Thursday, August 26, 2021

Taking the Racism Test

From American Thinker.com (June 30):

Professor Ibram X Kendi is the unremarkable, unapologetically racist “academic” who has become the go-to-guy for guiding woke public sector leaders on how to recognize racism and the through line between systemic racism yesterday and today. In an environment where Kendi’s woke disciples initiate daily reports of racism everywhere, it is a useful skill to be able to recognize racism and any through lines. Why not test your skills? Keep in mind that racism is discrimination based on race, religion, or ethnicity.

Historical: 1700-2000

  1. All North American slaves, excluding spoils of war, after 1700 were black. Was this racist? 
  2. Free Irish were used instead of Black slaves for dangerous work because slaves were too valuable. Was that racist? 
  3. In 1863 slaves were freed. In 1864 a new immigration act was passed permitting indentured servitude for White ethnicities from southern and central Europe. Was this racist?
  4. Were laws preventing Catholics and Jews from voting and holding office racist?
  5. Jim Crow laws disproportionately disenfranchised black people. Were they racist? 
  6. The Ku Klux Klan used violence to make Black people uncomfortable. Was this racist?
  7. In the mid and late-1800s Irish-American citizens and legal residents were deported because they were poor. Was that racist?
  8. Was the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act racist?
  9. The 1924 Immigration Act aimed to halt immigration specifically against Whites from Italy. Was it racist?
  10. Were signs that said no colored people allowed racist?
  11. Were signs that said Irish, or Filipino, or Jews prohibited racist?
  12. In the 19th century, public schools taught anti-Catholicism. Was this racist? 
  13. In the early 20th century, the number of qualified Jews accepted into Ivy League universities were subjectively restricted. Was this racist?
  14. During WWII, the U.S. government reluctantly agreed to accept 1,000 Jewish refugees trying to escape the Holocaust. Was this racist?
  15. Historian Arthur Schlesinger (1888-1965) called the discrimination against Catholics “the deepest bias in the history of the American people.” Was this racist?
  16. After WWII, Congress agreed that it was unfair to have American systems that encouraged or condoned preferences or discrimination based on race/religion/ethnicity. Systemic racism was made illegal in 1964. Was this racist? 
  17. Since 1964, American private and public institutions have succeeded in ending systemic discrimination by dismantling discriminatory laws, practices, and programs. In the 21st century, America has the most successful minority populations in the world. Some are more successful than White Protestants. Is this racist?

[read more]

The answer is yes to all above except the last two questions.

Another article on race: The Failures of Federal Race-Based Paternalism

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