Have you heard about Curt?
Listen to this episode of Pass The Mic where we talk about the fundamentalist Christian origins of the anti-CRT (Curt!) crusade.
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We have to talk about Curt. Curt is everywhere—school, sports, the courtroom, even at war. And he’s causing a lot of trouble.
You know Curt, right? Maybe you’re more familiar with his initials—CRT.
On this episode of Pass The Mic, Tyler and I (reluctantly, because it’s a distraction) spent some time talking about the anti-Critical Race Theory crusade and the battles that are popping up in several sectors of society.
I call it an anti-CRT crusade intentionally because it is a culture war baptized as holy in the name of Christianity. It is a concerted effort to push back against any substantive forms of racial progress.
In particular, the anti-CRT crusade warriors oppose any ideas of systemic racism and promote a purely individualistic understanding of the issue so as to absolve themselves of any guilt or responsibility.
The issue is not truly Critical Race Theory, what it means, or how it is applied. The issue is power. Warriors in the anti-CRT crusade want to consolidate power among a small group of ultra-conservatives who sense a shift that they don’t like in the social hierarchy.
What we dive into during the podcast is not simply the “what” of the anti-CRT crusade, but there “where” of it. This crusade may have been popularized due to its political implications, but its origins are in far-right Christian churches.
We also talk about conservative white evangelical fears of Communism, racial amalgamation, redistribution and more.
If you’re interested in the origins of the anti-CRT crusade, this episode will inform you. Watch out for Curt!!!
Listen to: CRT EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
I first heard the term Critical Race Theory when I was in college in the late 1970s. I can’t remember what the class was but I think a sociology class (I was a psychology major) but I remember being introduced to Critical Theory as a way to examine and critique society and culture as well as certain academic disciplines. So critical theory applied to the law (which I believe is where CRT was mentioned), literature, education, society and others.
Fear of losing control and power. I really like what you all said on the podcast in terms of the motivation for the anti-CRT movement.