Comment by parsimo2010 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by parsimo2010 | Hacker News Reader

I feel sorry for these people that can afford to send their kids literally anywhere have to make the decision about whether they should continue supporting the elitist system that they rode to the top, now that they found something they disagree with.

You don’t like that the school is teaching that capitalism is wrong? Do the capitalist thing and vote with your wallet, send your kids somewhere else. If you don’t like that the school is teaching that racism is a problem, then find a school where that isn’t an emphasis. I strongly suspect (based on me knowing how these articles get written and how parents groups misinterpret everything) that the racism curriculum is exaggerated in this article anyway. But regardless, if you don’t like the elite curriculum in California and New York, there are 48 other states you could move to and find a good school. I’m sure some states have fine institutions of learning without all that progressive nonsense, if you could be bothered to disgrace yourself and move there.

Edit, rather than making another comment: and maybe it’s a good thing the school is indirectly teaching kids to shut their mouths and not share a viewpoint that they know is unpopular. I share my opinion freely on the internet but at work I have to pick and choose what I say about our projects. This is good education.

Individuals can probably opt out of the system, even though at a possibly very high price paid in opportunities of their children.

The question is what happens to the entire country if its elite adopts critical race theory as The Truth. It could tear itself apart in a way not too dissimilar from 1861-5. Systems in which your skin color is the most important attribute have little space for meritocracy and movement among classes, and create an explosive reservoir of resentment.

“price paid in opportunities of their children”

In the article one parent talks about a rumor that the school has three picks for Duke and if you spoke out that you would risk your shot. My graduating class from a public high school in Kansas (less than 100 people) had more than three people offered scholarships to Duke (only one went there because the other two had even better options). Maybe if those are the opportunities the elite school offers they should just find a school that makes their kids competitive instead of pedigreed.

Additionally, the idea that critical race theory is going to take over instead of just being a talking point to gain votes from minorities is nonsense. White elites won’t actually practice what they preach. This irony is even mentioned in the article about how this exclusive school is preaching inclusion. It’s not sustainable behavior. But more to the point, there are vast swaths of this country where CRT isn’t the prevailing viewpoint and is unlikely to gain a foothold. Who did the Democrats elect to heal the wounds of the country after an old white man hurt our reputation? Another old white man. The elites in the country won’t actually lean in to the idea because it would cost them. The only real risk is that people in LA and NYC overplay their hands, become further out of touch with the rest America, and lose some of their cultural dominance. There may be violence on the horizon for America, but CRT isn’t the wedge being driven.

"White elites won’t actually practice what they preach."

That is not new. Iranian ayatollahs are notoriously corrupt and ungodly. Communist apparatchiks lived an elevated lifestyle propped up by valuable Western commodities unavailable to normal folks. One of the reason why Protestantism took off was the famously corrupt Papal system.

A tyranny can be sustained perfectly well for some time even if the top brass consists of cynical power brokers and manipulators. You do not really need to top ones to practice what they preach.

It is probably not sustainable in the long run, yes. But what comes afterwards? If you look at post-Communist states, the ones that thrive now only gained some balance back because of intense contact with nearby free and rich countries. Russia or Moldova are likely ruined for generations.

> Systems in which your skin color is the most important attribute have little space for meritocracy and movement among classes, and create an explosive reservoir of resentment.

Lol. Maybe we are seeing an explosive reservoir of resentment because of exactly that?

That would make sense in the streets of Ferguson, but it does not explain why well-off, mostly white coastal elites bought the idea hook-and-sinker.

John McWhorter argues that wokeness is simply an ersatz religion, filling up empty spiritual space left by previous creeds. And freshly minted religions tend to be strident and punishing.

https://www.persuasion.community/p/john-mcwhorter-the-neorac...

Who is John McWhorter that I should give credence to what he argues?

The beginning of his article does not lead me to believe he’s capable of offering a balanced and nuanced view.

His poorly constructed arguments based on his own “Third Wave Antiracist tenets” are a pretty run of the mill strawmans restating the position of those he disagrees with in an absurd way that clearly misses the point intentionally.

Who is Ibram X. Kendi or Robin DiAngelo?

I tried to read their works; I cannot see the reason for their popularity. They fail at writing and reasoning at the same time. Perhaps people just bought their books as a kind of moral atonement, not for reading.

These two are social Lysenkos of the 2020s. I will stick with McWhorter and his straightforward logic.

I couldn’t tell you, haven’t read them, but a brief look tells me what you’re getting at. You used his name as if it carried some significance.

Sound logic would be based off of arguments actually made, but that’s not what McWhorter does.

> Systems in which your skin color is the most important attribute have little space for meritocracy and movement among classes, and create an explosive reservoir of resentment.

This sounds pretty familiar

racism curriculum is exaggerated

That is one part i would think is not exaggerated. It is disturbing how many articles mentioning race are in "business" papers like bloomberg and regular news papers of course, lets not mention advertisement and social media. It is not stop bombardment today.

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