Great post. I am often struck by the quasi-religious thinking going on in these political movements. Wokeness generally and "antiracism" (really anti-white racism) in particular are basically akin to religious cults: these movements are characterized by black-and-white (pun somewhat intended), all-or-none thinking, a refusal to tolerate or even consider dissenting views, utopian solutions for which any present sacrifice is justified no matter the cost, etc. Of course, intellectual honesty and consistency are not valued highly by these cultists. During the height of the post-George Floyd hysteria surrounding BLM, you could not even criticize or question this Marxist organization without being labeled a racist (the modern equivalent of "heretic"); I was not at all surprised to learn that BLM's founders have parlayed their nonprofit activism into lucrative careers as real-estate tycoons, just as I am never surprised to learn of similar corruption among the leadership of religious cults. I am glad to see more and more people willing to criticize the leaders of BLM and other woke movements; these cult leaders are doing nothing to promote the cause of fostering "peace on earth and goodwill among men" of all races.
I really enjoyed this piece and the accompanying video. However, unless I’ve misunderstood something, it seems this one sentence: [From those who voted for Donald Trump to those who disagree with the 1619 project, black and brown folks who don’t align with the tenets of anti-racism “don’t count.”] is, itself, an example of the problem Quay has otherwise eloquently addressed. Not everyone who voted for Trump or who takes issue with the 1619 Project assumes that black and brown folks who reject the tenets of anti-racism “don’t count.” In fact, they are the kinds of people, like me (I voted for Trump in 2016 but voted for no presidential candidate in 2020 because I found them both to be dangerous, in different ways), who have, or will, find their way to FAIR. As Daryl and Quay said in the video, we must break down walls, and communicate, without making assumptions about people.
I appreciate the work you are doing. Hopefully you have been successful and will continue to be successful in changing peoples' minds related to race.
It is unfortunate that the term "anti-racism" has been co-opted by, ironically, racists. Albeit, I guess that is not something new in human history. Tyrants have been known to call themselves freedom fighters.
Racial tribalism should be considered an expression of racism. And we should judge it as immoral. And it shouldn't matter what the race is of the person expressing it. If a black person promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral. If a white person promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral. Or for that matter -- it shouldn't matter if a state expresses it: if North Korea promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral; if Israel promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral.
Tribal belonging should have no basis in race. To base tribal belonging on race is immoral. At least it is in my tribe -- and because I have faith that all humans capable of a conscience and rationality all have the same potential for a great deal of shared moral judgement -- It is universally immoral. Most of the so called "anti-racists" just haven't come to that realization yet. Some of them probably don't even have the capacity for a conscience, but they are quite happy manipulating those who do.
Great post. I am often struck by the quasi-religious thinking going on in these political movements. Wokeness generally and "antiracism" (really anti-white racism) in particular are basically akin to religious cults: these movements are characterized by black-and-white (pun somewhat intended), all-or-none thinking, a refusal to tolerate or even consider dissenting views, utopian solutions for which any present sacrifice is justified no matter the cost, etc. Of course, intellectual honesty and consistency are not valued highly by these cultists. During the height of the post-George Floyd hysteria surrounding BLM, you could not even criticize or question this Marxist organization without being labeled a racist (the modern equivalent of "heretic"); I was not at all surprised to learn that BLM's founders have parlayed their nonprofit activism into lucrative careers as real-estate tycoons, just as I am never surprised to learn of similar corruption among the leadership of religious cults. I am glad to see more and more people willing to criticize the leaders of BLM and other woke movements; these cult leaders are doing nothing to promote the cause of fostering "peace on earth and goodwill among men" of all races.
I really enjoyed this piece and the accompanying video. However, unless I’ve misunderstood something, it seems this one sentence: [From those who voted for Donald Trump to those who disagree with the 1619 project, black and brown folks who don’t align with the tenets of anti-racism “don’t count.”] is, itself, an example of the problem Quay has otherwise eloquently addressed. Not everyone who voted for Trump or who takes issue with the 1619 Project assumes that black and brown folks who reject the tenets of anti-racism “don’t count.” In fact, they are the kinds of people, like me (I voted for Trump in 2016 but voted for no presidential candidate in 2020 because I found them both to be dangerous, in different ways), who have, or will, find their way to FAIR. As Daryl and Quay said in the video, we must break down walls, and communicate, without making assumptions about people.
I appreciate the work you are doing. Hopefully you have been successful and will continue to be successful in changing peoples' minds related to race.
It is unfortunate that the term "anti-racism" has been co-opted by, ironically, racists. Albeit, I guess that is not something new in human history. Tyrants have been known to call themselves freedom fighters.
Racial tribalism should be considered an expression of racism. And we should judge it as immoral. And it shouldn't matter what the race is of the person expressing it. If a black person promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral. If a white person promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral. Or for that matter -- it shouldn't matter if a state expresses it: if North Korea promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral; if Israel promotes racial tribalism, it should be judged as immoral.
Tribal belonging should have no basis in race. To base tribal belonging on race is immoral. At least it is in my tribe -- and because I have faith that all humans capable of a conscience and rationality all have the same potential for a great deal of shared moral judgement -- It is universally immoral. Most of the so called "anti-racists" just haven't come to that realization yet. Some of them probably don't even have the capacity for a conscience, but they are quite happy manipulating those who do.
Every instance of race essentialism I encounter is racist. And most, at their root, are not anti-white. They are anti-black in effect.
Thanks for the article and all your efforts to encourage more honest communication.