Getting CRT wrong, again

The letter writer (“Thank our white forefathers,” William P. Stroyan, July 19) who urged us to consider the vast accomplishments of white people in building society would do well to think more broadly.

His thesis (spun out of the organized right-wing attack on critical race theory) is “our comfortable life (derives from) our white forefathers who are mostly responsible for it.” Laughingly, the writer credited white forefathers for “toilet paper” as one example.

This position is typical of those who are ignorant of the historical accomplishments in Asia and Islamic Africa and the Middle East, much of which helped lead to science and technological change across the rest of the world.

The writer also mistakenly claims critical race theory tries to revise history. Where actually taught, it focuses less on the past and more on current conditions of society. Its academic focus is on how power is shared or not shared among groups in current society. It starts with: Everything is political.

The letter writer also needs a refresher in how “history” happens. To say white people were “mostly responsible” for a list of achievements ignores two facts: First, white men during the previous 250 years vastly outnumbered non-whites in positions of power. Of course, they would be celebrated for building things and making material stuff.

Second, non-whites and women who made contributions to the creation and development of the modern world were largely left out of the history books. Guess how that happened.

Those attacking CRT need to look at what it really tries to do.

Tom Sowa

Spokane