The Price of Conforming to Critical Race Theory

Paul Rossi and Andrew Gutmann reveal the dangers of conforming to Critical Race Theory.

This battle began decades earlier. The academics behind Critical Race Theory had woodshedded their ideology for years, sharpening each branch of their belief system into buzzwords or mantras that could be introduced piecemeal into our brand-driven culture. "White Privilege" became the major flashpoint during the George Zimmerman trial. "Systemic racism" largely defined the town of Ferguson after Michael Brown was killed. It was not until the killing of George Floyd that Critical Race Theory, the mother ideology to all of these buzzwords, including antiracism,  was mainstreamed into the American public.  What gave Critical Race Theory its vast power was that it offered Americans the moral absolution from the charge of racism in return for conforming to its tenets. It did not matter that this offer was illusory and self-serving. During my interview with Rossi, he explained that the Critical Race Theory vision of America actually preserved the privileged WASP culture that sits on top of the American society and runs many of its elite schools. These American aristocrats had excluded blacks and Jews (like Gutmann’s family) from their institutions for countless years; they sought to escape this mark of shame by embracing the woke spirit of Critical Race Theory.