What is Critical Race Theory? How does it redefine the language we’ve used historically around racial issues? And is this new way of thinking about race more biblical than the old one? You’ll find out today on the Cross References podcast.

0:00 - Introduction

8:00 - CRT’s New Definitions (1-6)

17:00 - CRt’s New Definitions (7-11)

28:45 - How to Not Be an AntiRacist (12)

31:30 - Good Questions, Bad Answers

Our vocabulary words today as defined by CRT:

racism - Any system that leads to racial disparity or inequity. 

Contemporary critical theory - a way of dividing the world between oppressors and their victims along the lines of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, age, etc.

identity - identity is found in your group (especially whether it’s the dominant suppressor group or a subordinate oppressed group.

oppression - hegemonic power; the ability of the dominant group to impose its norms and values on society.

Capitalism - an economic philosophy of choice by white people, therefore a form of oppression. It’s also blamed for the racial disparities we witness in this country, so under CRT, capitalism is also racism.

objective evidence/rational dialogue/reason - tools of the oppressors (white heterosexual men) to retain their power.

Social Justice - working to eliminate all forms of social oppression.

Reality/Truth - A narrative that the oppressors tell in order to justify/retain their power and privilege. For their oppressor, their view of reality is skewed and distorted by their participation in structures of power. Their version of reality is false.  For the oppressed, their perception of reality is enhanced by their social location. The more oppressed you are, the more capable you are of creating counter-narratives to the false narratives of the oppressors.

Lived experience - an oppressed person’s experiences of oppression gives them special access to truths that are unavailable to the dominant group(s).

Privilege - the benefit of being part of the oppressor class.

internalized oppression - when a person from an oppressed group challenges the claims of a critical race theorist.

anti-racist - someone working to dismantle systems of oppression

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Hosted by Luke Taylor