The New Religion of Anti-Racism: How It Betrays America

The Rise of a New Religion

In recent years, a new ideology around race and racism has taken hold in America, particularly in academic and progressive circles. John McWhorter, linguist and author of "Woke Racism", argues that this new anti-racism movement has essentially become a religion - one that is ultimately harmful to both black Americans and society as a whole.

McWhorter contends that this new religion requires adherents to "sequester a part of your brain for illogical processing" and involves a "suspension of disbelief." The core tenet is demonstrating that you are not racist, even if your actions don't actually help (and may even harm) black people. When challenged, believers often respond with a kind of religious fervor rather than logic or evidence.

"It's a religion where instead of the Christian idea that your main goal is to demonstrate your faith and that that supersedes all other concerns, the main goal in this religion is to demonstrate that you are not a racist person," McWhorter explains. "And you're supposed to demonstrate that you're not a racist person even if you are not helping and perhaps even harming black people."

This quasi-religious approach to anti-racism has become deeply entrenched, especially since the summer of 2020. McWhorter sees it as a "new way of thinking that incorporates the aspect of religion that requires that you sequester a part of your brain for illogical processing."

The Problems with the New Anti-Racism

While acknowledging that racism certainly still exists in America, McWhorter argues that the current anti-racist ideology is deeply flawed in several key ways:

Oversimplifying Complex Issues

The new anti-racism tends to reduce complex social and historical issues to simplistic narratives of oppression and victimhood. As McWhorter puts it:

"We're being taught something that is never said explicitly, which is that when it comes to black people and black Americans only, sociology is ABC. There's nothing complicated. Social history suddenly becomes as easy as one, two, three."

This overly reductive view fails to grapple with the true complexity of race in America. It presents a childishly simple version of history and sociology that McWhorter argues is "based on a version of social history that operates on roughly the level of an intelligent eight-year-old."

Attributing All Disparities to Racism

A core tenet of the new anti-racism, exemplified by writers like Ibram X. Kendi, is that any disparity between racial groups must be the result of racism. McWhorter strongly disagrees:

"All disparities between white people and black people are not due to something unfair that was driven by whites. Things are much more complex than that."

He points out that this view ignores other important factors, like culture, that influence outcomes. It also fails to explain why some minority groups, like Nigerian immigrants, tend to outperform even white Americans economically.

Promoting Victimhood Over Agency

McWhorter argues that the constant focus on systemic racism and oppression promotes a sense of victimhood and helplessness among black Americans. This victimhood mentality becomes "a cloak" that "gives you a sense of purpose" and "innocence."

But ultimately, McWhorter sees this as deeply harmful: "Black America is encouraged to OD on that. And it's what creates this false sort of minuet that we all do."

Instead of empowering black Americans to overcome obstacles, the new anti-racism teaches that racism is an insurmountable barrier. "Today's idea is eliminate the test because it is racist," McWhorter says, referring to standardized testing. "It is somehow unreasonable to expect black kids to use analytical thinking in a rigorous way."

Stifling Honest Dialogue

The zealotry of the new anti-racism makes it very difficult to have honest, nuanced discussions about race. Those who question the prevailing narrative risk being labeled racist and "canceled."

McWhorter notes that many people, especially white liberals, are afraid to push back against even clearly illogical ideas for fear of being called racist. This creates an environment where bad ideas flourish unchallenged.

The Harm Caused

While the new anti-racism presents itself as a continuation of the civil rights movement, McWhorter argues it is actually betraying those ideals and harming the very people it claims to help.

Lowering Standards

By attributing any disparity in outcomes to racism, the movement often pushes for lowering standards or eliminating objective measures altogether. This does a disservice to black Americans by failing to address the real issues holding people back.

McWhorter gives the example of efforts to eliminate standardized testing: "Beyond that, a way of looking at this that any civil rights leader until about 10 minutes ago would have understood is that you think, well, how can we make it so that black kids are better at the test? Today's idea is eliminate the test because it is racist."

Promoting Fragility

The hypersensitivity to anything that could be perceived as racist is creating a culture of fragility, where people claim to be deeply wounded by innocuous things. McWhorter cites the example of law students claiming to have "heart palpitations" from seeing "n*****" on an exam.

"If you see that on the page and you have heart palpitations, you need therapy," he argues. "And it doesn't make it different that you're a black person in 2021. If that upsets you that much, you need help."

Distracting from Real Issues

By focusing so intensely on abstract notions of systemic racism and microaggressions, the movement distracts from more concrete problems facing black communities. McWhorter contends that this approach "leaves black people in the lurch" by failing to address real obstacles to success.

Promoting Division

Rather than bringing people together, the new anti-racism often promotes racial division and resentment. It presents an antagonistic view of race relations that McWhorter believes is counterproductive.

A Call for a New Approach

McWhorter argues that it's time for a more nuanced, pragmatic approach to addressing racial issues in America. He calls for:

Honest Dialogue

We need to be able to discuss racial issues openly and honestly, without fear of being labeled racist for questioning prevailing narratives. This includes being willing to examine cultural factors that may contribute to disparities.

Focus on Practical Solutions

Rather than abstract notions of dismantling systemic racism, McWhorter advocates focusing on concrete steps to improve outcomes. This includes improving education, addressing poverty, and expanding economic opportunities.

Promoting Agency and Empowerment

Instead of teaching black Americans that racism is an insurmountable obstacle, we should be empowering people to overcome challenges and succeed despite adversity.

Recognizing Progress

While acknowledging ongoing issues, it's important to recognize the significant progress that has been made on racial issues. Failing to do so promotes an overly pessimistic worldview.

Conclusion

McWhorter's critique of the new anti-racism is provocative and sure to be controversial. But he argues that it's a necessary pushback against an ideology that, despite good intentions, is ultimately harmful.

"Embracing these new ideas and calling it anti-racism hurts the people who you are claiming to be fellow travelers with," he concludes. By promoting victimhood over empowerment and simplistic narratives over nuanced understanding, the new religion of anti-racism is betraying the very ideals of equality and justice it claims to uphold.

McWhorter calls for a return to a more pragmatic, results-oriented approach to addressing racial disparities - one that empowers rather than infantilizes, unites rather than divides, and deals with the complex realities of race in America rather than retreating into simplistic ideology.

While his views are controversial, McWhorter's critique offers an important perspective in ongoing debates about how to best address racial issues and promote true equality in America. As the nation continues to grapple with these challenging issues, voices like McWhorter's add necessary nuance and alternative viewpoints to the conversation.

Article created from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz4B2DinKuE