The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington-post">Washington Post</a> just <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-post-reporter-suspended-without-pay-after-coworker-criticizes-him-for-retweeting-a-joke">suspended a reporter</a> for retweeting a mildly sexist joke, but in the 1990s, it employed a self-professed gang rapist who wrote about his prior exploits in the newspaper&#8217;s own pages.
Ace reporter Dave Weigel, currently serving a month-long suspension without pay for the retweet, must marvel at the treatment afforded Nathan McCall, his predecessor at the far-left broadsheet. McCall began a decade-long stint at the paper in 1989, 11 years after he was released from prison for holding up a McDonald&#8217;s. By his own admission, McCall&#8217;s treatment of women was far worse than passing along a joke.
&#8220;We perfected the art of luring babes into those kinds of traps,&#8221; McCall <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/weekly-standard/makes-me-wanna-holler">wrote</a> in his 1994 memoir, &#8220;Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America,&#8221; excerpts of which the Post published. &#8220;We ran a train at my house when my parents were away. We ran many at Bimbo&#8217;s crib because both his parents worked. And we set one up at Lep&#8217;s place and even let his little brother get in on it. He couldn&#8217;t have been more than eight or nine.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today we have a 16-part thread in which she attacks colleagues &amp; characterizes <a href="https://twitter.com/washingtonpost?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@washingtonpost</a> as a sexist,trauma-inducing hell-scape. Sexist? Dave Weigel lost a month’s salary for one dumb (albeit funny) retweet. Felicia has infinite license to embarrass, bully, shame &amp;harass. <a href="https://t.co/fdSB5H1A5v">https://t.co/fdSB5H1A5v</a>
&mdash; Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSommers/status/1534930065808625671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McCall&#8217;s hiring at the newspaper that broke Watergate was a story of redemption. He claimed to have turned his life around during a twelve-year prison sentence, during which he <a href="https://www.nathanmccall.net/biography/its-me-against-the-world/">read</a> Karl Marx and Malcolm X, but remained gripped by grievance, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1991/02/05/hope-for-a-dying-generation/ca8c0f7f-c88a-425c-9393-2c4699839580/">resenting</a> &#8220;suggestions that blacks enjoy being &#8216;righteous victims.&#8217;” McCall worked his way up, serving stints at the Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before landing the prestigious gig.
The newspaper had no qualms about having a reporter on staff who, by his own admission, had committed serious crimes earlier in his life. In fact, in 1991 he wrote an article for the <a href="https://www.nathanmccall.net/articles/dispatches-from-a-dying-generation/">Post</a> that foreshadowed his soon-to-come memoir.
&#8220;From a shoplifting charge, to stealing an ice-cream truck, to possession of a sawed-off shotgun and, ultimately, to armed robbery, I’ve had my share of clashes with the law&#8230; When I was 19, in a running rivalry with some other thugs, I shot a man in the chest at point-blank range,&#8221; he wrote.
The paper granted McCall a leave of absence to write his autobiography, which included disturbing recollections of taking part in gang-rapes of girls as young as 13. The Post later ran excerpts from the book.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-393814 alignleft" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/nathan-mccall.png" alt="" width="517" height="365" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/nathan-mccall.png 517w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/06/nathan-mccall-300x212.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 517px) 100vw, 517px" />McCall, who is currently a lecturer in the Department of African-American Studies at Atlanta&#8217;s Emory University, left the Post in 1998, according to a resume. But the paper continued to publish pieces he contributed, including one lambasting then-President <a href="https://www.nathanmccall.net/washington-post/obamas-sister-souljah-moment-2/">Barack Obama</a> in 2011 for telling blacks to &#8220;stop complaining.&#8221;
A decade after that article ran, Weigel was suspended for retweeting a joke that claimed, “Every girl is bi. You just have to figure out if it’s polar or sexual.” The suspension came after Felicia Sonmez, a national reporter, complained of sexism. For days, she lashed out that the Washington Post management protects sexist behavior.
&#8220;Do you have any idea of the torrent of abuse I’m facing right now?&#8221; Sonmez wrote.
As an example, the Harvard grad cited that a Twitter account with 46 followers had written: &#8220;How can someone be so privileged that the biggest drama of their life was some tweet?&#8221; the critic wrote. &#8220;You wouldn&#8217;t know actual sexism if it slapped your stupid face.&#8221;

US-MEDIA-PRESS-NEWSPAPER-WASHINGTON POST

Same WaPo That Suspended Reporter Over Sexist Retweet Once Hired A Gang Rapist

Crime

Media

Racism

Sexism

Washington Post

White Privilege

A Canadian college made students a faculty agree they’ve benefited from white privilege before they could join a zoom call.
George Brown College in Toronto presented those attending the Zoom call to read a lengthy statement check a box saying the agreed that they had benefited from white privilege and would commit to “decolonization,” The College Fix <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/college-requires-students-faculty-to-agree-theyve-benefited-from-white-privilege/">reported</a>.
“The students and faculty who click the ‘I Agree’ box are acknowledging they ‘benefit from the colonization and genocide of the Indigenous peoples of this land’ and are agreeing it is ‘imperative we constantly engage in acts of awareness and decolonization,” the outlet noted.
A note at the bottom of the statement explains that by selecting “I agree,” they are merely “indicating your acknowledgment of this statement.” The college insisted that it did not intend “to impose agreeance, but to inform through acknowledgment.”
As the Fix noted, a statement acknowledging indigenous land appears on every webpage hosted by the college. The college says in these statements that it is “located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time.”
“We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other,” the statement also says.
Some colleges and universities in the U.S. also provide land acknowledgments, which have caused controversy, the Fix reported.
At the University of Washington, Professor Stuart Reges’ syllabus was censored when he <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/university-censors-professors-syllabus-for-his-controversial-native-land-acknowledgement/">included</a> a statement that the local Native American tribe “can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington.”
“The University of Colorado Denver <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/five-page-guide-instructs-professors-how-to-embed-equity-justice-and-inclusion-in-their-syllabi/">recently issued</a> a five-page syllabus equity guide suggesting students and professors join together in reading a statement honoring Indigenous people and acknowledge the campus sits on land formerly inhabited by Native Americans,” the outlet also reported.
Meanwhile, San Diego State University has moved in <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/cannot-impose-political-viewpoints-sdsu-faculty-rescind-mandatory-land-acknowledgement-policy/">the opposite direction</a>, with professors voting recently to end a policy that required them to include a land acknowledgement statement in their syllabi.
The full text of the George Brown acknowledgment read:
<blockquote>It has been the site of human activity since time immemorial. This land is the territory of the Huron-Wendat, Mississaugas, Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee.
The territory is the subject of the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, an agreement between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Confederacy of the Anishinabek and Allied Nations to peaceably care for and share the resources around the Great Lakes.
We also acknowledge all Treaty peoples – including those who came here as settlers – as migrants either in this generation or in generations past – and those of us who came here involuntarily, particularly forcibly displanted Africans, brough here as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery.
As settlers or the displanted, we benefit from the colonization and genocide of the Indigenous peoples of this land. In order to engage in resistance and solidarity against the past and present injustices inflicted on the Indigenous peoples of this land, it is imperative we constantly engage in acts of awareness and decolonization.
**By selecting ‘I agree,’ you are indicating your acknowledgment of this statement. Our intent is not to impose agreeance, but to inform through acknowledgment. This acknowledgment is to generate awareness and offer opportunities for personal reflection.**</blockquote>

Woman smoking at George Brown college’s concrete balcony,

Canadian College Requires Students, Faculty To Agree They’ve Benefited From White Privilege, Commit To ‘Decolonization’

George Brown College Requires Students, Faculty To Agree They've Benefited From White Privilege, Commit To 'Decolonization'

Canada

College

Education

Home Depot <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/03/23/home-depot-ripped-for-shaming-employees-over-white-privilege/">released</a> a statement Wednesday addressing controversy about a hyper-progressive worksheet on &#8220;white privilege&#8221; and &#8220;racism&#8221; that recently went viral online.
The company acknowledged that the worksheet is a &#8220;resource&#8221; in its Canadian division but noted that it&#8217;s &#8220;not part of any required programming,&#8221; nor was it &#8220;created or approved by our corporate diversity, equity and inclusion department.&#8221;
The literature defined &#8220;white privilege&#8221; as &#8220;[s]ocietal privileges that benefit white people beyond what is commonly experienced by people of colour under the same social, political and economic circumstances.&#8221;
&#8220;Social privilege&#8221; was defined as &#8220;[s]pecial, unearned advantage or entitlement, used to one&#8217;s own benefit or to the detriment of others. These groups can be advantaged based on social class, age, disability, ethnic or racial category, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and religion.&#8221;
The worksheet also has a &#8220;check your privilege&#8221; segment, where the following choices are available: &#8220;white,&#8221; &#8220;male,&#8221; &#8220;class,&#8221; &#8220;christian,&#8221; &#8220;cis-gender,&#8221; &#8220;able-bodied,&#8221; and &#8220;heterosexual.&#8221;
&#8220;Class&#8221; privilege, the worksheet said, should be ascribed to anyone who expected as a kid they would one day go to college. &#8220;If while growing up, college was an expectation of you, not a dream, you have class privilege,&#8221; the worksheet said.
The resource claimed &#8220;racism&#8221; is &#8220;racial prejudice + power,&#8221; defining &#8220;racial prejudice&#8221; as a &#8220;set of discriminatory or derogatory attitudes based on assumptions coming from perceptions about race/skin colour.&#8221;
&#8220;Some of the portions of the worksheet appeared to be copied from a social media campaign against privilege in 2014 at the University of San Francisco,&#8221; The Blaze <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/home-depot-white-privilege-boycott">noted</a>.
“While we fully support diversity across our company, this material was not created or approved by our corporate diversity, equity and inclusion department,&#8221; Home Depot said in a statement. &#8220;This was a resource in our Canadian division and not part of any required programming.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Home Depot has gone woke <a href="https://t.co/iCy3uMJ4VC">pic.twitter.com/iCy3uMJ4VC</a>
&mdash; Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1506432641364467719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Back in 2019, billionaire Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus angered the Left when he said he&#8217;d be donating money to then-President Donald Trump&#8217;s re-election campaign, triggering a #BoycottHomeDepot hashtag.
“He’s got a businessman’s common sense approach to most things,” Marcus said of Trump. “Now, do I agree with every move that he makes? No, I don’t. But the truth is he has produced more than anybody else. He has. If we look at this country, I would say that we are better off today than we were eight years ago or six years ago.”
Marcus, who retired as chairman of Home Depot in 2002, said that after he dies he will give between 80-90% of his estimated $5.9 billion fortune to various charitable causes, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boycott-home-depot-trending-over-trump-donation-james-barrett">The Daily Wire</a> highlighted.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/boycott-home-depot-trending-over-trump-donation-james-barrett">‘Boycott Home Depot’ Trending Over Trump Donation; There’s Just A Few Problems</a>

Home Depot

Home Depot Responds After Worksheet On ‘White Privilege’ And ‘Racism’ Goes Viral

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

A school board in Tennessee voted earlier this week to approve termination charges against a tenured teacher accused of insubordination and repeated unprofessional conduct after he gave multiple assignments focusing on white privilege but failed to present opposing points of view.
WJHL News <a href="https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/sullivan-county-teacher-facing-termination-at-school-board-meeting-tuesday-supporters-to-gather/">reported</a>, “The Sullivan County Board of Education Tuesday voted 6-1 that the charges of dismissal against teacher Matthew Hawn are true and warranted.” According to the outlet, some former students gathered at the meeting to voice their support for Hawn.
District officials pointed to two separate incidents that they said violated the Tennessee Teacher Code of Ethics, including denying students access to varying points of view and intentionally exposing them to embarrassment or disparagement.
Hawn, who taught “Contemporary Issues” and coached baseball at Sullivan Central High School, received a detailed letter of reprimand in February after assigning students to read an opinion article by Ta-Nehisi Coates titled, “<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/10/the-first-white-president-ta-nehisi-coates/537909/">The First White President</a>.” According to the letter, a parent had complained, citing the article’s “somewhat angry, and hateful opinion towards President Trump” which they said contained “words” that should not be “introduced to our children by a high school teacher.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Important update from ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/BiancaWJHL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BiancaWJHL</a>⁩ Sullivan County school board approves teacher termination charges, supporters outraged <a href="https://t.co/Gq1H7kHi9x">https://t.co/Gq1H7kHi9x</a>
&mdash; Jeff Keeling WJHL (@JeffKeeling12) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffKeeling12/status/1413672738145898497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The article claimed Donald Trump would not have been elected president if he was not Caucasian. It included words derived from “cuckold,” a term Coates said, “is specifically meant to debase by fear and fantasy – the target is so weak that he would submit to the humiliation of having his white wife lie with black men.” Coates also used the word “whore,” and wrote “n*****” eight times, including six times in a single paragraph.
Officials told Hawn the Code of Ethics required him to provide varying and credible points of view.
“Your job is not to teach one perspective,” wrote Ingrid Deloach, assistant director of Sullivan County Schools. “Your job is also not to ensure students simply adopt your own personal perspective.”
Hawn defended the assignment by falsely stating, “Those were the words of the President and I thought that kids were mature enough to handle it.” He also claimed, “There is no credible source for a differing point of view.” He appealed the issuance of his letter of reprimand, but the Board voted 6-0 to uphold it in early March.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Supporters of Hawn told me they were frustrated with the board’s decision to continue the dismissal process against the Sullivan Central HS contemporary issues teacher <a href="https://twitter.com/WJHL11?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WJHL11</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ABCTriCities?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABCTriCities</a> <a href="https://t.co/HF8L68IOyo">pic.twitter.com/HF8L68IOyo</a>
&mdash; Bianca Marais WJHL (@BiancaWJHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/BiancaWJHL/status/1402423820326158336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Later that month, Hawn faced a second round of reprimands when students reported he showed a “White Privilege” poetry <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkz5UmXugzk">video</a> to his class that contained more inappropriate terms and phrases, including “asses,” “s***,” and “f*** my brains out.”
The charges of dismissal compiled by the school board alleged: “Hawn clearly knew the video’s content was inappropriate, especially in light of the prior letter of reprimand, as more than one student confirmed that Hawn remarked to the class that playing the video could affect his job status (one student quoted Hawn as saying – ‘I’m about to get fired but I don’t really care.’)”
Hawn confirmed to the Board that no other perspectives were presented to students.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Sullivan County Director of Schools Dr. David Cox said he had been accused of racism for backing the charges against Hawn.
“There has been a lot of talk online that accuses me of moving to dismiss Mr. Hawn because he taught anti-racism lessons,” said Cox. “Let me be perfectly clear. Sullivan County Schools, and I in no way condone racism of any county. We have encouraged all of our teachers, including Mr. Hawn, to promote an environment welcoming to all students of all races of all backgrounds.”
“Appropriate discussions around concepts like white privilege remain perfectly appropriate for a high school class, like contemporary issues,” Cox continued. “These charges of dismissal are about Mr. Hawn refusing to provide his students with access to varying points of view, which is required under Tennessee law. And these charges are about Mr. Hawn, again, assigning inappropriate materials to his students.”
Hawn obtained tenure with the school system in 2008. He has 30 days to request a hearing before an impartial hearing officer and remains suspended without pay.

“Black Panther” Panel Discussion

School Board Approves Termination Charges Against TN Teacher Who Made Students Read Ta-Nehisi Coates But Refused To Present Opposing Viewpoint

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Tennessee

The Arkansas state legislature and Department of Education funded a residential program for gifted high school seniors that may teach accepted students about their “white privilege.” 
The 42nd annual Arkansas Governor’s School, a “four-week summer residential program,” plans to teach students about their “white privilege” in a session on “Personal and Social Development” during the week of July 12.  According to <a href="https://www.atu.edu/ags/">Arkansas Tech University</a>, the Arkansas legislature and education department provide “tuition, room, board, and instructional materials for each [accepted] student.”
Upcoming programming includes an article from Peggy McIntosh, an associate director of the Wellesley College Center for Research on Women, that explains how students can unpack their “white privilege.” In the curriculum, the women’s researcher explains that white privilege is akin to male privilege, which the director believes must be “lessened.” 
“I have often noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are overprivileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged,” McIntosh wrote. “They may say they will work on women’s [status], in the society, the university, or the curriculum, but they can’t or won’t support the idea of lessening men’s.” 
“Denials that amount to taboos surround the subject of advantages that men gain from women’s disadvantages. These denials protect male privilege from being fully acknowledged, lessened, or ended,” the director continued. “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege.”
McIntosh continued to claim that “white privilege” is “an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was ‘meant&#8217; to remain oblivious.”
The curriculum includes McIntosh’s 50 “daily effects of white privilege” that insinuate that black people are unable to buy homes in desirable neighborhoods, find mentors, or find academics. 
Examples include: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">“If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.” </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">“I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">“I can be pretty sure of finding people who would be willing to talk with me and advise me about my next steps, professionally.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">“I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my color.”</li>
</ul>
McIntosh concluded that “white advantage” is “strongly inculturated” in the United States, while also dubbing meritocracy and equality of democracy a “myth.” 
“It seems to me that obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocracy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all,” McIntosh concluded. 
A spokesperson for Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford told The Daily Wire that they are under the impression that the McIntosh reading has been “pulled and will not be used.” However, the assignment was still on the agenda as of 11:21 a.m. on Friday with a “clarification” note.
According to the clarification note, faculty members are not required to cover the McIntosh “white privilege” reading, though they are free to include it. The note claims that the article is meant to prompt discussion, “even empathizing with person[s] taking opposing positions,” presumably to the existence of white privilege. 
Arkansas GOP Rep. Bruce Westerman told The Daily Wire that he is calling on the Arkansas Governor’s School to “immediately end the use of these racist materials.” 
“The fact that the proliferation of these putrid, anti-American ideals are slated to be taught to our state’s future leaders through the funding of our tax dollars is shameful,” Rep. Westerman said. “As Americans, and as members of the human race, we must reject these misguided teachings that seek to create divisions based upon no criteria other than gender, social status, or skin color.” 
Gov. Asa Hutchinson — who <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/551609-arkansas-governor-allows-bill-targeting-critical-race-theory-in-state">refused</a> to sign legislation outlawing critical race theory in schools — denies that the Governor&#8217;s School is teaching lessons about white privilege. 
“This is incorrect,” Hutchinson told The Daily Wire. “Arkansas Governor’s school is not providing white privilege training and I would never approve such training.”
This article has been updated to include comments from Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson

Arkansas ‘Governor’s School’ May Teach Students Lesson On ‘White Privilege’

Arkansas

A lawsuit filed against an Illinois school district Tuesday alleges that the district violated anti-discrimination laws while teaching “anti-racist” course work.
Stacy Deemar, a middle school drama teacher, sued the school district over its curriculum allegedly forcing students to participate in “privilege walks” separated by race, comparing “whiteness” to the devil, and other lessons that pit “different racial groups against each other,” according to the suit.
“Fostering racial identities, promoting the idea that they are in conflict, and perpetuating divisive stereotypes pits teachers and children against one another based on the color of their skin,” the <a href="https://www.fairforall.org/content/pdfs/profiles/2021-06-29-deemar-v-district-65.pdf">lawsuit</a> says. “They teach them that their whole identity comes from the color of their skin. They teach them to hate each other. They teach them not only how to be racist, but that they should be racist.”
The Southeastern Legal Foundation is <a href="https://www.slfliberty.org/case/deemar-v-evanston-skokie-school-district-65/">representing</a> Deemar in her lawsuit. The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR) <a href="https://twitter.com/fairforall_org/status/1410326198677217280">outlined</a> some of the allegations made in the lawsuit:
<blockquote>… The school engaged in racial segregation, depicted “whiteness” as a devil, and taught that whites are inherently oppressive. …
Teachers were separated by race, instructed on the problems with “white talk” and “white privilege,” and required to participate in “privilege walks.” …
Students as young as kindergarten were separated by race into “affinity groups,” told to participate in “privilege walks” based on their skin color, and given books depicting “whiteness” as a devil that “mess[es] endlessly” with “all fellow humans of color.” …
The children were also taught “whiteness is a bad deal,” white people send &#8220;overt and subliminal messages” that they are “superior” and black people are “bad, ugly, and inferior,” and color-blindness is racist. …
The school website proclaimed 5-year-old children, &#8220;especially while children,&#8221; are not &#8220;racial innocents.&#8221; The complaint alleges these discriminatory and hostile practices violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection guarantee.</blockquote>
The Evanston School District, located just north of Chicago, is outspoken in its commitment to “racial and educational equity.”
“District 65 recognizes that excellence requires a commitment to equity and to identifying practices, policies and institutional barriers, including institutional racism and privilege, which perpetuate opportunity and achievement gaps,” the district’s <a href="https://www.district65.net/Page/1517">website</a> says.
The website goes on to state that the district is focused on race as “one of the first visible indicators of identity.” The website also states that the district aims for equity, not equality “where all students are treated the same.” The website states:
<blockquote>… District 65 is committed to focusing on race as one of the first visible indicators of identity while recognizing that the district’s students hold multiple, intersecting identities such as mental or physical ability, sexual orientation including gender identity and/or expression, religion, economic status, national origin and any other personal characteristics.
The concept of educational equity goes beyond the definition of equality – where all students are treated the same – to fostering a barrier free environment where all students’ unique needs are addressed and supported by resources which are allocated in a fiscally responsible manner.</blockquote>
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism is representing Deemar in her lawsuit. She is being represented by the Southeastern Legal Foundation.

High School Classroom

Lawsuit: Illinois School District Forced Students On ‘Privilege Walks,’ Compared ‘Whiteness’ To The Devil

Anti-Racism

Illinois

A young Amazon delivery worker in the Castro Valley area, roughly 30 miles east of San Francisco, California, beat up an elderly woman after reportedly telling the woman to “check her white privilege.”
Last Thursday, in front of the Vista Creek Apartments on Thursday, at roughly 6 p.m., the 21-year-old female driver repeatedly struck the elderly woman. According to Doug Smith, the owner of the apartment complex, the elderly woman had received an alert that her package had been delivered, but when she arrived at the lobby, no package was waiting. Smith said the elderly woman asked the Amazon driver, identified by police as Itzel Ramirez, where the package was, prompting Ramirez to respond it would arrive soon.
<a href="https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/amazon-delivery-driver-arrested-for-assault-says-she-punched-67-year-old-in-self-defense?fbclid=IwAR1JFZVmGbQog4RRluHCTDDBhkM8jpZD9VUxlVvIiEm1Mrm7vEyKuDuyY6I">FOX 10</a> reported:
<blockquote>The victim waited for 15 minutes in the lobby, came back outside and asked where her package was. &#8220;I believe the Amazon driver said something about ‘your white privilege,’ and my tenant said, ‘You don’t need to be a bitch about it,&#8217; turned around and walked away,&#8221; said apartment complex owner Doug Smith.</blockquote>
“Ramirez was so enraged that she began punching the woman in the head and upper body, landing as many as 10 blows. … Surveillance footage filmed by cameras positioned both outside and inside the lobby of the building shows Ramirez push the woman up against the front entrance and continue to strike her,” the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9655227/Moment-Amazon-delivery-woman-viciously-beats-woman-67-called-b-ch.html">Daily Mail</a> noted.
“The sheriffs say the attack left her with a possible broken nose and visible injuries,” <a href="https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/amazon-worker-arrested-for-assaulting-67-year-old-woman-in-castro-valley-sheriff/">KRON 4</a> reported.
Ramirez, who claimed she struck the elderly woman in self-defense, was charged with two counts of elder abuse and battery involving serious bodily injury. She was held on $100,000 bail.
Amazon released a statement saying that Ramirez had been fired. The company stated, “This does not reflect the high standards we have for drivers who deliver our packages. We take these matters seriously and this individual is no longer delivering Amazon packages.”
Smith added, “It was frightening to see an Amazon driver do that, somebody who we allow onto the property to provide us a service.” He added, “I don’t know. I just think that the violence we’re seeing these days is very troubling. I was very pleased to see Sheriff [Gregory] Ahern and his deputies do a quick response,” <a href="https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/amazon-delivery-driver-arrested-after-assaulting-castro-valley-woman-sheriff/2562626/">NBC Bay Area </a>reported.
“The victim has not wanted to comment to the media,” SFist <a href="https://sfist.com/2021/06/04/castro-valley-woman-calls-amazon-driver-a-b-ch-gets-beaten-driver-arrested/">noted</a>.
Sheriff&#8217;s Sgt. Ray Kelly said, &#8220;We can&#8217;t have our delivery drivers or people out there in the community attacking people, punching people in the face.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
SHOCKING VIDEO shows an Amazon Driver giving a 67 year old Castro Valley woman a beat down after words were exchanged. 21 year old woman arrested by Alco Sherrif…who says suspect claims self defense. <a href="https://twitter.com/kron4news?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@kron4news</a> <a href="https://t.co/umTVNityDi">pic.twitter.com/umTVNityDi</a>
&mdash; Maureen Kelly (@KRON4MKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/KRON4MKelly/status/1400902625789235206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 4, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/14/amazon-to-examine-its-review-process-following-racial-bias-claims.html">reported</a> in April:
<blockquote>In March, an Amazon Web Services senior manager sued Amazon for allegedly discriminating against Black and female employees at its corporate offices. Charlotte Newman also claimed Amazon paid her less than similarly qualified White coworkers. Newman said she endured racial and sexual harassment by her coworkers and supervisors, including being told that she looked “like a gorilla,” according to the complaint.</blockquote>
An Amazon spokesperson stated, &#8220;We do not tolerate discrimination or harassment of any kind. We are currently investigating the new allegations included in the lawsuit.”

Ramirez

Female Amazon Driver Beats Up Elderly Woman After Reportedly Telling Her To ‘Check Her White Privilege’

Amazon

Joe Rogan, host of the popular &#8220;The Joe Rogan Experience&#8221; podcast, warned in a recent episode that the far-left woke mob will, if left unchallenged, eventually make it so that &#8220;straight white men&#8221; are &#8220;not allowed to talk&#8221; or &#8220;go outside.&#8221;
Rogan made the remarks during a portion of an episode during which he and a guest were speaking about how difficult it would be to create a raunchy comedy movie in today&#8217;s politically correct environment.
Rogan and the guest had the following interaction:
<blockquote>GUEST: I was listening to a podcast the other day that I love that sorts of like a mental health podcast. And this lady was telling the host who&#8217;s like a straight white guy. He was like, I&#8217;m learning about privilege. And he was saying even my self-deprecating humor is a little bit offensive because it&#8217;s my privilege to do self-deprecating humor because as a straight white male people assume I&#8217;m joking, but other people couldn&#8217;t make such jokes because of whatever history and they were literally discussing earnestly how straight white men shouldn&#8217;t really try to be funny.
ROGAN: Was that guy a castrato?
GUEST: It felt a little castrato-y. I mean, it was just a really bizarre conversation.
ROGAN: You can never be woke enough, that&#8217;s the problem, it keeps going, it keeps going further and further and further down the line. And if you get to the point where you capitulate where you agree to all these demands, it will eventually get to straight white men are not allowed to talk. Because it&#8217;s your privilege to express yourself when other people of color have been silenced throughout history. It will be you&#8217;re not allowed to go outside because so many people were imprisoned for so many years. I mean, I&#8217;m not joking, it really will get there. It&#8217;s that crazy. You know, we just got to be nice to each other, man. And there&#8217;s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this weirdness in our culture, and then that becomes their thing. Their thing is calling people out for their privilege, calling people out for their position. You know, it&#8217;s so f***ing crazy times.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Could You Make an Edgy Comedy Today?" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hqfv4gDrP2U?start=253&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT [contains language]:
<blockquote>JOE ROGAN: We were talking today or yesterday rather with Russell Peters about when was the last time you saw a good comedy movie? And can you make a good comedy movie anymore? Or have they, have they made it so dangerous in terms of like being canceled that comedy movies are no longer something you can do?
GUEST: There&#8217;s a movie called, I think it&#8217;s called The Overnighters, I might need to double check on that, the guy, I think his name&#8217;s Adam Scott, is that a guy? A comic actor. And then, who&#8217;s the guy from Rushmore who&#8217;s great? Jason Schwartzman. It&#8217;s Jason Schwartzman and Adam Scott and I think it&#8217;s The Overnighters and it&#8217;s f***ing hilarious.
ROGAN: And how long did it come out?
GUEST: I might need a check on that too, maybe five years ago.
ROGAN: Yeah, that&#8217;s about the cut off.
GUEST: It&#8217;s a really like, low budget, all in one place movie. And it&#8217;s like hysterical I think. 
ROGAN: I would wonder like, what is the cut off in terms of like, when was the last time a really good &#8230; like, when was the last time there was like an edgy comedy?
&#8230;
GUEST: I was listening to a podcast the other day that I love that sorts of like a mental health podcast. And this lady was telling the host who&#8217;s like a straight white guy. He was like, I&#8217;m learning about privilege. And he was saying even my self deprecating humor is a little bit offensive because it&#8217;s my privilege to do self deprecating humor because as a straight white male people assume I&#8217;m joking, but other people couldn&#8217;t make such jokes because of whatever history and they were literally discussing earnestly how straight white men shouldn&#8217;t really try to be funny.
ROGAN: Was that guy a castrato?
GUEST: It felt a little castrato-y. I mean, it was just a really bizarre conversation.
ROGAN: You can never be woke enough, that&#8217;s the problem, it keeps going, it keeps going further and further and further down the line. And if you get to the point where you capitulate where you agree to all these demands, it will eventually get to straight white men are not allowed to talk. Because it&#8217;s your privilege to express yourself when other people of color have been silenced throughout history. It will be you&#8217;re not allowed to go outside because so many people were imprisoned for so many years. I mean, I&#8217;m not joking, it really will get there. It&#8217;s that crazy. You know, we just got to be nice to each other man. And there&#8217;s a lot of people that are taking advantage of this weirdness in our culture, and then that becomes their thing. Their thing is calling people out for their privilege, calling people out for their position. You know, it&#8217;s so f***ing crazy times.
GUEST: Yeah, most definitely. But I do feel like there&#8217;s more, I feel like I hear more people sort of speaking out against that kind of stuff than I hear from people saying that&#8217;s a good idea. Like, I think there&#8217;s way more people that are like, what, that&#8217;s insane. 
ROGAN: Well, especially in our circles.
GUEST: True. Yeah, maybe I&#8217;m in a bubble, I don&#8217;t know. 
ROGAN: Yeah, I mean, we&#8217;re definitely in a comedy bubble. I mean, this is what we do, we talk s**t.
GUEST: Right. 
ROGAN: You know, when you talk s**t and you see something stupid like that, like as a straight white man, I shouldn&#8217;t be self deprecating, like, b***h, what the f**k is wrong with you?
GUEST: Yeah, I mean, I&#8217;m in a lot of trouble if we can&#8217;t do that, but&#8211;
ROGAN: Yeah, we&#8217;re humans. If you&#8217;re a human being you should be able to express yourself. You shouldn&#8217;t have to take into account all the other people that are either not heard or not expressing themselves currently or not in the same, you know, whatever categories as you, like, come on, man. We can&#8217;t do that. Because that&#8217;s, what you&#8217;re doing is you&#8217;re forcing yourself to think double and triple about every single f***ing thing you say and whether or not you have the right to say it, whether or not you have the right to express yourself.
GUEST: Yeah, and then then then nobody&#8217;s having fun. That doesn&#8217;t seem like a fun way to live at all. It&#8217;s a terrible way to live.</blockquote>

UFC Fight Night: Brown v Graves

Joe Rogan Warns: Woke Mob Will Make It So ‘Straight White Men’ Won’t Be ‘Allowed To Talk,’ ‘Go Outside’

Comedy

Joe Rogan

Woke Culture

A Virginia public school district’s equity lead sent out a graphic claiming that Christians are privileged and women, children, and people over the age of 50 experience “oppression.” 
Lottie Spurlock, the equity director for Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) district — one of the most affluent school districts in the nation — passed out a graphic that used immutable characteristics to divide people into two groups — oppressed and privileged. 
According to LCPS, the following groups experience “privilege”: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Men</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">White People</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Christians</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Heterosexual</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">20-50 Year Olds</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">U.S. Born</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Owning/Middle- or High-Income Background</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Currently Able-Bodied</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">College Educated or Parents College Educated</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Not Adopted or Foster Child</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">English as a Primary Language</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“Average” or “Thin” (referencing weight) </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Lighter Complexioned People of the Same Race </li>
</ul>
The graphic claims that the following groups experience “oppression”: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Women</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Children</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">People of Color</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Non-Christians</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Queer</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Gender Non-conforming</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">50 Years and Older</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Immigrant</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Working Class/Lower Income Background</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Disabled</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Not College Educated or Parents Not College Educated</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Single Parent or Raised by a Single Parent</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Adopted or Foster Child</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">English as a Second Language</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“Overweight” </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Darker Complexioned People of the Same Race </li>
</ul>
Ian Prior, the executive director of <a href="https://fightforschools.com/">Fightforschools.com</a>, told The Daily Wire that he believes this presentation is an attack on people’s religious beliefs. 
“Loudoun County Public Schools’ state-sanctioned racism and bigotry seemingly knows no bounds,” Prior said. “Not only are senior staff forcing teachers and students to see everyone as part of an identity group instead of individuals, but now they are attacking peoples religious beliefs.” 
Following the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, school districts across the nation caved to activists and began implementing “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) training. LCPS has taken “DEI” a step further and called its approach to teaching, “DEIJA,” which stands for “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Anti-racist work.” 
The push for “DEIJA” at LCPS is being spearheaded by Spurlock. In a recent training, Spurlock encouraged administrators to use the terms “Black and Brown” people or “BIPOC” instead of the term “minority.” 
The training also listed the “15 characteristics of white supremacy culture,” which includes traits such as “perfectionism, individualism, objectivity,” and believing that there is “only one right way.” 
The district’s equity department has presented controversial training to elementary teachers as well. Recently, an elementary school’s equity lead claimed that “Latinx” students and families may be facing outsized hardships in comparison to other racial groups. 
The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/elementary-school-equity-presentation-insinuates-hispanic-students-struggle-in-education-system-because-they-face-deportation-threats">reported</a>: 
<blockquote>The presentation listed immigration, deportation threats, language barriers, discrimination, access to services, employment difficulties, family responsibilities, health concerns, and family economics as barriers to “Latinx” families. 
Listed under the category “Barriers to success” for Hispanic students, the presentation claimed that “Latinx” families struggle to communicate with the school because of work demands, lack of access to technology, and lack of understanding of parental engagement in education.</blockquote>
LCPS is planning to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/loudoun-spending-6-million-equity-fy22.amp">allocate</a> over $6 million in “equity” and “equity training” for the 2022 fiscal year budget. The budget proposal allocated $339,516 for equity and culturally responsive instructors, $565,983 for school counselors, $72,000 for “equity training across departments,” and another $50,000” for “diversity interview panels.”

Loudoun County High School

Public School Graphic Dubs Christians As ‘Privileged,’ Women, Children As ‘Oppressed’

Christianity

Virginia

A professor at New York University said that black students are not safe in American schools. 
As the one-year anniversary of school closures approaches, New York University (NYU) professor David Kirkland sent out a tweet saying that he was fearful of the nationwide push to reopen schools for in-person learning. 
“I’m reading today’s education headlines, which makes it all but clear that the country is trending toward in-person school reopenings,” Kirkland said. “My biggest fear is that, as we rush to reopen, nothing will change. Those who are vulnerable will remain vulnerable. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.” 
In a separate tweet, Kirkland said that being black in school — regardless of vaccination efforts or the coronavirus — is unsafe. 
“It’s not about vaccines or COVID. If you’re Black, you’re not safe in U.S. schools,” Kirkland said. 
<div id="attachment_196671" style="width: 610px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-196671" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-196671" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Kirkland-Tweet-300x148.png" alt="" width="600" height="296" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Kirkland-Tweet-300x148.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Kirkland-Tweet-1024x505.png 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Kirkland-Tweet-768x379.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Kirkland-Tweet.png 1212w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" />via @davidekirkland/Twitter</div>
When asked to clarify what made American schools unsafe for black children, Kirkland did not respond to requests for comment. 
Kirkland is the Dean of Equity, Belonging, and Community Action at NYU as well as an associate professor of English and Urban Education. 
Multiple studies have uncovered that school closures have had a disproportionately negative impact on black and Hispanic students. According to a study by the academic non-profit <a href="https://www.nwea.org/content/uploads/2020/11/Collaborative-brief-Learning-during-COVID-19.NOV2020.pdf">NWEA</a>, a review of fall semester test scores found that minority students were underperforming in reading, while their peers scored in pre-pandemic reading levels. 
Megan Kuhfeld, the author of the NWEA study, told a <a href="https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/Black-Hispanic-poor-students-COVID19-closures-15908407.php">local Houston publication</a> that a greater number of minority students may be falling behind than the study can show. Kuhfeld claims that students who didn’t take the assessment were from marginalized backgrounds. 
Another <a href="https://news.yale.edu/2021/01/05/covid-school-closures-most-harm-students-poorest-neighborhoods">study</a> from Yale University discovered that pandemic-related school closures are exacerbating educational inequality by impacting the academic progress of children from low-income neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the closures have had minimal impact on students from the country’s richest communities. 
The Yale study observed ninth-grade students living in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, a majority of whom are racial minorities, and discovered that children who earned straight Bs “pre-pandemic” now would get Cs in most of their subjects. 
The Yale research concluded that students will recover some of these learning deficits by the end of high school, but approximately half of the education gap accrued during the pandemic will persist long-term. 
Despite the mounting evidence that school closures hurt minority students, education leaders and teacher unions across the nation have advocated for schools to remain closed. Some have gone so far as to call school reopenings a form of racism. 
The United Teachers of Los Angeles, California’s largest teachers union, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/la-teachers-union-claims-california-is-propagating-structural-racism-by-reopening-schools">said</a> that reopening plans were “propagating structural racism.” The Chicago Teacher Union <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/chicago-teachers-union-claims-push-to-open-schools-is-racist-and-sexist-sues-to-stop-plan">said</a> that reopening schools is a form of “sexism, racism, and misogyny.” The Washington Teacher Union president echoed both of these sentiments and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/washington-teachers-union-president-returning-to-in-person-instruction-is-white-privilege">said</a> that returning to in-person instruction was a form of “white privilege.”

New York University

NYU Professor: ‘If You’re Black, You’re Not Safe In U.S. Schools’

Former President Barack Obama told his podcast co-host, Bruce Springsteen, that he would have liked to pursue reparations for slavery as part of his presidential agenda, but that the &#8220;politics of white resistance&#8221; made the issue a &#8220;non-starter.&#8221;
Obama and Springsteen recently launched a podcast together where the pair discuss how to pursue &#8220;unity&#8221; among Americans and forge friendships across party, class, and racial lines. The podcast is billed as two friends from polar opposite backgrounds coming together &#8212; Springsteen from a working-class New Jersey upbringing and Obama from a childhood spent in Hawaii and later, in Chicago &#8212; but both Springsteen and Obama are now wealthy Democrats.
In the podcast&#8217;s second episode, which dropped Monday, the pair chatted about improving race relations, and Springsteen ended the discussion by asking Obama whether he considered pursuing reparations for slavery during his time in the White House.
Obama told Springsteen that he considered the idea but ultimately felt it was a losing battle.
&#8220;Obama said he believes reparations are &#8216;justified&#8217; and that &#8216;there’s not much question that the wealth… the power of this country was built in significant part — not exclusively, maybe not even the majority of it, but a large portion of it — was built on the backs of slaves,'&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/obama-springsteen-podcast-reparations-white-resistance">Fox News reports</a>.
&#8220;The former president claimed that a reparations proposal didn’t make its way through the lawmaking process during his presidency due to &#8216;the politics of White resistance and resentment,'&#8221; the outlet continues.
&#8220;And what I saw during my presidency was the politics of White resistance and resentment. The talk of &#8216;welfare queens&#8217; and the talk of the &#8216;undeserving&#8217; poor. And the backlash against affirmative action,&#8221; Obama said. &#8220;All that made the prospect of actually proposing any kind of coherent, meaningful reparations program struck me as, politically, not only a nonstarter but potentially counterproductive.&#8221;
Obama seemed, later, to walk back some of his criticism, saying he understood that the working poor would be justly concerned about a proposal that addresses the past rather than the present or future.
It was, he said, &#8220;perfectly understandable why working-class White folks, middle-class White folks, folks who are having trouble paying the bills or dealing with student loans, wouldn&#8217;t be too thrilled&#8221; about &#8220;a massive program that is designed to deal with the past but isn&#8217;t speaking to their future.&#8221;
Congress has considered the issue of reparations repeatedly over the course of the last half-century, but generally, the idea of reparations does not get further than a study committee. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced a bill to commission yet another committee to study the possibility of issuing reparations recently and President Joe Biden reportedly backs the effort, though it&#8217;s not clear on whether the president would support actual reparations.
Several black leaders <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/herschel-walker-and-others-say-no-to-slavery-reparations">questioned Lee&#8217;s proposal in Congressional hearings last week</a>, criticizing reparations as &#8220;wealth redistribution&#8221; and questioning the practicality and fairness of issuing reparations checks, given that the program would necessarily involve recipients demonstrating some genetic proof of a connection to slavery in the United States.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/herschel-walker-and-others-say-no-to-slavery-reparations">Related: Herschel Walker And Others Say No To Slavery Reparations</a>

Former President Obama Campaigns For Joe Biden In Miami

Obama: ‘Politics Of White Resistance’ Prevented Administration From Pursuing Reparations

Barack Obama

Reparations

I hope all my readers will join me in my exciting new quest to become less white. Previously, I had thought this would require an expensive membership at my local tanning salon. Now, thanks to a scandal surrounding the Coca-Cola Company (to which I refer at all times for guidance in ethics and personal formation) I have learned that being less white does not in fact require altering the pigmentation of my skin.
“To be less white,” according to the “Confronting Racism” online training course, “is to be less oppressive. To be less arrogant. To be less certain. To be less defensive.” Presumably it is also to be kinder, smarter, gentler, and better at baking pies.
I am moreover <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-hits-coca-cola-after-accusations-of-anti-white-agenda" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-hits-coca-cola-after-accusations-of-anti-white-agenda&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGW5bSBmm5GV5I8z8Zdj5e0BedrXQ">assured</a> via corporate statement that &#8220;Confronting Racism&#8221; is not part of Coca-Cola&#8217;s mandatory curriculum but merely an adjunct to their &#8220;learning plan to help build an inclusive workplace.&#8221; This plan includes — but does not mandate, thank goodness! — &#8220;access to LinkedIn Learning on a variety of topics, including on diversity, equity and inclusion.&#8221;
What a relief! For a moment I had thought that a major American corporation was inviting its employees to believe that their ethnic heritage — or, even more crudely, their phenotype — was a major determiner of their personal character and potential for such virtues as empathy. That would be racism, and racism is very wrong.
Now instead I learn — not because I have to but because I am enabled to — that “whiteness” is not a genetic category but merely a catch-all term for “everything bad.” In those terms, who wouldn&#8217;t want to be less white?!
It makes no difference whether Coca-Cola itself mandates this training or only lets its employees into the LinkedIn page where they can find it. In itself, the course represents a widespread philosophy as insipid as it is evil. This philosophy has found extremely popular spokespeople in Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, and Ibram X. Kendi, prophet of “anti-racism.” DiAngelo was featured in &#8220;Confronting Racism,&#8221; for which she undoubtedly received one of her <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-fragility-author-robin-diangelo-paid-more-for-university-speaking-gig-than-black-counterpart">staggering</a> speakers’ fees.
Kendi, in his book Stamped from the Beginning, has made his own fortune (to the tune of a $10 million <a href="https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/jack-dorsey-bu-center-for-antiracist-research-gift/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bu.edu/articles/2020/jack-dorsey-bu-center-for-antiracist-research-gift/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFlUoVQZM03kk9iB3LdR0KjyKxamQ">donation</a> from Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, for starters) by teaching that “racial discrimination is the sole cause of racial disparities in this country and in the world at large.” No other factor than the inherent racism of whiteness, in other words, can explain anything less than complete racial equity in all areas of American life.
But Kendi and DiAngelo are neither of them bright enough to have had so much as an original thought, let alone to have invented an entire system of racial grievance in America. Their rise to fame, and the monstrous ascendancy of the Critical Race Theory which they teach in American schools and businesses, has been and continues to be ably detailed and opposed by City Journal’s <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo?ref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGQqQ9LcEMeJpiZvvEbVawIpW-0tA">Christopher Rufo</a>. For my own part, I don’t propose to deal further with Kendi or DiAngelo except as sock puppets — little gajillionaire mouthpieces for satanic forces which have been at work in American culture since the Cold War, and in the human heart since the fall of man.
Cultural Marxism
First, the Commies. As I imagine Michael Knowles will discuss in detail when his new <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Speechless-Controlling-Words-Minds/dp/1684510821" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/Speechless-Controlling-Words-Minds/dp/1684510821&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFTkO9G2ivbybH3ZY1T0R17GjhUAg">book</a> comes out, Marxism failed as an economic proposition in America because, as an economic proposition, it sucks. We have — or had; it is dwindling — a middle class in this country. This made it difficult to foment discontent with America’s free market, because even our proletariat was having a pretty good time economically.
So, <a href="https://americanmind.org/features/the-racial-marxism-of-blm/the-plot-to-change-america/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://americanmind.org/features/the-racial-marxism-of-blm/the-plot-to-change-america/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiDnJhhMWm9pnTUiSMmgN41VmAiw">inspired</a> by sophisticates like the Italian Antonio Gramsci and agitators like the American Rudi Dutschke, Marxists pivoted. They began what Dutschke famously called the “long march through the institutions” — an effort to insinuate Communism into America’s schools and artistic venues, to teach every “lisping babe,” in <a href="http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/lyceum.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGa-_bEVm5U1PgFWMJEzyGuLBbHiA">Abraham Lincoln</a>’s memorable phrasing, that the world could be boiled down to class grievance.
This is by now a well-known story; the success of cultural Marxism was in evidence last summer when a generation of miseducated American radicals poured violently onto the streets of our cities to express hatred for all white, male, cis-hetero oppressors from the Founding Fathers on down to the present day.
What fewer conservatives realize is that not just the fury of summer 2020, but the whole BLM philosophy which motivated it — the terminology, the ideology, the millenarian narrative of struggle and apocalyptic triumph — is Marxist in origin and design. BLM co-founder Patrisse Cullors was justified in describing herself and her colleagues as “trained <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/25/blm-co-founder-describes-herself-as-trained-marxist/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nypost.com/2020/06/25/blm-co-founder-describes-herself-as-trained-marxist/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-ooDfstqE-1qVOSlwUjtieCNa0g">Marxists</a>”: the very notion of “white privilege” was itself cribbed from a 1960s Communist playbook.
It was Communist party members Noel Ignatiev and Ted Allen who came up with the idea of pitting Americans against one another with the accusation of “white-skin privilege.” If there is no economic grounds for discontent among the working poor, then certainly there is racial grounds: teach that the stain of racism persists in every white soul, and Americans will see one another not as friends and fellow citizens but as victims or villains.
Better yet, the same framework can be applied in every area of American society. “Once radicals adopt such an approach to radicalizing the white masses,” Allen <a href="https://americanmind.org/features/the-racial-marxism-of-blm/the-communist-roots-of-white-privilege/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://americanmind.org/features/the-racial-marxism-of-blm/the-communist-roots-of-white-privilege/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFdwkYb8TPcX4zCNsvoo9FqND9loQ">wrote</a>, “the implications for particular areas of activity will not be hard to find.” Many Communists are shockingly bad writers. But Allen was trying to say that animating grievance based on past injustices is an idea with legs. Women, gays, blacks, trans people — anyone with any claim to victimhood could be enlisted in the revolution against America.
The key, said Allen, was “the function of the white radicals.” A significant number of sympathetic whites, in other words, must accept and teach that they and their like are foundationally evil by virtue of their race. That is the function that useful idiots like DiAngelo and her corporate backers serve today.
Why It Worked
Somewhere under all of this intellectual history, though, there’s a deeper question. Why did this work? Why was any American — let alone masses of us — persuaded that he was inherently, inescapably broken from the moment of his birth? Race is an agonizingly sore subject with Americans in particular, of course — not because we are the worst society ever to exist in terms of racism, but because we are the first society to posit radical equality before the law as a matter of national creed.
Our philosophical commitment to not being racist was so extreme that our failure to make good on that commitment — morally appalling in itself but not remarkable in the scope of human history — became intolerable. We tore the country bloodily apart over it. The memory of that trauma is still fresh and the wounds it left are still tender after all these years.
All of that stipulated, though, there is something yet more primal going on here. Every country has damnable injustices in its past. Why is it that we can’t lay ours to rest? It seems we are psychologically unable to situate our own failures in the context of human failure more generally.
That is a religious problem. It is not ultimately economic, or political, or sociological, except in the very deepest sense of all those words. Questions about where a person or a nation stands in the cosmic sweep of history are ultimately theological questions. All the major faiths — whatever their other flaws, virtues, or differences — have some way of processing how much violence there is in the world, how pitiless and tragic are the paths man charts through the valley of death.
In the second Surah (chapter) of the Qur’an, when Allah announces his intention to create humankind, the angels are appalled. “You will make creatures who will do mischief and shed blood?” they gasp. Allah’s response to them is pure, inscrutable enigma: “I know what you do not.”
That is an example of a religion coming to healthy terms with our broken world: Why was the existence of man worth the atrocities he would commit? It is a mystery. There are things even the angels do not understand.
Christian theology agrees with this approach, up to a point. But Christians go further: when God sacrificed himself on the cross, we peered into the infinite depths of that awful mystery. “He himself bore our sins, in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live in righteousness.” The world is still a vale of anguish and grief. But Christians are consoled and guided by the thought that though the source of grief is us, the remedy for it is God and his mercy, which we are to emulate.
In his Second Inaugural Address, years into the torment of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln told a weary nation that these hard Christian truths would sustain and guide them in what was to come. The bloodletting of the war might be “the woe due to those by whom the offence” of chattel slavery came. But when that judgment had passed, the score was to be settled and all resentments buried. “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds.”
The Nation’s Wounds
Critical Race Theory and Cultural Marxism have won the victories they have won because they came to America at a time of spiritual desolation. Those rich and noble certainties which gave shape to Lincoln’s speech, the theological framework within which all men must grapple with the angst of being broken, have drained out of our cultural life in the wake of the World Wars.
In place of that broad Judeo-Christian consensus, woke racism presents a dark travesty of religion which pretends to scratch the itch for worship in every human heart, the way all satanic perversions do. The woke profess their faith in a new creed with another sacrifice at its core — not Christ’s freely chosen self-abasement, but the old and primitive ritual of the scapegoat.
As a matter of religious heritage, scapegoating practices are first codified in Leviticus 16, where the Jewish people are instructed to pile the sins of all the people onto one goat and send it running, never to return. But this symbolic practice is no mere artifice: it is a stopgap measure given by God to his people, a way of transferring the rage and pain of our fallenness onto a relatively safe object.
The Jews blamed one goat a year for the sins of the world so they wouldn’t do it to a person or race, which is what we are naturally inclined to do. It turns out inability to face up to the horrors of our brokenness is not unique to Americans: it is the norm, and it has motivated people throughout history to invent accusations against one another rather than face the fact of their own shortcomings. This is, in a cruel irony, exactly how Jews have been treated throughout history: from the blood libel to the Holocaust, God’s chosen people have been blamed for any number of sociological dysfunctions and made, wrongly, to suffer punishment for them.
In the empty void left by Christian worship, we have reverted to this most juvenile and ugliest way of dealing with our sins. “Identity politics begins from an understanding of the brokenness of white, heterosexual men,” writes Joshua Mitchell in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/American-Awakening-Identity-Politics-Afflictions/dp/1641771305" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/American-Awakening-Identity-Politics-Afflictions/dp/1641771305&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1614209705302000&amp;usg=AFQjCNE8cxRIC1X7SrVZwoFEk-nCzURmyg">American Awakening</a>. “Then, without the assistance of God, [identity politics] seeks to save the planet from the transgressors who have endangered it.”
It is not my intention here to scold anyone into a faith he cannot accept. But I do believe we cannot be realists about saving America without identifying the nature of our problem. Identity politics is a religion; Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi are clerics; they triumph not because they are strong but because we are spiritually weak.
If there is to be a solution to this it is religious revival, and it starts at home. Perhaps you are a Christian, perhaps you are not — your task is the same. Cast out false gods wherever you find them, and do not be satisfied with cheap solutions to profound questions. If you cannot believe in Christian dogma, ask yourself what you can believe in, and why.
Somewhere, among your fellows and in your own heart, there is a better answer to the sins of the world than the hideous, churning, atavistic nightmare that has cast its shadow over us again in the form of identity politics. Seek that answer, and enlist others in the search. If we are to survive, the solution has to start somewhere. Let it start there.
Spencer Klavan is host of the <a href="http://youngheretics.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://youngheretics.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608237713152000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFegURPjAdNFJd0-_mKudXAgmAp5g">Young Heretics</a> podcast and associate editor of the <a href="https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608237713152000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEwm82CEKe6gHOjTWwdZQOTR6iQow">Claremont Review of</a> Books and <a href="https://americanmind.org/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://americanmind.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608237713152000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHQm8tQMK1XoUSXLWkCl3KkGZJgrQ">The American Mind</a>. He can be reached on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerklavan" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/spencerklavan&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1608237713152000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHzq-src8474zs7-nMknyLYtgJwCA">@SpencerKlavan</a>.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

SPAIN-POLITICS-RACISM-POLICE-PROTEST

The Dark Religion of Identity Politics

Critical Race Theory

Identity Politics

Menu