The RenewaNation Review 2022 Volume 14 Issue 1 | Page 19

A key tactic of social justice advocates since the 1960s has been to invent and normalize “ identity groups ,” including such ill-defined categories as “ Hispanic ” and “ Asian- American ,” not to mention “ White .” These groups are then classified as either “ victim ” or “ oppressor ” with various penalties accruing to oppressors and benefits to victims , such as advantages in hiring , government contracts , school admission , and social services . Because victimization is incentivized , many are constantly on the lookout for some way to bolster their victim status . They are hypersensitive , ready to take offense at the slightest “ microaggression ,” and even resort to hate-crime hoaxes in some cases .
8 . It repudiates the aims of the civil rights movement .
Martin Luther King Jr . famously dreamed of an America where his children would be judged by the content of their character , not the color of their skin . How different this is from the ideology of social justice , where the very notion of “ colorblind ” is viewed as hateful and oppressive . Social justice ideology , instead , promotes racial essentialism . It elevates sex , gender identity , and skin color to the very pinnacle of human identity . For proponents of Critical Race Theory , all that is important about you can be known by your skin color , with judgments made on that basis alone . Let ’ s call this what it is : racism . Social justice proponents renounce Martin Luther King ’ s famous dream and the civil rights movement he fought so hard to advance by repudiating colorblindness . Social justice ideology isn ’ t about healing racial divisions but exacerbating them , which is exactly what is happening in America as this ideology expands its influence .
9 . It is revolutionary and totalitarian .
Advocates of social justice ideology constantly talk about their commitment to “ deconstruct ” and “ dismantle ” various social systems , structures , and norms . At a 2018 Human Rights Campaign awards banquet , Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway spoke for many when she declared , with tears in her eyes , “ Together we are not going to just question this myth [ referring to the “ hegemonic narrative ” imposed by dominant White , straight males ], we are going to destroy it . . . Let ’ s tear this world apart and build a better one .” At heart , the ideology of social justice is revolutionary , and the revolution it seeks is based on the pattern established by other totalitarian socialist revolutions in places like France , Russia , and China . The tactics used in this revolution reflect the ideology ’ s rejection of historical Western , liberal traditions . It isn ’ t interested in civil discussion , compromise , argument , or debate . Instead , it utilizes highly coercive power tactics reminiscent of Mao ’ s Cultural Revolution : speech codes , bullying , shaming , and “ cancel culture .”
" Social justice ideology isn ’ t about healing racial divisions but exacerbating them , which is exactly what is happening in America as this ideology expands its influence ."
10 . It is deeply entrenched in our systems of education .
The advances that social justice ideology has made in the culture are largely the result of focused , strategic efforts to embed it within our systems of education , both K-12 and higher education . Our teacher training schools are strongholds of social justice ideology . Dropping any pretense of religious neutrality , the Biden Administration Department of Education is pushing hard for public schools across the nation to indoctrinate students in a profoundly antibiblical “ social justice ” curriculum and pedagogy . In a May 2021 article in City Journal titled “ The Child Soldiers of Portland : Public schools are training children to become race-conscious revolutionaries ,” journalist Christopher Rufo exposes in great detail just how deeply entrenched social justice ideology is in three Metro-Portland school districts . The same thing is happening all over the country , hidden behind nice-sounding words like “ diversity ” and “ antiracism .” Thankfully , some states , like Idaho and Tennessee , are banning Critical Race Theory-based education .
It ’ s past time for Christian parents and educators to fight back . The future of our children and our nation depends on it . Not only do we need to eradicate social justice ideology from our systems of education , we need to rediscover our own rich , biblical educational tradition that aims at virtuous self-government , wisdom , and human flourishing . ■
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