Adam Serwer's dictum that "the cruelty is the point" is a lesson learned especially well by Ron DeSantis. His decision to ban AP African American History has not real value beyond being a bully towards kids interested in African American studies. His complaint about teaching Critical Race Theory in an African American History course is ridiculous. The idea that CRT was being taught in elementary schools was absurd, but it absolutely should be taught in African American studies.
Even more tellingly, they complain about teaching intersectionality. Intersectionality is the idea that we have multiple identities that we bring to every situation. You aren't simply White or Black. You are Black and Hispanic and male and a college graduate. These identities intersect to create the lens through which you understand and interact with the world.
How is that problematic? Even if you concede the White Panic over CRT - which is bullshit - the idea that intersectionality is problematic seems to actually contradict other conservative talking points about race. I would think conservatives would embrace aspects of intersectional theory because it denies the overriding primacy of any one form of identity.
But of course, a principled objection to intersectional theory isn't the point. Intersectional theory is a "theory" and therefore "bad" because Chris Rufo said it was.
This is the natural progression of cruelty married to willful ignorance and anti-intellectualism. "Intersectional" sounds weird, so it's bad and must be crushed because muh freedumbs.
UPDATE: Jon Chait notes that Ron DeSantis is the perfect example of Critical Race Theory in practice.
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