The Critical Race Theory Essay Example

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. announced, “The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny” (npr.org). Critical race theory is a very ambiguous and vast topic. It is an academic theory that racism is embedded in legal systems and that race is an indicator for social and economic status. There has been controversy about this theory. Is it right? Is it wrong? Should it be taught in schools? Critical race theory is wrong and shouldn’t be taught in schools because not everyone knows exactly what it is, nobody can control their skin color, and people of color have equal rights as everyone else. 

Critical race theory shouldn’t be taught in schools because not everyone knows exactly what critical race theory is and means. It is a very vast and vague topic that even after researching it, nobody would be able to tell exactly what it is. FOX News Tucker Carlson, a TV personality who talks about critical race theory very much, announced, “I’ve spent the last year talking about how much I oppose and despise critical race theory, I have based my entire belief system/political platform/TV show on the ills of critical race theory, and also on top of that, I would like to add that I have no idea what critical race theory is about'' (mcsweeneys.net). A well known person who constantly talks about this topic has actually no known explanation for it. How could society as a whole progress if it has no knowledge on any opposing views? Some people who defend critical race theory give different stories to explain critical race theory. James E. Hanley states, “Some tell us that the flap over critical race theory (CRT) in K-12 education is a strawman because CRT is just a sophisticated legal theory taught only in law schools and graduate schools. Others say that CRT is the simple factual truth about the history of race and politics in the U.S'' (aier.org). Even defenders of this theory still have disagreements over what it is exactly. Neither the defenders nor the condemners have an exact definition of critical race theory. This is a problem because in order to argue something, someone has to have common knowledge about that topic.

Critical race theory shouldn’t be taught in schools because nobody can control the color of their skin. A person should be judged on their character, not something that they can’t control. Critical race theory bases social and economic status as well as certain laws on race. It is racist because “many poor whites have a perception of and have experienced loss in status, prestige and money since the 1990’s. Marginalized groups cannot be blamed for the economic setback of the white underclass since they too have experienced it but at more alarming rates. But the plight of the white underclass has not been given as much public or political attention as racialized groups. The result is racial tension concerning economic resources to which neither group has access” (thehill.com). Critical race theory pits people against each other. It is usually a black versus white argument. Black people or any people of color are seen as victims while white people are seen as the perpetrators. This is dangerous. Regardless of skin color, people are still people. Usually more attention is given to suffering black people. When white people suffer, it isn’t as acknowledged because they are white. This is blatant racism.

The opposing side that is for critical race theory believes people of color have been oppressed for many years by the white population. After the civil war ended, “some states passed black codes that severely limited the rights of black people, many of whom had been enslaved. These codes limited what jobs African Americans could hold, and their ability to leave a job once hired. Some states also restricted the kind of property black people could own” (nationalgeographic.org). The people who were passing these laws were white. These laws were extremely racist. Every person is still a person, regardless of skin color. A person should be judged on the content of their character and not their skin. People of color, especially African Americans, faced every kind of discrimination. Many, “theatres, hotels, and restaurants segregated them in inferior accommodations or refused to admit them at all. Shops served them last...Segregated public schools meant generations of African-American children often received an education designed to be inferior to that of whites—with worn-out or outdated books, underpaid teachers, and lesser facilities and materials” (nationalgeographic.org). This isn’t and wasn’t right. Why treat people like they aren’t human because of something they were born with? They cannot control that. Every human being deserves happiness, no matter what it means to them. Black people have been oppressed heavily in the past, especially by white people. Critical race theory supports black people because it believes that there is racism in law against people of color.

However, critical race theory shouldn’t be taught in schools because people of color and white people have equal rights. Today is not 1920. Present day “blacks are allowed to attend the same schools as whites. Today, blacks are virtually treated the same as whites in restaurants, movie theaters, and pretty much everywhere else in public. Today, while there are unfortunate instances of police officers abusing their authority, blacks are not institutionally targeted (in fact, police violence against blacks is actually rare ). Today, blacks interact with whites all the time” (washingtonexaminer.com). In the 1940s, black people and white people had to drink out of different water fountains. Black people and white people couldn’t eat in the same restaurant. It was taboo to even talk to a black person. In the present day, blacks are normal human beings, as they should be. Critical race theory supports the idea that people of color are oppressed when they really have the same opportunities, if not more. As of today, “ blacks have more opportunities than ever to climb out of poverty and, more importantly, are not viewed as second-class citizens. What is unfortunate is that the welfare state has infringed on such progress” (washingtonexaminer.com). Many black people are offered so much compensation in the form of welfare that they live off of food stamps instead of working. Usually white people aren’t offered this. This creates an image of black people being oppressed because they can’t find jobs. However, most of them can while a few live off of welfare. There are white people who are poor and working hard who don’t get offered welfare or food stamps. Critical race theory is wrong when believing that black people are still oppressed when black people are offered compensation for their race. 

Critical race theory shouldn’t be taught in schools and is wrong because nobody understands exactly what the theory means, it is racist and pits people against each other, and people of all colors have equal rights today. Nobody understands what critical race theory is by definition because it is such a vague topic. Critical race theory is racist because it makes the whole issue about black versus white. It is wrong because people of color and white people have equal opportunity to succeed. Overall, critical race theory shouldn’t be taught in schools. Society needs to focus more on the individual's character and not the color of their skin.