McWhorter: ‘Many School Districts’ Are Sending Message that ‘Essence of Being Black Is Being Oppressed’

WILLIAMS My next guest ░░░░░░░░ against the influential followers ░░░░░░░░ a new sort of ░░░░░░░░ in his newest book ░░░░░░░░ Racism John McWhorter writes ░░░░░░░░ wave anti racism in ░░░░░░░░ laser focus on an ░░░░░░░░ sense of what racism ░░░░░░░░ and what one does ░░░░░░░░ it is content to ░░░░░░░░ black people in the ░░░░░░░░ of what we can ░░░░░░░░ term dogma It s ░░░░░░░░ lot back with us ░░░░░░░░ tonight easily our favorite ░░░░░░░░ around here the aforementioned ░░░░░░░░ McWhorter armed with a ░░░░░░░░ D in linguistics from ░░░░░░░░ from Stanford he is ░░░░░░░░ professor at Columbia University ░░░░░░░░ New York a contributor ░░░░░░░░ the Atlantic His latest ░░░░░░░░ is Woke Racism how ░░░░░░░░ new religion has betrayed ░░░░░░░░ America Now in the ░░░░░░░░ 10 list of the ░░░░░░░░ York Times bestsellers it ░░░░░░░░ a pleasure to have ░░░░░░░░ and I m so ░░░░░░░░ having written this having ░░░░░░░░ released this you re ░░░░░░░░ last night s returns ░░░░░░░░ much of the theme ░░░░░░░░ back to you and ░░░░░░░░ you have a kind ░░░░░░░░ realization that we may ░░░░░░░░ approaching a realization on ░░░░░░░░ part of the Democrats ░░░░░░░░ the language of woke ░░░░░░░░ just might be political ░░░░░░░░ MCWHORTER Well yeah I ░░░░░░░░ that what we re ░░░░░░░░ is definitely a pushback ░░░░░░░░ the excesses that we ░░░░░░░░ seen since roughly June ░░░░░░░░ 2020 And excess doesn ░░░░░░░░ mean that for example ░░░░░░░░ teach about racism and ░░░░░░░░ in schools What s ░░░░░░░░ on is that in ░░░░░░░░ school districts in both ░░░░░░░░ and public schools there ░░░░░░░░ a general message being ░░░░░░░░ that to be white ░░░░░░░░ to be culpable that ░░░░░░░░ whole American experiment can ░░░░░░░░ argued to have been ░░░░░░░░ from the very beginning ░░░░░░░░ the stain of racism ░░░░░░░░ that the essence of ░░░░░░░░ black is being oppressed ░░░░░░░░ great many people are ░░░░░░░░ the impression that that ░░░░░░░░ is a suitable default ░░░░░░░░ that teaching kids that ░░░░░░░░ perspective on things is ░░░░░░░░ an education is supposed ░░░░░░░░ be And the problem ░░░░░░░░ that s not something ░░░░░░░░ all reasonable people will ░░░░░░░░ with And instead what ░░░░░░░░ have is this word ░░░░░░░░ where somebody calls what ░░░░░░░░ just said Critical Race ░░░░░░░░ And then somebody else ░░░░░░░░ well that s not ░░░░░░░░ s in papers that ░░░░░░░░ legal scholars wrote 30 ░░░░░░░░ 40 years ago that ░░░░░░░░ t being taught to ░░░░░░░░ year olds as if ░░░░░░░░ s what anybody meant ░░░░░░░░ so the terms of ░░░░░░░░ of this are extremely ░░░░░░░░ because there are certain ░░░░░░░░ brilliant wise people who ░░░░░░░░ insisting that anyone who ░░░░░░░░ t like the direction ░░░░░░░░ so many schools are ░░░░░░░░ in terms of what ░░░░░░░░ think of as instruction ░░░░░░░░ some kind of bigot ░░░░░░░░ what this is is ░░░░░░░░ rearing its ugly head ░░░░░░░░ really it s just ░░░░░░░░ people will differ on ░░░░░░░░ slavery and racism are ░░░░░░░░ in schools And when ░░░░░░░░ re told that they ░░░░░░░░ fools for questioning it ░░░░░░░░ have a right to ░░░░░░░░ offended and this sort ░░░░░░░░ thing could start affecting ░░░░░░░░ And we re going ░░░░░░░░ see more of these ░░░░░░░░ analyses that all it ░░░░░░░░ is racism and backlash ░░░░░░░░ ignorance When really it ░░░░░░░░ something much more complex ░░░░░░░░ s that there s ░░░░░░░░ and then there s ░░░░░░░░ left And the idea ░░░░░░░░ radical left is default ░░░░░░░░ morality and intelligence and ░░░░░░░░ that s a tough ░░░░░░░░ you have to defend ░░░░░░░░ can t just throw ░░░░░░░░ out there and assume ░░░░░░░░ everyone s going to ░░░░░░░░ and call the moral ░░░░░░░░ if they don t ░░░░░░░░ To your point about ░░░░░░░░ power of words and ░░░░░░░░ it s always great ░░░░░░░░ to see you on ░░░░░░░░ Bill Maher and it ░░░░░░░░ during your last segment ░░░░░░░░ about this book that ░░░░░░░░ made the point give ░░░░░░░░ a moment to take ░░░░░░░░ the changes in modern ░░░░░░░░ and the resulting terminology ░░░░░░░░ walk around with buckets ░░░░░░░░ both fear and guilt ░░░░░░░░ that if they step ░░░░░░░░ foot wrong when trying ░░░░░░░░ describe anyone on the ░░░░░░░░ plus spectrum they will ░░░░░░░░ called out perhaps crushed ░░░░░░░░ killed MCWHORTER That s ░░░░░░░░ problem That s why ░░░░░░░░ call this sort of ░░░░░░░░ a religion We re ░░░░░░░░ with the attitude of ░░░░░░░░ church lady on Saturday ░░░░░░░░ Live some years ago ░░░░░░░░ s the problem And ░░░░░░░░ for example some people ░░░░░░░░ need some time Bill ░░░░░░░░ right about that Under ░░░░░░░░ new regime the idea ░░░░░░░░ that needing some time ░░░░░░░░ it s not about ░░░░░░░░ power differentials absolutely right ░░░░░░░░ in the year now ░░░░░░░░ some time is wrong ░░░░░░░░ s that you are ░░░░░░░░ a certain kind of ░░░░░░░░ and you need to ░░░░░░░░ shouted down with recreational ░░░░░░░░ glee That s not ░░░░░░░░ That s not the ░░░░░░░░ a society should be ░░░░░░░░ Because what we re ░░░░░░░░ what a lot of ░░░░░░░░ book is about is ░░░░░░░░ there s a certain ░░░░░░░░ of person who wields ░░░░░░░░ certain kind of power ░░░░░░░░ that way really thinking ░░░░░░░░ they re doing the ░░░░░░░░ good I don t ░░░░░░░░ these people are evil ░░░░░░░░ re not power mongers ░░░░░░░░ think that they have ░░░░░░░░ the solution to everything ░░░░░░░░ can imagine how that ░░░░░░░░ feel it must feel ░░░░░░░░ But what they do ░░░░░░░░ if you don t ░░░░░░░░ with them they call ░░░░░░░░ a racist on social ░░░░░░░░ that feels like being ░░░░░░░░ a pedophile to most ░░░░░░░░ us moderns because of ░░░░░░░░ progress that s been ░░░░░░░░ on racism and racial ░░░░░░░░ And that means that ░░░░░░░░ people my thumbnail guesses ░░░░░░░░ it s nine out ░░░░░░░░ 10 most people watch ░░░░░░░░ people that I call ░░░░░░░░ elect and they re ░░░░░░░░ and so they pretend ░░░░░░░░ agree And so we ░░░░░░░░ dealing with a whole ░░░░░░░░ of fear or reign ░░░░░░░░ terror The people in ░░░░░░░░ don t mean to ░░░░░░░░ this They really think ░░░░░░░░ they re doing good ░░░░░░░░ those of us who ░░░░░░░░ that they fallen into ░░░░░░░░ detour have to start ░░░░░░░░ up to these people ░░░░░░░░ saying not get out ░░░░░░░░ just sit back down ░░░░░░░░ way you were before ░░░░░░░░ June 2020 and stop ░░░░░░░░ that if you don ░░░░░░░░ get your way you ░░░░░░░░ surrounded by moral perverts ░░░░░░░░ that s not how ░░░░░░░░ world works WILLIAMS To ░░░░░░░░ folks watching who are ░░░░░░░░ potential book buyers at ░░░░░░░░ end of this book ░░░░░░░░ are suggestions for fighting ░░░░░░░░ and along the way ░░░░░░░░ will learn what third ░░░░░░░░ anti racism is It ░░░░░░░░ a powerful and thought ░░░░░░░░ book Our thanks to ░░░░░░░░ friend of this broadcast ░░░░░░░░ McWhorter It s author ░░░░░░░░ a pleasure come on ░░░░░░░░ it is called Woke ░░░░░░░░ How a New Religion ░░░░░░░░ Betrayed Black America Thank ░░░░░░░░ John Coming up the ░░░░░░░░ are getting smaller but ░░░░░░░░ shots are going in.”