The War Over Critical Race Theory
Slate News
Slate Podcasts
4.5 • 6K Ratings
🗓️ 6 July 2021
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Critical Race Theory was created in the 1970s by a Harvard Professor seeking to describe the way racism is baked into the legal system. Half a century later, CRT is now the weapon of choice for right-wing pundits looking to silence conversations about race.
From an academic discipline to a conservative scare tactic, how did critical race theory become the dominant culture war in American politics? And what does CRT actually stand for?
Guest: Adam Harris, staff writer at The Atlantic.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Whatever you think about critical race theory, you're probably not thinking it involves an alien invasion. |
| 0:11.0 | But what if it does? |
| 0:15.0 | Bernie, some of these people have been out here since 2 o'clock this morning, Though the aliens aren't scheduled to arrive before noon. |
| 0:22.7 | This is from a TV movie, came out in the 90s. |
| 0:26.6 | It's based on a short story by Derek Bell, the father of critical race theory. |
| 0:31.8 | Oh, my God. Literally, a fill of space spacecraft. Oh, my God. |
| 0:38.9 | Literally, |
| 0:40.2 | nowhere right over our head. |
| 0:43.7 | This is absolutely amazing. |
| 0:46.0 | This story is called the space traitors. |
| 0:49.1 | In it, aliens arrive on Earth. |
| 0:51.6 | They've taught themselves to talk like Ronald Reagan. |
| 0:54.4 | And they've got gifts, limitless sources of gold and energy. |
| 0:59.7 | But there's a catch. |
| 1:01.5 | In exchange for all this, the United States has to agree to give the aliens each and every black person. |
| 1:12.6 | Are you kidding? |
| 1:14.1 | No, we are not. |
| 1:22.8 | What are you going to do with? |
| 1:24.8 | Well, that does not concern you. |
| 1:27.6 | It sounds like American history remixed with Afro Futures. What are you going to do with it? Well, that does not concern you. We give you five... |
| 1:28.5 | It sounds like American history remixed with Afro-Futurism. |
| 1:32.5 | Absolutely. |
... |
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