The critical race theory fight is part of a much bigger debate


We have entered the eye-rolling phase of the critical race theory debate. "People should be asking [Republicans], what elementary, middle and high school is teaching Critical Race Theory and why they are spinning false narratives," tweeted lightning rod Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. "Lo and behold, the single most important issue to them apparently right now is critical race theory," former President Barack Obama told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "Who knew that that was the threat to our republic but those debates are powerful because they get at what story do we tell about ourselves."
This debate is powerful not only because of how it shapes the story we tell about the past. It also encapsulate the main questions the left and right are grappling with about our present and future. Is it still possible to have a national identity that transcends other identities, including race? Is racism a personal character flaw? Or is it something more systemic and baked into the American DNA? Does the latter view entail collective or inherited guilt on the basis of race?
The central task of modern American conservatism is to try to preserve the political inheritance of the founding, which few of its adherents define as 1619. Progressives increasingly question not only the date of that founding, but core constitutional concepts like the design of the Senate, the power of smaller states, federalism more generally, and the Electoral College.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is not just culture war claptrap about a heretofore obscure academic theory. These are questions about the essence of the American system and who we are as a country. Where the culture war frivolity manifests itself is in the cartoonish way these debates tend to unfold, especially on social media. Just as "wokeness" contributes to a tone-deafness on the left, conservatives can be in denial about racial injustices in our past and their continued impact on the present, which can make it difficult to chart a realistic way forward with maximum social peace.
The problem is not that we are having this conversation. It is that we are not conducting it seriously and intelligently.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.
-
October 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being released
The Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Could Democrats lose the New Jersey governor’s race?
Today’s Big Question Democrat Mikie Sherrill stumbles against Republican Jack Ciattarelli
-
Gaza peace deal: why did Trump succeed where Biden failed?
Today's Big Question As the first stage of a ceasefire begins, Trump’s unique ‘just-get-it-done’ attitude may have proven pivotal to negotiations
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
‘Every argument has a rational, emotional and rhetorical component’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Why is this government shutdown so consequential?
Today's Big Question Federal employee layoffs could be in the thousands
-
Shutdown: Democrats stand firm, at a cost
Feature With Trump refusing to negotiate, Democrats’ fight over health care could push the government toward a shutdown
-
Trump’s plan for a government shutdown: mass firings
IN THE SPOTLIGHT As lawmakers scramble to avoid a shutdown, the White House is making plans for widespread layoffs that could lead to a permanent federal downsizing
-
Democrats: Harris and Biden’s blame game
Feature Kamala Harris’ new memoir reveals frustrations over Biden’s reelection bid and her time as vice president