The Importance of Critical Race Theory and the Main Criticism Against it

Critical Race Theory
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Critical Race Theory
The year 2020 was when humanity received its biggest test yet with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under this pressure, the United States population was forced to rethink its position on race with the eruption of protests following the death of George Floyd. American's relationship with race has always been complicated, with minority communities experiencing forms of racism. Even with tensions rising, the majority of the Americans never heard of the phrase "critical race theory." However, lately, it has become impossible to escape the phrase by becoming a national headline and talking point. As expected, it has generated culture wars that seek to influence the school boards and is turning higher education into battlegrounds. This essay is an argumentative paper that will debate the importance of critical race theory and its pros and cons.
Parents and educational boards have conflicted with including Critical Race Theory (C.R.T.). Understandably, they argue that the addition is an activist indoctrination motivated action due to its abrupt inclusion in the curriculum. However, its ideas are not new as they have been part of the graduate-level academic frameworks and scholarly works. The increased interest in the topic is not surprising to Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, who coined the term and a law professor at the U.C.L.A. School of Law and Columbia Law School CITATION Jac21 \l 1033 (Fortin, 2021). According to her, the prompted interest is due to conservative right-wing referring to it as a provocative set of ideas. The criticism of the proposal only acts as evidence of how some individuals cast racism as a character first and foremost. Most discussions in America regarding racism are always met with claims of shaming, accusatory and divisive ideology.
Mari Matsuda, a law professor at the University of Hawaii, is credited with developing the theory. To her, "the problem is not bad people; rather, the problem is systems which produce bad outcomes." Therefore, the theory encourages transparency by calling out an issue rather than having a blame game. For instance, critical race theorists acknowledge the stark differences between the American society by rejecting the philosophy of "colorblindness." Consequently, these differences have played a role in influencing the expansion of racial disparities in America. Therefore, critical race theory takes the lived experiences of racism seriously, drawing evidence from history and social reality.
The main criticism against the theory is its potential to sacrifice the rigid foundation of American academics in favor of personal narratives. Its ideas and actions may become corrupted in all social movements. This phenomenon is seen with the Black Lives Matter movement, whose credibility has been called into question recently. Critics remain firm that America is a post-racial society that accepts all races under its ideas of democracy. However, the issue is that a section of the population cannot relate to the nation's ideals of democracy due to their lived experiences. The theory believes that a country will exist based on law and its ability to enforce them. Citizens are conse...