https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/opinion/florida-critical-race-theory-de-santis.html
Attack of the Right-Wing Thought Police
Jan. 24, 2022
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Americans like to think of their nation as a beacon of freedom. And despite all
the ways in which we have failed to live up to our self-image, above all the
vast injustices that sprang from the original sin of slavery, freedom — not
just free elections, but also freedom of speech and thought — has long been a
key element of the American idea.
Now, however, freedom is under attack, on more fronts than many people realize.
Everyone knows about the Big Lie, the refusal by a large majority of
Republicans to accept the legitimacy of a lost election. But there are many
other areas in which freedom is not just under assault but in retreat.
Let’s talk, in particular, about the attack on education, especially but not
only in Florida, which has become one of America’s leading laboratories of
democratic erosion.
Republicans have made considerable political hay by denouncing the teaching of
critical race theory; this strategy has succeeded even though most voters have
no idea what that theory is and it isn’t actually being taught in public
schools. But the facts in this case don’t matter, because denunciations of
C.R.T. are basically a cover for a much bigger agenda: an attempt to stop
schools from teaching anything that makes right-wingers uncomfortable.
I use that last word advisedly: There’s a bill advancing in the Florida Senate
declaring that an individual “should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt,
anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her
race.” That is, the criterion for what can be taught isn’t “Is it true? Is it
supported by the scholarly consensus?” but rather “Does it make certain
constituencies uncomfortable?”
Anyone tempted to place an innocuous interpretation on this provision — maybe
it’s just about not assigning collective guilt? — should read the text of the
bill. Among other things, it cites as its two prime examples of things that
must not happen in schools “denial or minimization of the Holocaust, and the
teaching of critical race theory” — because suggesting that “racism is embedded
in American society” (the bill’s definition of the theory) is just the same as
denying that Hitler killed six million Jews.
What’s really striking, however, is the idea that schools should be prohibited
from teaching anything that causes “discomfort” among students and their
parents. If you imagine that the effects of applying this principle would be
limited to teaching about race relations, you’re being utterly naïve.
For one thing, racism is far from being the only disturbing topic in American
history. I’m sure that some students will find that the story of how we came to
invade Iraq — or for that matter how we got involved in Vietnam — makes them
uncomfortable. Ban those topics from the curriculum!
Then there’s the teaching of science. Most high schools do teach the theory of
evolution, but leading Republican politicians are either evasive or actively
deny the scientific consensus, presumably reflecting the G.O.P. base’s
discomfort with the concept. Once the Florida standard takes hold, how long
will teaching of evolution survive?
Geology, by the way, has the same problem. I’ve been on nature tours where the
guides refuse to talk about the origins of rock formations, saying that they’ve
had problems with some religious guests.
Oh, and given the growing importance of anti-vaccination posturing as a badge
of conservative allegiance, how long before basic epidemiology — maybe even the
germ theory of disease — gets the critical race theory treatment?
And then there’s economics, which these days is widely taught at the high
school level. (Full disclosure: Many high schools use an adapted version of the
principles text I co-author.) Given the long history of politically driven
attempts to prevent the teaching of Keynesian economics, what do you think the
Florida standard would do to teaching in my home field?
The point is that the smear campaign against critical race theory is almost
certainly the start of an attempt to subject education in general to rule by
the right-wing thought police, which will have dire effects far beyond the
specific topic of racism.
And who will enforce the rules? State-sponsored vigilantes! Last month Ron
DeSantis, Florida’s governor, proposed a “Stop Woke Act” that would empower
parents to sue school districts they claim teach critical race theory — and
collect lawyer fees, a setup modeled on the bounties under Texas’ new
anti-abortion law. Even the prospect of such lawsuits would have a chilling
effect on teaching.
Did I mention that DeSantis also wants to create a special police force to
investigate election fraud? Like the attacks on critical race theory, this is
obviously an attempt to use a made-up issue — voter fraud is largely
nonexistent — as an excuse for intimidation.
OK, I’m sure that some people will say that I’m making too much of these
issues. But ask yourself: Has there been any point over, say, the past five
years when warnings about right-wing extremism have proved overblown and those
dismissing those warnings as “alarmist” have been right?
