Article by Thomas Glessner in Townhall
Battle Over Critical Race Theory Will Determine the Future of the American Republic
Virginia’s current battle over critical race theory in schools exemplifies the cultural war now raging. Critical race theory is a subset of “wokeism,” or woke culture. This movement seeks to permanently divide our country.
The eyes of the nation are focused on these school board proceedings. Parents in Virginia’s Loudoun County school district are at the forefront of this battle for America’s soul. If the woke movement prevails, the future of the American republic is questionable.
Upon exiting the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government had been created. His answer: "A republic, if we can keep it." Historically, the life span of most republics is short – usually less than two centuries.
We commonly refer to America as a democracy, but it is not. A pure democracy means that the majority rule controls and the rights of minorities are disregarded. Equality in a democracy is defined by the majority. If a majority says that red-headed, blue-eyed males are subhuman, then they are so regarded under the law. America is a constitutional republic – not a democracy – with checks and balances that protect individuals and minorities against a tyranny of the majority.
The American Constitution brilliantly balances the rights of individuals with the need for an effective government. The Bill of Rights codifies our inalienable rights. The First Amendment’s specified rights of freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and freedom to petition one’s representatives for a redress of grievances define American-ordered liberty.
The Declaration of Independence, the foundation of our Constitution, declares all human beings are created with unalienable rights. At the heart of our republic is the value of each individual created with unalienable rights coming from God – not government.
Yes, our republic has experienced serious flaws, slavery being the most grievous. The Preamble to our Constitution proclaims America was established to achieve “a more perfect union.” Our nation is not perfect (and never will be), but we continually strive for perfection. Our Constitution contains the means to correct injustices. The abolition of slavery and the establishment of the right for women to vote are only two examples of ongoing pursuits for perfection.
We are on the verge of losing our republic to a mob that wants to obliterate the rights of those who disagree with its politically correct ethos. “Wokeism” is the worldview of this mob. This “enlightened” view sees America as racist, dividing us into two classes – the oppressors and the oppressed.
These classes are determined by race. If one is white, then no matter what that person thinks about others, he is an oppressor and a racist. Likewise, if one is black, no matter how successful he has become, he is a victim of systematic racism. This is the foundation of critical race theory and what is being protested by parents in Loudoun County.
Woke culture requires the abolition of traditional gender, proclaiming that gender is a subjective, self-determined aspect of one’s individuality. All who disagree are ridiculed and denounced as bigots. Some are punished with the loss of their careers. Others are shamed into silence.
“Wokeism” and critical race theory promotes class warfare. It does not build and improve but divides and destroys. It seeks to eliminate individual thinking, replacing it with collectivist thought and group thinking.
The woke movement sees freedom of individual thought and speech as unimportant. The thoughts of individuals are to be controlled by the woke elite, which believes it is morally superior and must impose such thinking on others.
Woke culture claims that traditions must be canceled and replaced with a new “enlightened” view of humanity. If one disagrees, then they must be reeducated in actions such as those taken by the Loudoun County School Board. If such efforts fail, dissenters must be humiliated and ostracized.
In the new woke world order, reeducation programs will eventually be mandated to reform the perceived bigoted way of traditional thinking. Those who cannot be reformed will be removed. History has gone down this road before in Hitler’s death camps, the Gulags of Stalinist Russia and the extermination camps of Mao. At this point, the death of the American Republic will have become complete.
Which of these powerful forces will win? The battle in Loudon County is the opening salvo in a conflict that will determine the future of our great constitutional republic. We all must now comprehend the wise statement of Benjamin Franklin because our future depends upon it. Will we keep our republic?
