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Wednesday, September 8, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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Thoughts on
Critical Race Theory
Letters to the Editor…
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Response to the pandemic
To the Editor:
In response to Richard Esterman9s letter of
August 11: There is a thorough review of stud-
ies supporting the effectiveness of masks in
reducing transmission of the COVID-19 virus
which was compiled by CDC available on their
website CDC.gov. It is titled <Human Studies
of Masking and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission=
and includes reviews of 16 different studies.
A brief search online led me to this informa-
tion, so it is readily available to anyone. Now
that the delta variant is here we need to return
to wearing masks outdoors since people refuse
to stay over six feet apart! Standing side-by-
side, even out in the open air, is simply not
safe. It9s unknown whether cloth masks will
prevent the delta from spreading, so I9m going
back to N-95s.
The response to the pandemic is a work in
progress. The world has not seen a crisis of this
magnitude since the Spanish Flu, which was
prior to vaccines and only stopped by masking
and a (fortunate) decline in potency of the flu
virus not fully understood. Meanwhile, there
have been 150,000 new cases and 1,000 deaths
every day in the last week in August in the
U.S., according to the New York Times!
Sharon Booth, M.D.
ó
ó
ó
See LETTERS on page 9
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Big red sun blues…
Air quality in Sisters Country was dire over the weekend,
with conditions ranging from unhealthy to hazardous. Outlaws football
had to cancel a contest with Burns, and locals were constrained in their
outdoor activities. Conditions are expected to slowly improve through the week.
PHOTO BY CEILI CORNELIUS
By Janie Martin
Guest Columnist
<Be egalitarian regard-
ing persons. Be elitist
regarding ideas.=
4 Peter Kreeft
While studying to receive
my MA in counseling, I was
introduced to Critical Race
Theory the first time through
my textbook, which is being
used in counseling curricu-
lum throughout the country,
<Counseling the Culturally
Diverse= (7th ed.); author:
Chinese American, Derald
Sue and Sue, who served
on Bill Clinton9s President9s
Advisory Board on Race in
1996. The book was harsh
and confrontational to those
of white skin. I gained a
much-needed understanding
of what people of color expe-
rience in America9s domi-
nant culture! However, the
book leaves people of any
other race feeling angry and
resentful toward whites. It
offers no movement toward
understanding, reconcilia-
tion, or forgiveness.
Through articles, books,
and discussions on CRT I
discovered everyone has
a life story we must listen
to. Some people of color
have genuine experiences
of injustice and prejudice
and have suffered psycho-
logically. I empathize with
my kind, law-abiding Black
friends9 feelings of oppres-
sion when they get stopped
several times a year by
police asking if it is their car.
I don9t downplay the genu-
ine challenges many people
of color face due to hidden
stereotypes whites can carry.
On the other hand, I9ve expe-
rienced some people of color
offended by whites9 apolo-
gies when they have worked
their hearts out for their good
job, saying: <If I hear one
more white person apologize
I am going to explode.=
A young minority man
who got a sought-after posi-
tion in the university later
discovered they were award-
ing his position only to peo-
ple of color. He was disap-
pointed! He thought he got
it because of his hard work
and character 4 not simply
because he was a certain
race.
I lived in China for 10
years, starting in the mid-
1990s. Between the 1960s
and late 970s, China followed
Marxist thinking to the core.
Marx observed that the peo-
ple around him were dis-
content over who had what.
He saw economic inequities
as the source of all societal
ills. He understood the rich
had privilege and power. If
everyone were financially
equal, then everyone could
be happy and get along.
Sounds good. The problem
was that people would not
voluntarily do this, so the
Communist Party enforced
it, overthrowing the rul-
ing, rich, privileged class. It
failed miserably in its goals
and it murdered millions.
Everyone had equity now!
They were all equally poor,
except the Communist Party,
who was now the privileged
class oppressing everyone
equally.
This was any nation that
adopted Marxist philosophy
of how to create equity (i.e.:
Cambodia, Soviet Union,
Vietnam, North Korea). The
Chinese today are embar-
rassed by the cultural revo-
lution, where they took jobs
from professionals, doctors,
teachers, and sent them to
the countryside to experi-
ence a peasant9s life. The
country underwent famine
and many more millions died
because of an economic sys-
tem that does not work.
The founders of BLM
(Black Live Matter), strong
advocates for CRT, admit
they are Marxist-driven 4
America is experiencing
Marx-like, anti-racist train-
ing. Shame, intimidation,
resentment, and forced con-
fessions across the nation
are similar to the <struggle=
meetings of the Chinese cul-
tural revolution.
Definitions of CRT found
online are soft and truly
sound good. But activities
which have stemmed from
years of the teachings reveal
it is no longer merely for
lawmakers. It9s throughout
universities and flows to
k-12 as well (e.g. Tualatin,
Beaverton, Tigard).
Good news. We are not
beyond reconciliation. We
still have time to discover
better options, which can
bring flourishing to our
nation! We must be willing
to hear and enter into oth-
ers9 stories, discover their
experiences, and seek to
understand and be familiar
with cultures other than the
dominant one. We must learn
to enjoy one another.
Let9s ask ourselves: What
are we personally doing with
our money, time, and posses-
sions? Can we give time to
tutor someone, mentor the
broken or oppressed? Can
we wisely give money to
help others less privileged
build their skills, talents, and
intellect? Can we be thank-
ful for what we have? Can
we respectfully speak when
feeling oppressed without
accusation or destroying
others? Can we keep seeking
ideas that work, that promote
flourishing and unity in our
communities worldwide?
Views expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.