One of the worst things about Kendi’s brand of antiracism is that you can either be Antiracist per his definition or—according to him—racist by default, since he claims there is not such thing as middle ground (i.e., you cannot be “not racist”). This kind of trap is very frustrating to me because it is based on a false dichotomy and because it manipulates individuals into feeling that they have to think a certain way.
Thank you for this thoughtful commentary--alas, Kendi's writing, filled with inaccuracy is all too popular. But see this delightful takedown of his other kid's book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKkXwjHhbI
Thank you Moshe for the post! I will be having a discussion with some others on this topic next week to be aired on the Derate the Hate podcast. I'd be honored if you would join the discussion. Please reach out to me at your convenience via my website www.DerateTheHate.com
Thank you for this review. When I read this book (my 10th grader's honors English class used it as their textbook the entire school year), I thought it was ridiculous that he states that Booker T. Washington hated black men. Kendi really works hard to minimize him. My daughter was not reading Up From Slavery or learning about Booker T. Washington or WEB Dubois (they were learning about gender fluidity and pronouns in History). Booker T. Washington was a great man and did a tremendous amount for blacks. He opened 5,000 schools with funds from the president of Sears. He founded Tuskegee Institute and believe that people needed to learn to be self-sufficient as well as be educated. He observed that his fellow slaves had only learned one or two skills on the plantations and were unable to take care of themselves. He taught students physical skills along with educating them. This Kendi says was Booker T. Washington wanting blacks to serve in a blue collar role and be subserviently to whites. You cannot read Booker T. Washington's writings and believe that. Kendi says in the book that when WEB Dubois becomes an antiracist is when he returns from visiting the Soviet Union in the early 1900's and has an epiphany that Marxism is the only way forward. He was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize in 1952 and the Lenin Peace Prize in 1959. Funny that Kendi doesn't discuss what happened under Marx and Lenin. And my daughter's History and English classes certainly weren't covering it. A good assignment for our kids would be for them to research the individuals and read the books by Washington and Dubois, compare and contrast and see who they think helped humans most. I did find it interesting that when I was searching for the dates of the "peace" prizes, that someone has spent A LOT of time on the WEB Dubois Wikipedia page and removed information and made him sound like a much better person than he actually was.
Not only is the author of "Stamped" pushing a questionable perspective, he has blatantly and falsely twisted the ideas of persons and disciplines to his own bias. For example, he claims that Samuel Morton is the father of American Anthropology. Not so. Morton was not even an anthropologist. Franz Boas is considered the father of American Anthropology. He also claims Boas was racist, although Boas was one of the earliest persons to assert, over and over, that there are no genetic or biological differences between person of so-called races except skin color. There is absolutely no basis for categorizing people into races. We must stop using the term "race." "Race" is a social construct that is not real. But that doesn't mean "racism" doesn't exist. Kendi's book does not enable young readers or anyone else combat RACISM!
One of the worst things about Kendi’s brand of antiracism is that you can either be Antiracist per his definition or—according to him—racist by default, since he claims there is not such thing as middle ground (i.e., you cannot be “not racist”). This kind of trap is very frustrating to me because it is based on a false dichotomy and because it manipulates individuals into feeling that they have to think a certain way.
It is the equivalent of assigning Mein Kampf in order to teach how to treat Jews!
Thank you for this thoughtful commentary--alas, Kendi's writing, filled with inaccuracy is all too popular. But see this delightful takedown of his other kid's book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKkXwjHhbI
Humor is a lovely soldier in any fight for truth.
Excellent review!
Thank you Moshe for the post! I will be having a discussion with some others on this topic next week to be aired on the Derate the Hate podcast. I'd be honored if you would join the discussion. Please reach out to me at your convenience via my website www.DerateTheHate.com
All the best,
WILK
Thank you for this review. When I read this book (my 10th grader's honors English class used it as their textbook the entire school year), I thought it was ridiculous that he states that Booker T. Washington hated black men. Kendi really works hard to minimize him. My daughter was not reading Up From Slavery or learning about Booker T. Washington or WEB Dubois (they were learning about gender fluidity and pronouns in History). Booker T. Washington was a great man and did a tremendous amount for blacks. He opened 5,000 schools with funds from the president of Sears. He founded Tuskegee Institute and believe that people needed to learn to be self-sufficient as well as be educated. He observed that his fellow slaves had only learned one or two skills on the plantations and were unable to take care of themselves. He taught students physical skills along with educating them. This Kendi says was Booker T. Washington wanting blacks to serve in a blue collar role and be subserviently to whites. You cannot read Booker T. Washington's writings and believe that. Kendi says in the book that when WEB Dubois becomes an antiracist is when he returns from visiting the Soviet Union in the early 1900's and has an epiphany that Marxism is the only way forward. He was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize in 1952 and the Lenin Peace Prize in 1959. Funny that Kendi doesn't discuss what happened under Marx and Lenin. And my daughter's History and English classes certainly weren't covering it. A good assignment for our kids would be for them to research the individuals and read the books by Washington and Dubois, compare and contrast and see who they think helped humans most. I did find it interesting that when I was searching for the dates of the "peace" prizes, that someone has spent A LOT of time on the WEB Dubois Wikipedia page and removed information and made him sound like a much better person than he actually was.
Thank you for this- i am sharing with friends with school age children and grandchildren.
Great review Moshe. Keep writing.
Not only is the author of "Stamped" pushing a questionable perspective, he has blatantly and falsely twisted the ideas of persons and disciplines to his own bias. For example, he claims that Samuel Morton is the father of American Anthropology. Not so. Morton was not even an anthropologist. Franz Boas is considered the father of American Anthropology. He also claims Boas was racist, although Boas was one of the earliest persons to assert, over and over, that there are no genetic or biological differences between person of so-called races except skin color. There is absolutely no basis for categorizing people into races. We must stop using the term "race." "Race" is a social construct that is not real. But that doesn't mean "racism" doesn't exist. Kendi's book does not enable young readers or anyone else combat RACISM!