A Theory on the Rise of Critical Race Theory During the Pandemic
Over the course of 2020, mobile analytics firm Mobilewalla collected racial demographic data from selected Black Lives Matter ("BLM") protests. The four cities included in Mobilewalla's analysis were Atlanta, Los Angles, Minneapolis, and New York City. In each city, the percentage of white protest participants easily surpassed the percentage of the respective city's white residents. As an example, while only 30% of Los Angelenos are white, at least 68% of Los Angeles’s Black Lives Matter protesters were white LA residents.
BLM protesters are, of course, not a perfect analog to the group of vile twitterati and civil servants which support critical race theory - but I don’t believe perfection is necessary here. Since the data shows that white Americans are more engaged with BLM than their minority peers, it is safe to assume this elevated level of white support extends into other racial justice movements such as critical race theory.
Despite the name, critical race theory is completely lacking of any critical thought and at best is a type of modern day phrenology. Under the eyes of a critical race theorist, every aspect of life can be examined through a racial lens. Since capitalism is seen as a white institution, capitalism is solely responsible for black poverty. The American educational system is based upon the white approach to learning, the educational system is fundamentally white and is responsible for under-performing black schools. Even the venerable Smithsonian Institute published materials claiming time is a white concept and black Americans have a natural predisposition against punctuality. By extension, punishing or firing black employees for their uncontrollable tardiness is another aspect of white supremacy.
Although it is often portrayed positively in the media as "racial sensitivity training", critical race theory is undeniably racist. It is built upon the idea that whiteness and white people throughout history are responsible for all the world's suffering.
(As an aside, even though modern socialist theory was developed by a white male and has led to immeasurable amounts of human suffering, it gets a free pass from the critical race theorists. The national BLM organization and most "progressives" still have an eagerness to transform the United States into a socialist state.)
We are left to ask ourselves why do so many white and often young Americans believe in such a racist dogma? I believe the answer lies in the complete disruption of society caused by the misguided attempt to curb the COVID-19 pandemic through lockdowns.
Every single piece of relevant research shows the lockdowns have devastated the American psyche. During the pandemic Americans have become isolated and lonely. Colleges and universities, often judged by the social opportunities available to students, have become ghost towns. The move to online schooling and remote work means a total lack of real social interaction. Exercise and the opportunity to visit parks or nature have been outlawed by gubernatorial decree. Needless to say, the careless actions of governors have created an overwhelming pandemic of depression among Americans.
Young adults, who are increasingly choosing to remain single and childless, lacking a close family support structure have fared far worse than their parents. In effect, young American adults have spent the last year in solitary confinement. Their mental health has been obliterated and depression is widespread.
To the point, depression will give its victim an inappropriate and excessive sense of guilt for things which he or she had no control over. We know that capitalism does not cause more poverty than any other economic system, whiteness does not cause black ignorance, and black Americans can be punctual. Even if these stereotypes were true, they are certainly not the fault of any living human. Time has been a universal human concept for millennia. How could a current-day 20-something college student have had any say in its creation?
When a person is suffering from depression, he or she becomes susceptible to outlandish claims of guilt. A healthy adult would never believe he or she could be responsible for the concept of time, let alone the alleged suffering brought about by its creation - but Americans are not healthy.
We must reopen to restore some semblance of mental health in this country, and we must do it now.