S09.E01: Critical Race Theory

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Main topic:  Critical race theory

Also:  Canadian trucker blockade; the existential despair of ABC morning news

 

 

John returns on 2022.02.20 to start season 9.  

[Lantern7]

Canadian truck blockades and Critical Race Theory. It must be 2022!

Great to have John back, nice to see him performing in front of an audience, and he’s laying into people again. Sure, CRT has been a hot button issue that most people have heard about (in contrast to the times John shines a light on problems we never knew existed), but it’s probably good to see the instigators in action . . . even if some of them are too familiar with us. On the bright side, John can now conjure fictional schoolgirls e-mailing him, and it would be considered valid in Tennessee.

The editing with Dr. King’s speech being invoked by those against CRT? #ChefsKiss

[Annber03]

Welcome back, John! Shame it's not under better circumstances, though.

Those stories at the end of the episode were wild. Good lord.

Gee, if we're going to have a law where people can complain/sue about any teachings that "make them uncomfortable based on their race", I say fight fire with fire, then. Let somebody who isn't white make use of one of those laws, call these politicians' bluff and expose all of this for the batshit insane nonsense it clearly is. 

I saw a thing online once showing pictures of black children entering all-white schools in the '60s, and someone posted text with that pointing out that if those young children can face dealing with racism at their age, then white kids can surely face dealing with learning about it in schools. And so can their parents. And so can the politicians and media ghouls who are throwing hissy fits over this (OF COURSE Tucker Carlson would be railing about something while openly admitting he doesn't know shit about the topic at hand. What else is new?). 

I also appreciate Oliver calling out the politicians who keep using that one quote from MLK, aka, likely the only thing they've ever heard about or from him. He's definitely been repackaged in a way that makes him "safe" to white audiences over the years - if white people read more about what he REALLY thought about a lot of the issues in this country, their heads would explode and they'd do everything in their power to ensure his name was never even mentioned aloud in schools at all. 

And that woman insisting this country couldn't be racist 'cause we elected Obama. I mean, yeah, that pesky slavery thing? Jim Crow? Japanese interment camps? Trump railing about how Mexico "wasn't bringing their best and brightest"? Just blips on the radar, I guess. Jesus. These are the sorts of people who would agree with that guy going on about "stronger blood" in that video*. 

I just keep wondering how we can combat this messaging. There's got to be a way to use these people's messaging against them, and get people to properly understand what CRT actually is and get them on board. 

*On the note of those trucker protests, I'm just so beyond tired of this crap. Just go home and get vaccinated already, for the love of all that is good. So much ignorance and stupidity out there, my head, it hurts. 

Edited February 21, 2022 by Annber03

[buttersister]

Missed you John, and love you.

Nobody consistently calls bullshit better than Oliver & Co. So important, now more than ever.

[Sharpie66]

Great episode! I really liked the writer with her personal anecdotes of school. (Shallowly, I noticed that she has the same mug as I do, the first time I’d seen that pattern outside of my cabinet!)

[lynxfx]

Good start of the season. CRT (I still think of tvs and monitors first) is such a bullshit controversy created by the extreme right. John did a good job covering it. I do wish he hammered that it isn't even being taught at k-12 schools. The states banning it are doing so preemptively. They love a boogeyman and always create one to bolster campaign donations from their base. It's no different than when they created antifa (as a group) out of thin air. They don't exist. Kinda like that 7 year old girl from the letter.

[paigow]

There should have been And Now This on all the journalists that created fictional / composite people without disclosure. 

[Annber03]

1 minute ago, paigow said:

There should have been And Now This on all the journalists that created fictional / composite people without disclosure. 

On that note, by the way, gee, so, uh, that news anchor at that one local station's a real peppy sort, isn't he :p? I love it when they show clips from local news stations. 

[swanpride]

Too bad that he just skipped over the Ukraine crisis...but maybe he plans to address it more thoroughly in the future, hence he just mentioned it happening without any closer elaboration. 

 

Anyway, I am tired of the discussion around Critical Race Theory. Or, to be precise, I am tired of people claiming that it is actually taught in American schools when in reality, the American Education system desperately needs to address those topics instead of claiming that the Civil war was "about state rights" and basically skipping over the questionable parts of American history. 

[JustHereForFood]

I was so sure that this episode would be about Ukraine, that I was shocked when it wasn't. But there are always so many topics that need to be addressed, it could be a daily show.

On the topic of the Canadian protesters, I wonder if it's a coincidence that everyone I have seen so far has the same kind of beard that I now associate with incels, or if that's a feature. Actually no, I don't wonder, I think I know the answer.

I am glad that I am not the only one who didn't really get what CRT even was for a long time. Apparently, neither do those who complain about it. Reminds me of "gender ideology" that is being used as a boogeyman in my parts of Europe in a similar way. People (I could say conservatives, but they don't really seem to uphold any of those values, just use it as a shield) use it to dismiss all sorts of attempts at relevant discussions, without bothering to form some normal arguments. 

I am not at all surprised that it isn't actually taught at schools and all of this hysteria is over some discussions in classroom that just happen to mention race in any way. Well, boo hoo, how else do you imagine to teach history, literature, or geography? Not to mention any kind of social studies? And of course, these people who would be the first to call someone a snowflake now say that their children are "uncomfortable" with these topics. I am a bit sceptical about that, because from what I remember, we were in some ways better at discussing all sorts of topics at school than now as adults. This is just those parents projecting onto their children.* I can however see how this law (not sure now if it is already in effect somewhere) can be misused by some kids. What if they say they are uncomfortable learning about any history, because it always mention people dying? Or if someione says they are uncomfortable learning maths, or any other subject? The school will end up having to point out that it was meant specifcally about topics of race, so they end up exposing their attitude about it... that might not be a bad idea. I hope someone finds some creative ways to use that to their advantage.

Those stories from that writer were sad to hear, but I wish there was more space for that in the segment. Somehow, minority kids like her have managed to be made uncomfortable like that at school and no one was complaining about that then.

*I dislike how often people use their children, or even hypothetical children as shields in discussions about topics that make people uncomfortable. And this reminded me of something from a previous episode of LWT about that despicable pharmaceutical family, when someone said that people were nasty to their little kid about the criminal activities that their family got into. I think that John called BS on that story too.

[Shorty186]

I think that the Right has decided that "Critical Race Theory" equals Racism. No matter what it actually is, that's what they're running with. And they don't want their precious children to feel bad about being white. It's just so infuriating. You don't have the right to cherry pick what parts of history you want to acknowledge actually happened. Imagine 20 years from now, when these kids are in the real world whenever meeting someone new, if instead of business cards, they have to whip out a card that says, "I was never taught about race relations in America. Trying to teach me now could result in an existential crisis."

[peeayebee]

Tucker Carlson saying he didn't know what Critical Race Theory was and then complaining about its evils was one for the books. 

Loved hearing that one black student talk about people of color living with and learning about race every single day, so it's only right and beneficial for everyone to learn about it. Is that too much common sense for some people? (rhetorical question)

Honestly, why not learn about the history of race and racism in this country and become a better person, become more understanding of other people's experiences? It's sad that so many people only want to hear about people like themselves.

 

 

[Lantern7]

7 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I was so sure that this episode would be about Ukraine, that I was shocked when it wasn't.

I think John and the LWT writers figure the situation in Ukraine will be a problem for months to come. At minimum, it would get the opening segment, as opposed to the direct-to-YouTube main story segment.

John delivering Dr. Seuss-like slam poetry about Ted Cruz never gets old . . . unlike Ted Cruz, of course.

[Annber03]

6 hours ago, Shorty186 said:

You don't have the right to cherry pick what parts of history you want to acknowledge actually happened.

And ironically, these are the same people who had meltdowns when people wanted to remove Confederate statues from the public square, because, "IT'S ERASING OUR HISTORY!" 

The woman at one of those school board meetings going on about how she didn't want the government controlling what she, as a parent, wanted her kid to know just killed me. But the government actively passing laws to stop schools from educating kids on the history of racism, yeah, that's totally okay. That kind of government interference is fine, I guess. Who cares about the wishes of the parents who don't have a problem with their kids learning about racism in school, right? 

And she and others with similar mindsets say all of this in the same breath without being aware of the complete contradiction. It'd be amazing if it weren't so infuriating. 

[andromeda331]

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

And ironically, these are the same people who had meltdowns when people wanted to remove Confederate statues from the public square, because, "IT'S ERASING OUR HISTORY!" 

The woman at one of those school board meetings going on about how she didn't want the government controlling what she, as a parent, wanted her kid to know just killed me. But the government actively passing laws to stop schools from educating kids on the history of racism, yeah, that's totally okay. That kind of government interference is fine, I guess. Who cares about the wishes of the parents who don't have a problem with their kids learning about racism in school, right? 

And she and others with similar mindsets say all of this in the same breath without being aware of the complete contradiction. It'd be amazing if it weren't so infuriating. 

It really is. She's typical among those people who flips out about how she doesn't want the government telling her what her kid learns. But she does want to decide for everyone else what she wants the government to tell the kid. Its infuriating. All they want to do is teach the truth. The kids will be fine. The parents need to get over themselves.

Tucker doesn't know what it means but he's against it. Yep, stay stupid Tucker. 

I love John's Dr. Seuss rhyme for Cruz. It was perfect.

[Spartan Girl]

“When has growing up and learning to be a better person ever been ‘comfortable’?”

Thank God for John Oliver. If I may borrow a common phrase from The Volatile Mermaid, he is Mario to Bill Mahr’s Wario.

Edited February 22, 2022 by Spartan Girl

[swanpride]

Frankly, the idea that American school children are "uncomfortable" with racism being mentioned in their classroom sound REALLY snowflakey considering that over here in Germany it is pretty common to do school trips to former Konzentration Camps.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

What if they say they are uncomfortable learning about any history, because it always mention people dying? Or if someione says they are uncomfortable learning maths, or any other subject? The school will end up having to point out that it was meant specifcally about topics of race, so they end up exposing their attitude about it... that might not be a bad idea. I hope someone finds some creative ways to use that to their advantage.

Yeah, I'm green with envy over school children today, thinking what I could have gotten away with if I were going to school now instead of 40 years ago. For example, I could have gotten a pass on Chemistry by arguing it was just a "theory." 

Also, at the time we were beaten over the head with the Holocaust. I don't ever remember telling my parents it made be uncomfortable for not being Jewish.

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah, I'm green with envy over school children today, thinking what I could have gotten away with if I were going to school now instead of 40 years ago. For example, I could have gotten a pass on Chemistry by arguing it was just a "theory." 

Also, at the time we were beaten over the head with the Holocaust. I don't ever remember telling my parents it made be uncomfortable for not being Jewish.

My middle school would send out permission slips to parents if they wanted to opt their kid out of learning about the Holocaust not because it might make the kids uncomfortable but because it's such a big and horrifying event or in case the parent wanted to talk to their kid about it themselves or in case one of their relatives had been part of it like Jewish or German soldier and they hadn't discussed it with their kid yet. None of the parents' did. None of them even complained. I always thought that was a good way to give the parents had heads up that their kids are going to be learning about horrible time in history. Most soldiers who liberated the camps never talked about it. It was a six week project that covered it in history, English reading books and watching movies and documentaries, and math. Each student wore a bracelet with a name on it and at the end of the six weeks we found out in assembly if the person was killed or survived. Ever since then I've been interested in watching movies and reading books on the Holocaust. I also learned from a friend who was Armenian descent about the Armenian genocide that partly inspired it. I'm glad I learned it and every kid should learn about it. It's hard but it's something everyone needs to learn about. It also helped me talk to my dad about the horrible stuff he saw in the Vietnam War. 

[smittykins]

On 2/23/2022 at 12:07 PM, iMonrey said:

Yeah, I'm green with envy over school children today, thinking what I could have gotten away with if I were going to school now instead of 40 years ago. For example, I could have gotten a pass on Chemistry by arguing it was just a "theory." 

Nowadays, kids don’t even have to dissect frogs anymore.(I got out of it by moving to a different district mid-year; the first school hadn’t done it yet, and my new one had already done it.)

[swanpride]

...I actually don't see the point in dissecting frogs anyway....

 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Folks,

Let's stick to discussing the show.  If you would like to discuss education in general please go to Small Talk, where all of your off-topic dreams come true!

[RealHousewife]

On 2/21/2022 at 9:27 PM, Annber03 said:

And ironically, these are the same people who had meltdowns when people wanted to remove Confederate statues from the public square, because, "IT'S ERASING OUR HISTORY!" 

Exactly. If you're going to have a meltdown over Confederate statues because history is just that important to you, shouldn't you want it ALL to be taught? The good, the bad, the ugly? 

On 2/21/2022 at 2:06 PM, JustHereForFood said:

And of course, these people who would be the first to call someone a snowflake now say that their children are "uncomfortable" with these topics. 

Yes. I've noticed they'll call those with less tolerance for racism snowflakes, but these same people will freak out if racism is even discussed on TV. Just say you miss the good old-fashioned days when you could get away with more racism than you do today. 

Tucker Carlson's entire schtick is denying there's a white supremacy problem while promoting white supremacy. 

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, RealHousewife said:

Yes. I've noticed they'll call those with less tolerance for racism snowflakes, but these same people will freak out if racism is even discussed on TV. 

I also love how these people are complaining about anything that would make their kids uncomfortable, because I thought we weren't supposed to coddle kids, that today's generation was too "sensitive" and didn't know how to face the real world and so on and so forth? Isn't that what a lot of these same pundits and politicians have been complaining about regarding the younger generations in recent years? 

[RealHousewife]

32 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I also love how these people are complaining about anything that would make their kids uncomfortable, because I thought we weren't supposed to coddle kids, that today's generation was too "sensitive" and didn't know how to face the real world and so on and so forth? Isn't that what a lot of these same pundits and politicians have been complaining about regarding the younger generations in recent years? 

You're so right!!! Can you debate my coworkers for me? lol These people want to pretend they just love history, are the opposite of snowflakes, want their own kids and others to toughen up, but they're so full of crap.

 

"Can we shut up about racism already? Slavery and Jim Crow are history."

Next conversation-"ZOMG do not even think of getting rid of Confederate Statues, they're HISTORY!!!"

 

"These snowflakes freak out over police brutality. Big deal. We just have some bad apples, okay?"

Then-"An athlete is kneeling!!! I can't watch sports anymore! Must turn off the TV now! Ugh, where's my safe space?!!!"

 

"Kids these days are too precious for this world. When I was a kid, fights in the schoolyard and physical punishment at home were normal. We need to toughen these kids up and go back to that so we don't get these snowflake millennials."

 "What, discussing racism in front of THE CHILDREN?! NOOOO!!!!"

Edited March 5, 2022 by RealHousewife

[smittykins]

On 3/5/2022 at 1:42 AM, RealHousewife said:

Can we shut up about racism already? Slavery and Jim Crow are history."

“We had a Black President for eight years, what more do they want?”

Quote

“These snowflakes freak out over police brutality. Big deal. We just have some bad apples, okay?"

“Besides, if those suspects would just obey the law, they wouldn’t have to worry about being mistreated by police.”

Quote

“Kids these days are too precious for this world. When I was a kid, fights in the schoolyard and physical punishment at home were normal. We need to toughen these kids up and go back to that so we don't get these snowflake millennials."

Actual quote from a “The View”-type show:  “I guarantee you that there’s people in prison right now who got time-outs instead of a pop on the butt.”

Edited March 6, 2022 by smittykins