It's already mid-June, and "Republicans are celebrating their fun in the sun by melting down over yet another bulls--t made-up controversy," Samatha Bee said on Wednesday's Full Frontal. Outrage from stories on "Critical Race Theory" is "Fox's main source of income after ads for reverse mortgages and a life-sized theme park of Noah's Ark."
"While conservatives have recently appropriated critical race theory as a catch-all scare term for basically any conversation about teaching the history of race in America, the actual concept of it has been around for decades, and — big surprise — it's really not scandalous at all," Bee said. "The current debate and conservative hand-wringing about critical race theory started in 2019, when The New York Times published 'The 1619 Project,'" hurting "the feelings of one truly oppressed group," racist jerks.
"All this nonsensical outrage does have real consequences," Bee said. GOP state legislatures have passed or are considering laws limiting discussion of race in schools, but because Republicans can't be bothered to learn what critical race theory actually is, their bills are "so vague that teaching the Civil War, Trail of Tears, and even civil rights could be considered a violation," she said. "Naturally, none of this has anything to really do with education, history, or saving the children," it's just the latest in a long series of "scare tactic wedge issues" Republicans have perfected for political gain over the past 50 years.
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.
Republicans have help. "Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax transform even the thinnest controversies into headline news to gin up ratings," Bee said. "Republicans don't just love these non-scandals, they need them, especially right now when the GOP is having a genuinely hard time demonizing Joe Biden." Seriously, she said, "you know it's hard for Republicans when the biggest scandal so far in Biden's administration is whether or not his dog Major is a good boy." Republicans and their media allies don't actually care about critical race theory, trans athletes, or any other "controversy" that gets wall-to-wall coverage on Fox News, Bee argued. "They only care about making their mostly white base feel attacked and depressed." There is some NSFW language.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons 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 releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
