Years ago, I read about a trend in history textbooks and plaques at historical sites where Native Americans were said to have sacrificed themselves nobly, or some such claptrap, for the good of the emerging nation. It was presented as a kind of abstract thing that happened, and then the nation was born. The Native Americans were heroes, but there weren’t any villains.
100% this. The tiny kernel of truth that we shouldn't take a one-dimensional look at enslaved people as only victims of oppression is, of course something already discussed in history on both the left and center. The underground railroad and 12 Years a Slave are two examples that jump to mind right away. A key part of critical race theory is looking critically at history and blowing up those one-dimensional narratives (and not replacing them with even more limited narratives). Just as when people only hold up specific black people like Oprah or Morgan Freeman and say "they prove that black people can be successful." In this case, the exception proves the rule. The fact that a much smaller percentage of black people rise to high levels than white people shows the barriers that exist in our society.
Years ago, I read about a trend in history textbooks and plaques at historical sites where Native Americans were said to have sacrificed themselves nobly, or some such claptrap, for the good of the emerging nation. It was presented as a kind of abstract thing that happened, and then the nation was born. The Native Americans were heroes, but there weren’t any villains.
100% this. The tiny kernel of truth that we shouldn't take a one-dimensional look at enslaved people as only victims of oppression is, of course something already discussed in history on both the left and center. The underground railroad and 12 Years a Slave are two examples that jump to mind right away. A key part of critical race theory is looking critically at history and blowing up those one-dimensional narratives (and not replacing them with even more limited narratives). Just as when people only hold up specific black people like Oprah or Morgan Freeman and say "they prove that black people can be successful." In this case, the exception proves the rule. The fact that a much smaller percentage of black people rise to high levels than white people shows the barriers that exist in our society.