Just as monopolies can be enforced only by the State and can't be maintained under Capitalism, racism can be enforce only by the State. It seems to me that, to combat systemic racism, we need to get the State out of many domains. Many people in the South would have done business with Blacks if the State hadn't made it illegal through Jim Crow laws. So, get the government out of the economy!
Feb 8, 2022·edited Feb 8, 2022Liked by Shikha Dalmia
I'm not convinced by Mr. Rojas'arguments. Working within existing institutions has brought us to 2022, with explosive growth in white supremacist recruiting, a SCOTUS actively hostile to minority rights, a Senate which is unable to pass baseline voting rights, corporate entities that look the other way as voting rights are suppressed in state after state, unregulated social media platforms and right-wing media that coordinate and disseminate anti-minority propaganda at breakneck speed...How exactly does it make sense to use the systems responsible for our current existential crises to fix the underlying issues that these very systems exploit and exacerbate? Not that it should matter, but I'm not a minority, and I find your arguments unpersuasive.
In the 1990s when CRT was taking off some of the most penetrating criticism was from the liberal left. The movement, as identified by Rojas, is explicitly anti-liberal. Why any 21st century classical liberal would think the theory has aged well is questionable (to me at least).
One can argue that the CRT movement has provided some empirical insight. One can also argue that that insight can and does also come from traditional classical liberal scholars.
Further, 21st century issues of race and opportunity really are different than most of the 20th century. A good example is the issue of NFL coaches. The real issues almost certainly include ones due to race. But not all of them. The largest issue is the pool of coaches is a closed network - a huge percentage of coaches are related to other coaches. Call it good old boys. Not only do qualified black people not get a good shot. Qualified people of all colors do not get a good shot unless they are part of the network. The hiring of Lovie Smith, a person of the existing network, is a good example. So the question is actually more complex than simply race even if race is a component.
Kendi-DiAngeloism isn't any more insightful in understanding race relations in the 21st century than astrology is in understanding planetary movement. Classical liberals should not be cutting these anti-liberals much, if any, slack.
Very well written regarding liberalism and institutions. Since racism is one of the worst forms of collectivism and the individual is the smallest institutional unit in a society.
Just as monopolies can be enforced only by the State and can't be maintained under Capitalism, racism can be enforce only by the State. It seems to me that, to combat systemic racism, we need to get the State out of many domains. Many people in the South would have done business with Blacks if the State hadn't made it illegal through Jim Crow laws. So, get the government out of the economy!
I'm not convinced by Mr. Rojas'arguments. Working within existing institutions has brought us to 2022, with explosive growth in white supremacist recruiting, a SCOTUS actively hostile to minority rights, a Senate which is unable to pass baseline voting rights, corporate entities that look the other way as voting rights are suppressed in state after state, unregulated social media platforms and right-wing media that coordinate and disseminate anti-minority propaganda at breakneck speed...How exactly does it make sense to use the systems responsible for our current existential crises to fix the underlying issues that these very systems exploit and exacerbate? Not that it should matter, but I'm not a minority, and I find your arguments unpersuasive.
In the 1990s when CRT was taking off some of the most penetrating criticism was from the liberal left. The movement, as identified by Rojas, is explicitly anti-liberal. Why any 21st century classical liberal would think the theory has aged well is questionable (to me at least).
One can argue that the CRT movement has provided some empirical insight. One can also argue that that insight can and does also come from traditional classical liberal scholars.
Further, 21st century issues of race and opportunity really are different than most of the 20th century. A good example is the issue of NFL coaches. The real issues almost certainly include ones due to race. But not all of them. The largest issue is the pool of coaches is a closed network - a huge percentage of coaches are related to other coaches. Call it good old boys. Not only do qualified black people not get a good shot. Qualified people of all colors do not get a good shot unless they are part of the network. The hiring of Lovie Smith, a person of the existing network, is a good example. So the question is actually more complex than simply race even if race is a component.
Kendi-DiAngeloism isn't any more insightful in understanding race relations in the 21st century than astrology is in understanding planetary movement. Classical liberals should not be cutting these anti-liberals much, if any, slack.
Very well written regarding liberalism and institutions. Since racism is one of the worst forms of collectivism and the individual is the smallest institutional unit in a society.