My Great Uncle Carl, the guy who lived in our house before we did, twice spent time in a state institution being treated with electroshock therapy.
That was over a half century ago, so there’s no way to tell what his diagnosis would be today. He may have been bipolar or he may have suffered from severe depression.
Why am I telling you this? Uncle Carl was a good man. An incredibly good man. He was a solid neighbor, helped his family with time and money, and as a Mason and Shriner, helped raise huge sums to build Children’s Hospitals all around the country, facilities that changed the lives of thousands, if not millions, of children.
Carl had some dark corners in his life, some sharp edges. He was sometimes sad and anxious and could cause the people around him to feel the same way.
But he was a good man, nonetheless, and to know the whole truth does no harm to him or his memory.
In a nutshell, that’s critical race theory.
Not really, but it is the way public conversation is going.
I’ve been educating myself about critical race theory. It’s a term I don’t think I ever heard until recently, and I’m not the only one. A database search revealed it was mentioned in newspapers about sixty times a year throughout the past twenty years, but 6,000 times in the past six months - and almost always referenced incorrectly.
Critical race theory is a school of thought that’s been floating around academic circles since the 1970s, and it’s much too complicated to attempt an explanation in 600 words. Some of it is simply common sense, some, to me, seems a little bonkers, and everything in between. What appears to have most people riled up is the fear children will be taught that the United States is a bad country and always has been.
Here’s the deal. Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution did say that slaves will be counted as 3/5 of a person. We did lock up 120,000 Japanese Americans during WWII, just because of their appearance. Black citizens were largely excluded from participation in the Homestead Act and the GI Bill. Many housing developments required a signed contract specifying that you not sell your house to a Jew or a person of color.
These things truly happened, and I could go on and on and on. School children knowing these facts does them no harm and certainly shouldn’t damage their patriotism. Do you know one single teenager who isn’t aware that we live in a complicated world, who doesn’t know that people and institutions have flaws? In the end, isn’t it that knowledge that makes you a grownup?
My Uncle Carl fought his demons alone and didn’t get help until he’d slid a long way downhill. I like to think I learned from his examples, both good and bad. I do what I can to help my fellow man, and a couple of years ago when I found myself sliding downhill, I got help when I needed it.
People can learn from the past; a country can learn from the past. But unless all the facts are out there, the good and the bad, it’s way too easy to make the same mistakes over and over.
I love your example, Brent. My mother, too, was hospitalized and received electroshock therapy back in the early 1950s, and looking back, I don't think she was ever properly diagnosed.
I do know that she was abusive to her children, and I caught the brunt of it. As I have grown older (I'm 78 now) I have achieved enough distance and perspective to realize that all the pain she inflicted on me as a child, to a large extent was the result of the demons she fought all her life. People are often surprised that when I talk about my mother, it's with a great deal of love and compassion. Like your uncle, she was a good person. Charming, smart but uneducated, incredibly hard working, and extremely generous to others both with her time and resources. That doesn't negate the harm she did to me and my sister, but it helps me to realize that she did the best she could under difficult circumstances. To my mind it does not diminish her in any way to tell the truth about who she was, warts and all, and I agree with you, the same is true about this nation's history. Bravo for another insightful piece of writing.
As a lover of history, I early came to understand that nothing human is perfect. Only fairy tales (and often history written by the victors) portray some people as perfect, and then, not even all do. The Bible is filled with stories about imperfect people that God must work through. If we are honest, our personal histories are not perfect either. Where would I be without God's grace? So your article is spot on. Thanks for saying it!
I love your example, Brent. My mother, too, was hospitalized and received electroshock therapy back in the early 1950s, and looking back, I don't think she was ever properly diagnosed.
I do know that she was abusive to her children, and I caught the brunt of it. As I have grown older (I'm 78 now) I have achieved enough distance and perspective to realize that all the pain she inflicted on me as a child, to a large extent was the result of the demons she fought all her life. People are often surprised that when I talk about my mother, it's with a great deal of love and compassion. Like your uncle, she was a good person. Charming, smart but uneducated, incredibly hard working, and extremely generous to others both with her time and resources. That doesn't negate the harm she did to me and my sister, but it helps me to realize that she did the best she could under difficult circumstances. To my mind it does not diminish her in any way to tell the truth about who she was, warts and all, and I agree with you, the same is true about this nation's history. Bravo for another insightful piece of writing.
"to know the whole truth does no harm to him or his memory."
Same goes for reaching our next generations. 👍🏻
Amen, Brent. And I’d love to read what you’d have to say with another 600 or so words.
Knowledge is power. Best explanation I've heard so far.
Well said Brent, you did get it done in 600 words!
Thats a good example, could easily be disabled people. Now for some witty stuff . Next week?
Anything "anti-white" doesn't count. Another book on the shelf to confirm white supremacy.
As a lover of history, I early came to understand that nothing human is perfect. Only fairy tales (and often history written by the victors) portray some people as perfect, and then, not even all do. The Bible is filled with stories about imperfect people that God must work through. If we are honest, our personal histories are not perfect either. Where would I be without God's grace? So your article is spot on. Thanks for saying it!