Up & Coming Weekly

May 25, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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8 UCW MAY 26 - JUNE 1, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OPINION Race theory is dangerous nonsense by JOHN HOOD According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans of Filipino descent had a median household income of just over $100,000 in 2019. e median household income of white Americans that year was about $66,000. Based on these two facts, should we conclude that our society is pervasively biased in favor of Filipino immigrants, or of Americans whose ancestors once immigrated from the Philippines? Should we draw the same conclusion about Americans with ancestral ties to India (their median household income is $136,000), China ($85,000), or Nigeria ($69,000)? No, we shouldn't. at would be an exercise in bad math and faulty logic. Differences in household incomes or other measures among ethnic groups have many potential explanations. Cul- tures, traditions and family structures vary. Educational levels and labor-force participation rates vary. Settlement pat- terns vary. Preferences vary. If you're with me so far, then you likely don't agree with a key tenet of critical race theory. Pieced together in the 1980s and 1990s out of disparate strands of Marxist and postmodernist thought, critical race theory seeks to explain gaps in income, wealth, educa- tion attainment, and other measures as primarily the product of discriminatory social structures rather than individual choices. Its parent idea, critical theory, was concocted by Marxist intellectuals of the mid-20th century in the aftermath of disillusionment with revolutionary socialism as actually practiced behind the Iron Curtain. Some scholars and activists began applying their new ideas to the judicial system, yielding critical legal studies. Others concluded that prior Marxist analysis had focused too much on class at the expense of other structures of oppression, devising criti- cal race theory (and even more narrow and esoteric applications) not only as an approach to radical scholarship but also as a guide to radical political action. What does all this have to do with the public-policy conversation in North Carolina? Plenty — unfortunately. Do you believe in diversity, equity and inclusion? So do I, at least when the terms are properly defined. Surrounding yourself with people of differing views and backgrounds is often good for you. It can make organizations and teams stronger. I also think people ought to be treated fairly, that they shouldn't be discriminated against based on race, ethnicity, or other characteristics that have nothing to do with performing a job well. And I think it's best to include, not exclude. Don't you agree? ese beliefs are, alas, not what the current Diversity, Equity and Inclusion movement is all about. Much of it is just critical race theory rigorously and some- times ruthlessly applied to workplaces, government, philanthropy and the social sector. It assumes statistical disparities must be the product of discriminatory practices and attitudes deeply embed- ded in our social structures. erefore, it embraces the use of discrimina- tory practices and attitudes as the only proper response. Let me explain that latter point more clearly. If disparities of outcomes are a sufficient proof of systemic racism and other forms of structural oppression, then the only way to know if the oppres- sion has been dismantled would be for those disparities to go away. e logical goal must be an equality of results, not just an equality of opportu- nity. If that requires ongoing discrimina- tion against "privileged" groups — ra- cial and ethnic preferences in hiring, contracting and higher education, for example — so be it. It's all utter nonsense. It's based on simplistic and easily discredited analysis, and employs crude tools such as "implicit bias" tests that are both methodologically unsound and highly destructive of real human relationships. Still, I'd pay little attention to criti- cal race theorists if they confined their nonsense to scarcely read journals and sparsely attended classes. In a free soci- ety, we all have an equal right to be very, very wrong. But critical race theory has now spread far beyond the cloister. Its advocates seek to transform corporate governance, our justice system, and the curriculum of our public schools. Its assumptions are incompatible with freedom, liberal education and equality under the law. ose assumptions must be fully revealed, clearly understood, and relentlessly opposed. JOHN HOOD, Chairman of the John Locke Foundation. Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200 REP. RICHARD HUDSON (NC-08) COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484- 6200. The 70s are back by REP. RICHARD HUDSON Get out your bell bottoms and Bee Gees records. From long gas lines, sky- rocketing inflation, terrorists attacking Israel, to a Jimmy Carter photo-op — last week sadly felt like the 70s are back! Our state was hit hard with gas short- ages and price increases after a cyberat- tack on the Colonial Pipeline. Nationally, the average price for gas rose to over $3 for the first time in seven years. As a member of the Energy and Com- merce Committee, I monitored the situation closely and requested updated assistance for our state from the Depart- ment of Energy. I will continue to make sure our state gets the resources we need to return to normal, and I will continue to push for cybersecurity and improved energy infrastructure, so we aren't so vulnerable in the future. e reality is in just over 100 days under President Joe Biden, we have gone from energy independence to energy crisis. We are the richest nation in the world with an abundance of energy supply. Unfortunately, this attack high- lighted the importance of pipelines to our nation's energy independence and exposed the weaknesses of President Biden's policies. One of President Biden's first execu- tive actions was to cancel a fuel pipeline. He has made other unilateral moves to restrict our access to American energy. Additionally, his so-called infrastructure bill spends just 25% on actual infrastruc- ture and does not allocate any money for cybersecurity. Republicans stand ready to work with President Biden to rebuild and protect our existing infrastructure — especially from cyberattacks — and make needed investments in our roads, bridges, broadband and other areas. So far, all the Washington Democrats are offering is a bloated, partisan bill that spends more on the Green New Deal. As President Biden paid a visit to former President Jimmy Carter, inflation rose at the fastest pace in 12 years — fu- eled by out-of-control spending coming from Washington. Additionally, the last jobs report showed we must do more to get people back to work. According to the NFIB, a record 44% of businesses have open jobs they cannot fill. While the unemployment rate went up last month, we currently have 8 million job openings across the country — another record. Yet the federal and state govern- ment are paying people not to work. Unfortunately, this economic cri- sis comes as the Biden border crisis continues to worsen. New data for April revealed Customs and Border Patrol Agents apprehended the largest monthly number of migrants in 21 years. In my committee, I questioned Health and Hu- man Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about the worsening border crisis. As HHS struggles to keep up with the record-setting influx of migrants, it was reported that the department is looking to open a site in North Carolina to hold hundreds of unaccompanied minors. According to the city of Greensboro, HHS contacted the city and visited at least twice. However, in response to my questioning, Secretary Becerra denied these reports. is would not be the first time the Biden administration has lacked transparency concerning the border crisis, but I will continue to ask tough questions on behalf of our state and country. Internationally, Hamas terrorists continued to target civilians by firing rockets into Jerusalem. ey threaten the safety and security of Israel, the closest ally of the United States in the Middle East. I am grateful to President Biden for affirming Israel's right to self-defense. But the United States must continue to stand with Israel as they protect them- selves from those who would threaten their very existence. ere must be no daylight between America and Israel. I believe all of these challenges need strong leadership and bipartisan solu- tions. I remain optimistic about our future and will never stop working on behalf of you and your family. Even in the midst of last week's crises, our nation took time to honor law en- forcement during National Police Week. I cosponsored a resolution expressing Congress' support for recognizing our law enforcement officers, who put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe. We must never forget those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, or the sacrifice of the families they left behind. Even during times of crisis, their service, like that of our troops, reminds us all what's most important in our lives and country.

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