobs when they are tangibly less qualified than whites and Asians competing for the same university admissions and jobs. With LBJ’s Civil Rights Act of 1965 and its offspring Affirmative Action we have gone from legally discriminating against Blacks to legally discriminating against Whites. Before the whole thing blows up into a live race war we should try a legal merit system where all are treated equally by government without regards to race. Though I think politically the chance for successful implementation of a racially blind meritocracy has long passed, I think it's worth trying before the civil war inevitably occurs.
Thank you Glenn. You say what many white people are no longer able to say, it is usually social or economic and less racial issues that continue to create these differences.
Glenn, I'm sorry that your Celtics lost to my Warriors last June! I was fortunate enough to attend both games 4 and 6 and got to see the Dubs hoist the championship trophy at TD Garden after closing out the series in game 6. The Celtics are looking good again this year, but I still have doubts about their playoff poise.
So good. Would love to hear you dig into why the woke narrative is so alluring to so many. As Shelby Steele called it "the poetic truth"...why is the poetic truth so potent?
Interesting how the loudest champions of anti-racism are black people who have somehow managed to succeed despite the horrible no good very bad system in place. How did that happen, because these folks would be far more credible in saying "I succeeded and you can, too, by doing some of these things" instead promoting an ideology that is intentionally divisive.
Besides that, the fixation on judging all past people and events by present standards is among the most intellectually dishonest strategies ever. It also illustrates why we can't "move past" whatever the subject is. There is a financial incentive, status, and possible political power in not doing so. What would Henry Rogers be without his schtick? Would anyone know Nicole Hannah-Jones without her project? The same can apply to a white person like Robin DeAngelo. This racket is defined by the need to perpetuate issues and to marinate in old grievances rather than to note the changes and progress that have occurred over time.
Anti-racist should mean the absence of using race as an excuse, justification, rationale, or explanation for outcomes. Here we are, approaching another MLK day and the character-over-color part keeps receding further into the background. I fail to see how this development is in any way beneficial to society. It is, however, very beneficial to those who benefit from the perpetuation of past issues, which means it is not going to stop. Our grandchildren's grandchildren will be stuck in many of these same pointless arguments, relitigating a past that none of can change, refusing to learn a thing from that past, and purposely ignoring how the present is markedly different.
"Interesting how the loudest champions of anti-racism are black people who have somehow managed to succeed despite the horrible no good very bad system in place."
THANK YOU, Professor Loury for this, which encapsulates how I feel "antiracism" does a total disservice to Black people: "It won’t get you equality of respect. It will not give you objective mastery. It’ll not give you the solid foundation on which your status should stand. Instead, as petitioner for “equity,” you become a ward, you become a client. Your position is by their leave. It’s because they are sorry for you. It’s because they are guilty about what they take to be their role in your circumstance. That, my friend, is not equality." I find it hard to get my "woke" colleagues to understand that while viscerally it feels good to make white folks cower and apologize, you are still defining your empowerment at the behest of, or in reaction to, or via the sufferance of those you consider your "oppressors." This may feel powerful in this moment, but ultimately it will prove a source of great disempowerment.
What happens when those white folks stop cowering and apologizing? Because the idea that "nothing has changed" in the past 50-100 years is so devoid of truth that anyone believing it cannot be taken seriously. That does not mean society is perfect but if perfection is one's goal, then be ready for perpetual disappointment. Perhaps the larger issue is that grievance is an industry, one that relies on stoking discontent for its very survival and often reducing its supposed beneficiaries to little more than pawns and mascots.
My belief is that until a critical mass of folks--white and other--who see the truth and are willing to challenge or say NO to these destructive scorched earth tactics, it will continue to entrench itself in all areas of public life. When enough folks call bullshit it will recede. I'm skeptical of performative and ritualistic "trigger events" and "disruption incidents" in which folks scream that someone's mere presence and their ideas, or some loaded word uttered by the wrong person, or some historical fact, or the witnessing of a mere depiction of something having to do with race has "caused harm" or trauma. I've witnessed this phenomenon. Andrew Doyle likens these debacles to the paroxysms and shrieking of the accusing teenage girls of the Salem witch hysteria. My comparison is to a 1961 episode of "The Twilight Zone" in which a five year old boy holds his family and community in a state of terror as he has the power to gruesomely transform anyone who disagrees with or contradicts him, and then disappear that person "to the cornfield." In fact, I use the phrase to describe "cancellation." I recommend anyone who hasn't seen it, to do so. The episode is "It's a Good Life" and stars Billy Mumy of "Lost in Space" fame, and the late, great Cloris Leachman.
The “anti-racism” fever must be breaking!
I found this via link in an NYT article about Kendi, a tiny, blue highlight in a single sentence mentioning that some scholars disagree.
As a longtime teacher in all-black schools, I’ve long felt we do our students a disservice when we emphasize that “white people are trying to keep you down”. It’s not true in my lifetime, and it doesn’t inspire the kind of optimism that drives achievement.
I'm searching for answers and I'm left with none???
Always enjoy hearing that empty suit get smacked around.
I wish Glenn came back to his Christian understanding and following Christ. That is what encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. He is a brilliant man who I pray will love the Lord again. Blessings to him and his family!
Christianity was THE animating motivation for abolishing slavery, embodied in Wilberforce. Because Jesus died for all, loved all, respected all equally, Paul taught as correllary that there was "no Jew, no Greek, no man, no woman, no slave, nor free in Christ". He was able to eliminate all class distinctions ONLY because of the ground-breaking theology that Christ introduced. Without it, slavery would almost surely be an enduring institution today. I would humbly suggest you read Dominion by scholar Tom Holland. It may help your historical perspective. I don't say this arrogantly or with condescension. But your statement is based in ignorance, perhaps tinged with prejudicial thinking.
He's kind of a black Jordan Peterson sometimes.
> It will get you “equity,” in the Kendian sense of the word, but it won’t get you a racial parity of standing. It won’t get you equality of respect. It will not give you objective mastery. It’ll not give you the solid foundation on which your status should stand. Instead, as petitioner for “equity,” you become a ward, you become a client. Your position is by their leave. It’s because they are sorry for you. It’s because they are guilty about what they take to be their role in your circumstance. That, my friend, is not equality.
This gives voice to exactly what I’ve been feeling the last couple of years. Maybe it’s because I come from a Muslim country and we’re excessively prideful people. But the feeling of being felt sorry for drives me nuts. Nothing Ann Coulter has ever said has bothered me one bit, but white liberals lecturing about “how America damages black and brown people” feels so goddamn demeaning.
Glenn, I am amazed and inspired by your courage and intellect. Thank-you for speaking clearly and truthfully. You benefit all people by sharing your learned views. I appreciate that you have sacrificed much in being honest and visible. Please consider writing about my hometown of Philly where we have over 500 murders per year, over 1,500 shootings per year, and many more car jackings and assaults. 92% black on black crime. Near zero arrests, prosecutions or incarceration. Come see what the Democratic Machine and education system has done to the blacks in Philly.
Is there a more brain-dead concept than to empower the government to fight "income inequality"? What sane, normal, rational human being thinks that human talent, drive, interests and opportunity can -- or should -- result in equal outcomes? The real question before the United States now is this: after 56 years of minority preference with Affirmative Action, should blacks or any other ethnicity have special privileges based on race? Should blacks receive university admissions and jobs when they are tangibly less qualified than whites and Asians competing for the same university admissions and jobs. With LBJ’s Civil Rights Act of 1965 and its offspring Affirmative Action we have gone from legally discriminating against Blacks to legally discriminating against Whites. Before the whole thing blows up into a live race war we should try a legal merit system where all are treated equally by government without regards to race. Though I think politically the chance for successful implementation of a racially blind meritocracy has long passed, I think it's worth trying before the civil war inevitably occurs.
She already knows better than to bother me with her "issues." That's what her girlfriends are for...
Thank you Glenn. You say what many white people are no longer able to say, it is usually social or economic and less racial issues that continue to create these differences.
Glenn, I'm sorry that your Celtics lost to my Warriors last June! I was fortunate enough to attend both games 4 and 6 and got to see the Dubs hoist the championship trophy at TD Garden after closing out the series in game 6. The Celtics are looking good again this year, but I still have doubts about their playoff poise.
We'll see, Yan Shen! We'll see :-)
So good. Would love to hear you dig into why the woke narrative is so alluring to so many. As Shelby Steele called it "the poetic truth"...why is the poetic truth so potent?
Wokeism is the new religion.
Agree. Denial of Socratic dialogue is a prima facia case for tautological, fascist thoughts.
"He doesn’t want to debate you. He said he’s not interested in you or John [McWhorter]."
Well, that's a problem right there.
Interesting how the loudest champions of anti-racism are black people who have somehow managed to succeed despite the horrible no good very bad system in place. How did that happen, because these folks would be far more credible in saying "I succeeded and you can, too, by doing some of these things" instead promoting an ideology that is intentionally divisive.
Besides that, the fixation on judging all past people and events by present standards is among the most intellectually dishonest strategies ever. It also illustrates why we can't "move past" whatever the subject is. There is a financial incentive, status, and possible political power in not doing so. What would Henry Rogers be without his schtick? Would anyone know Nicole Hannah-Jones without her project? The same can apply to a white person like Robin DeAngelo. This racket is defined by the need to perpetuate issues and to marinate in old grievances rather than to note the changes and progress that have occurred over time.
Anti-racist should mean the absence of using race as an excuse, justification, rationale, or explanation for outcomes. Here we are, approaching another MLK day and the character-over-color part keeps receding further into the background. I fail to see how this development is in any way beneficial to society. It is, however, very beneficial to those who benefit from the perpetuation of past issues, which means it is not going to stop. Our grandchildren's grandchildren will be stuck in many of these same pointless arguments, relitigating a past that none of can change, refusing to learn a thing from that past, and purposely ignoring how the present is markedly different.
"Interesting how the loudest champions of anti-racism are black people who have somehow managed to succeed despite the horrible no good very bad system in place."
Like the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement?
THANK YOU, Professor Loury for this, which encapsulates how I feel "antiracism" does a total disservice to Black people: "It won’t get you equality of respect. It will not give you objective mastery. It’ll not give you the solid foundation on which your status should stand. Instead, as petitioner for “equity,” you become a ward, you become a client. Your position is by their leave. It’s because they are sorry for you. It’s because they are guilty about what they take to be their role in your circumstance. That, my friend, is not equality." I find it hard to get my "woke" colleagues to understand that while viscerally it feels good to make white folks cower and apologize, you are still defining your empowerment at the behest of, or in reaction to, or via the sufferance of those you consider your "oppressors." This may feel powerful in this moment, but ultimately it will prove a source of great disempowerment.
What happens when those white folks stop cowering and apologizing? Because the idea that "nothing has changed" in the past 50-100 years is so devoid of truth that anyone believing it cannot be taken seriously. That does not mean society is perfect but if perfection is one's goal, then be ready for perpetual disappointment. Perhaps the larger issue is that grievance is an industry, one that relies on stoking discontent for its very survival and often reducing its supposed beneficiaries to little more than pawns and mascots.
My belief is that until a critical mass of folks--white and other--who see the truth and are willing to challenge or say NO to these destructive scorched earth tactics, it will continue to entrench itself in all areas of public life. When enough folks call bullshit it will recede. I'm skeptical of performative and ritualistic "trigger events" and "disruption incidents" in which folks scream that someone's mere presence and their ideas, or some loaded word uttered by the wrong person, or some historical fact, or the witnessing of a mere depiction of something having to do with race has "caused harm" or trauma. I've witnessed this phenomenon. Andrew Doyle likens these debacles to the paroxysms and shrieking of the accusing teenage girls of the Salem witch hysteria. My comparison is to a 1961 episode of "The Twilight Zone" in which a five year old boy holds his family and community in a state of terror as he has the power to gruesomely transform anyone who disagrees with or contradicts him, and then disappear that person "to the cornfield." In fact, I use the phrase to describe "cancellation." I recommend anyone who hasn't seen it, to do so. The episode is "It's a Good Life" and stars Billy Mumy of "Lost in Space" fame, and the late, great Cloris Leachman.
The victims of slavery of 200 years ago have now become the victims of race ideology. This will not end well.