The GOP: "Goofy Old Partisans" Pathological and Off the Rails Post-Trump

 

Kevin: “How do we solve the Trump mess”

EZ, Mitch: ID problem and see solution

Trump modifies “diversity training” across all Federal agencies: What is diversity training?

It is any program designed to facilitate positive intergroup interaction to help reduce prejudice and discrimination, and generally teach individuals who are different from others how to work together effectively.

That goes along with another mostly-GOP driven wedge issue that the Washington Post analyzes:

Trump was watching Fox News one evening last summer when a young conservative from Seattle appeared with an alarming warning, and a call to action. His name is Christopher Rufo who said that “critical race theory,” a decades-old academic framework that most people had never heard of: “Had now pervaded every institution in the federal government becoming the default ideology of the federal bureaucracy, and it is now being weaponized against the American people.”

So what is it?

Critical race theory holds that racism is systemic in the United States, not just a collection of individuals prejudices — but an idea that feels obvious to some and offensive to others with efforts to inject awareness of systemic racism and White privilege very big since the George Floyd murder by police and it now “poses a grave threat to the nation, and amounts to a cult indoctrination,” or so Rufo said.

Trump swallowed it hook, line, and sinker, and since then that idea spurred by Rufo, rather his view and one single complaint, has come to dominate conservative politics.

What has followed:

Debates over critical race theory are raging on school boards and in state legislatures.

Fox News has increased its coverage and commentary on the issue.

Republicans see the issue as a central element of the case they will make to voters in next year’s midterm elections (2022), when control of Congress will be at stake.

It’s the latest GOP-driven cultural wedge issue, playing out largely, but not exclusively in debate over schools.

At its core, it pits progressives who believe White people should be pushed to confront systemic racism and White privilege in America.

That goes against conservatives who see these initiatives as painting all White people as racist.

Progressives see racial disparities in education, policing, and economics as a result of racism.

Conservatives say analyzing these issues through a racial lens is, in and of itself, racist.

One side (DEMS) see it as a reckoning with America’s past and present racial history.

The other side (GOP conservatives) sees it as a misguided effort to teach children to hate America and whites in particular.

My 2 cents: In my 44-year military and Federal civilian service I attended many “diversity training” classes. I know about all sorts of training on “critical race theory” and such from EEO classes and such, and I greatly support them. 

I recall this about someone who once said he heard a person complaining about the cost of higher education and said to him: “Yes, higher education is expensive but consider the alternative.” 

So, what are Republican conservatives so driven and afraid of? 

Excellent Republican Party view and another view here helps explain that question.

Family values (but only for GOP brand of family I suppose); hands off of issues that allow them to discriminate, or to be biased against anyone who does not look, sound like, of live like they do. 

That is prejudice on a grand scale and it’s all around us and resistance to discussion or training or education on overcoming those biases seem to alarm them by taking away their newest wedge issue.

I say one thing for the GOP: They are great at dividing people on issues that seem to only benefit them and their (mostly) political goals – whatever that happens to be. Right now race relations is their biggy.

I simply ask them now on this issue just like I ask them about why are they resisting the January 6 independent commission: “What are you afraid of?” The truth apparently. 

Well, my friends, the truth can’t hurt can it? Oh, yeah, except their brand label of how truth is defined, so never mind I guess – seems to be a lost cause working with them on just about any pertinent issue and especially on race relations, which is heart and soul of our great history.

We are a very diverse nation and have been since day-one, but nowadays the GOP cannot comprehend nor grasp that unless it benefits them directly. That’s a continuing problem we face right now on most issues as we seek consensus and balance in government mostly – a real problem.

Thanks for stopping by.