What is Critical Race Theory? | James Lindsay

Resisting Critical Race Theory Workshop, Session 1 of 5

What is Critical Race Theory? What does it believe? Where does it come from? How does it work? And what can we do about it? These are core questions to understanding our times. In this series of lectures, originally delivered in Tampa, Florida, in July of 2021, James Lindsay, the founder of New Discourses, gives thorough, deep answers to these questions.

In the first of these lectures, Lindsay dives into a pressing question: what is Critical Race Theory? In particular, he seeks to offer answers and insights about what defines Critical Race Theory, both in terms of what it represents as a Theory and in terms of what its core beliefs are as a religious system. His answer is simple: Critical Race Theory is Race Marxism. In this illuminating lecture, Lindsay takes us through excerpts from introductory and advanced Critical Race Theory texts to make clear not only that CRT is, in fact, Race Marxism, but what that means in practice for everyone. He stresses particularly that Critical Race Theory is a belief system founded on the article of faith that racism that benefits white people is the fundamental organizing principle of society. He then details thirteen core beliefs, or tenets, of the Critical Race Theory faith and explains how they form a comprehensive, systematic system of belief around that core article of faith. Join him for this and the subsequent lectures in the series to understand Critical Race Theory like you never have before.

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[zoukatron]

To out it vulgarly, CRT is a big linguistic trick to get good people who oppose racism (in the traditional sense of the word) to, instead, support and/or engage in racism (in the traditional sense) whilst thinking they are still opposing racism.

[roxee]

What a brain. What a mind. If we beat this you’ll be in the history books written about this period of insanity.

[Nirvanaforever]

This man singlehanded shone a light on the larger theoretical context of my university education. Very grateful I found this, will try to incorporate it as much as possible!

[Enderj]

This is the first time I’ve heard someone other than myself say that CRT is being DONE in school and being TAUGHT. Just go to school as a student and you will see. It helps if you haven’t been in school for twenty years.

[MasterMiller]

New Discourses is such a vital resource. Thank you to everyone involved in this endeavor.

[deborahalexander]

A very intelligent man trying desperately and enthusiastically to share his wisdom and insight to what is happening in our world. So much frustration is coming through because so few people have time, energy, and intelligence to follow through to the ultimate conclusion. God bless him, please.

[TelekineticCheez]

Listening to James makes me oscillate through being informed, feeling despair, belly laughing, and feeling hopeful by the end. This is the rollercoaster ride I purchased tickets for. Keep going James you're contribution to society is extremely valuable.

[robr.]

Love how you eloquently make connections between CRT and religion. It really is a religion with a complex system of beliefs.

[michaelpcoffee]

"More important, as critical race theorists we adopt a stance that PRESUMES that racism has contributed to ALL contemporary manifestations of group advantage and disadvantage along RACIAL lines, including differences in income, imprisonment, health, housing, education, political representation, and military service. Our history calls for this PRESUMPTION."
"Words That Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech, and the First Amendment"
by Matsuda, Lawrence III, Delgado, and KIMBERLE' WILLIAMS CRENSHAW
Those are their words from their intellectual papers: It is the entire foundation of the premise.

[ZombieRommel]

Thanks for posting these talks online. You are way more engaging when a real person is in front of you (as opposed to the long-form monologue podcasts), which I think is natural. This material is often dense and dry, so your delivery is helped immensely by this format. Your way of organizing and layering your points is also quite effective.

[cubablue]

What an eye opener. I’ve always had a fundamental distrust of CRT since it rose to comparative prominence. Something has always alarmed me to the core but I never fully understood why. Now I do after listening to this.

[naroon]

8:18 what CRT believes
13:20 CRT is a literal conspiracy theory
15:45 CRT core beliefs
23:49 "what is critical race theory?" From book
25:27 how CRT defines "race"
28:35 CRT is a call for revolution
30:20 "equality" is a ruse created by white people
32:38 no critical thinking allowed
34:21 CRT in education
38:00 liberalism is a lie quote
39:57 core belief #1
42:18 core belief #2
44:35 "good whites" are actually the worst
46:58 core belief #3
47:26 core belief #4
50:10 core belief #5
51:09 core belief #6
53:48 combating "lived experience" arguments
55:18 core belief #7
57:45 asking for evidence is proof you're privileged, and therefore racist
58:20 #8 historical revisionism (1619 project)
1:00:00 core belief #9
1:01:45 #10 whiteness is property
1:05:05 abolish whiteness
1:05:46 #11 intersectionality
1:06:58 determining if something's racist
1:10:30 #12 antiracism as praxis
1:14:43 #13 critical whiteness studies
1:16:10 puritan humiliations
1:18:50 ALL white people are racist... period
1:19:32 "brown" complicity
1:21:30 you cannot renounce whiteness
1:23:45 CRT is racist by their own definition
1:26:05 closing argument

My personal definition of racism - "Treating someone DIFFERENTLY, purely based on their race"

[SupersaiyanChristian]

I am a little over half way through and this is magnificent. James is an excellent speaker and does a great job of explaining this topic in a way most people can understand. On top of that he has an excellent grasp of this material.

Thank you very much James for doing these discussions and putting it out there for everyone to see.

[jccusell]

When you destroy your enemies by merely quoting them.

[vinnya]

You know you can’t take the CRT movement seriously when being racist is binary (a person is either racist or anti-racist) and immutable, yet gender is a social construct and you can be any gender you want.

[VinceTenia]

Back in 2001 I was in 6th grade, I was introduced to the ideas of Marxism and Critical theory in the form of a discussion on power politics by my Teacher. Basically the position posited was My Father was a sexist patriarch because he was the family breadwinner and controlled the money of the household, and that many interactions in society can be examined through this lens of one with power oppressing those in their sphere of influence without it.
Now I rejected Marxism at this time on the grounds of knowing my Father personally, how he is a good man and does his best to provide for his family and that there are many elements to consider in how to utilise the families resources and that I as a literal child have no idea what the appropriate way to divide money amongst a families needs am probably the wrong person to be in charge of those finances. I also realised that such Critical Theory could easily be used to dehumanise others, reducing them to nothing more than a power unit in a system of power units whose purpose could ultimately be turned to the advantage of whoever was onto of the power hierarchy. Now being a good, decent I am human who values the lives of all Men, I swore off this disgustingly anti human ideology and would never use Power Politics as a method of opinion forming on others or method of decision making.
It is only now that I have grown into an Adult in my thirties that I understand; I should not have let that Teacher get away with it, I should have called him out for the evil he undoubtable wormed into some of my class mates minds. Alas I was also not equipped with the philosophical tools of classical liberalism that would have enabled the argument as I was an F-ing child. My regret is that I did not pay attention to how bad it was getting as a made my way through secondary education, where I had begun to discover those philosophical tools that could beat back the Red Wave of Race and Gender Communism.
TL;DR It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children the philosophical tools and values of liberalism to fight these ideologically possessed monsters and cast them out of education.

[mikedawson]

Hey, Doc! I found you by mistake about a year ago. That's when I took a deep dive with your podcast- New Discourses. Thanks for elucidating your thoughts that even this old guy understands! And yes, I pass on what you have taught me. God bless.

[koczisek]

250 years project! FINALLY!!! I hear someone saying it in public! I'm trying to pass this knowledge to ppl in my comments since ~10 years now!
Thank You Mr. Lindsay!

[miniepic]

James is truly in the league of his own when it comes to CRT knowledge. Amazing stuff!

[AMikeStein]

I feel that Dr. James here is really a one stop shop everything Critical Theory. Obviously it's good to listen to other people as well, but you probably don't have to. :)