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Some words of note from McWhorter: “charismatic victimhood” as the default view of race hustlers like Ibram X. Kendi; “Yes, we Can’t” as the (sad, negative) lessons being taught to young Black kids.
Definitions are important says McWhorter, and there are too many we can’t agree on, eg “systemic racism”. He doesn’t mention “racism” itself, which until five minutes ago meant: “the belief that one race is superior (or inferior) to another, or different from other races because of inherent characteristics” (my def, btw). But that definition would have allowed that Blacks and other minorities could be racist, so the definition has now been unilaterally (by the Keft) amended to include “power”: thus only white people can be racist (and only in America… though this is never said). Because, apparently, only white Americans have power. Thus minorities cannot be racist.
Note: McWhorter writes for the New York Times and considers himself a man of the Left, just not of the Far Left. He’s been labelled , by that Far Left, “the Black face of white supremacy” which ad hominem he notes is used when his opponents have no argument.
He calls Kendi “dim”. I agree. I’ve seen Kendi define “racism” in a fully circular way, and not realise that his definition is circular. At the Aspen ideas festival when asked, by a friendly fan to define “racism”, replies: “Racism is a collection of racist policies that lead to racial inequity, that are substantiated by racist ideas”. He really said that!. A man who makes millions selling books about racism. Can’t even define it…. A comment at the video notes that every fifth-grader knows the teacher won’t let them define a word using that word. So, yeah, dim. Either that, or duplicators, arguably worse.
Kendi never accepts invitations to debate. He only accepts friendly interviews. If I read his mind here: is to because he worries he’ll be shown for the fraud he is?
Why should I care about this? After all, it’s happening in America and I’m comfy here in Hong Kong. A minority in a majority Chinese city. But what goes on in America seeps out. We don’t need this victimhood racism here — even though I could play the victim! What with being a minority and all…
This modern “anti-racism” theory, this Kendi-ism, is profoundly retrogressive and harmful to the body politic. Kendi may mean well (McWhorter gives him the benefit of the doubt), but “the road to hell…” and all that.
I’ve just read in WSJ, that some US states are going to lower the bar for passing the Bar. The Bar exam that is, the final exam to allow lawyers to practice. This is after SAT tests are being dropped across the country because minorities, especially Black, don’t do as well in them. As McWhorter says, the answer to that is to find out why and to improve. Not to do away with them entirely which dumbs down society. This is not a good trend for the flourishing of Homo sapiens. That’s why I care.
