CNN journalists think it's their job to bully parents and conservatives concerned about liberal propaganda being taught to the next generation. That was obvious on today’s New Day, where one CNN reporter belittled parents protesting Critical Race Theory in their kids’ schools as ignorant and brainwashed by Fox News.
Co-host Brianna Keilar started the segment by noting the controversy between teachers’ unions embracing Critical Race Theory and parents pushing back against it, before diving straight into the mockery and condescension. Correspondent Elle Reeve stated bluntly that parents were just plain wrong:
KEILAR: So Elle, do these vocal opponents of critical race theory actually understand fully what it is?
ELLE REEVE: No, and why should they? It's an academic theory mostly taught at the grad student level. But what they think it means is teaching white kids that all white people are bad and racist. And so of course they're afraid of that.
After playing montages of parents emotionally speaking out at a school board meeting in Philadelphia and Fox News personalities warning about Critical Race Theory, Reeve lectured, “Critical race theory says racial inequality is perpetuated by the racism embedded in America's laws. Not by individual bigotry. But relentless propaganda from some conservatives created a panic that white people and especially white children are under attack.”
The reporter went on to try to shame one concerned parent who pulled her kids out of public school after seeing what they were being taught. Reeve badgered the mother for denying that the country was “structurally racist” and scoffed at her concerns about Antifa and BLM propaganda infiltrating schools. Later on, Reeve grilled one anti-CRT protester on his knowledge or lack thereof of specific “scholars and concepts” in Critical Race Theory. Newsflash CNN, you don’t need to go to grad school to understand propaganda like this being taught to kindergarteners is abusive. Even more laughable, the CNN reporter displayed her own ignorance by arguing that the 3/5 compromise clause in the Constitution was racist.
While attacking parents and critics, Reeve gave a pro-CRT teacher plenty of time to tout its merits, without criticism. The teacher strangely denied teaching CRT, (even though she does teach it), before touting how great it is:
Critical race theory is not being taught in schools. It is a theory, it is a lens by which to view history and the way that law and race kind of overlaps and connects in society. Can it influence the way that some teachers teach? Yeah, but that's a good thing, right? Because race and racism are literally the building blocks of this country. So how can you not talk about it?
Reeve gave this teacher the last word to end the segment. Just like MSNBC's Eddie Glaude did yesterday, the teacher, and CNN by proxy, suggested critics and conservatives had nefarious political motives behind their concern about the dangerous ideology:
It's really you just don't want kids to learn the truth because not only do they become critical thinkers, they also become voters. And that is what's scaring a lot of these people. They know as this generation gets older, a lot of these people making these laws will be voted out of office.
Afterwards the co-hosts fawned over Reeve's report. She painted the parents and the right as ignorant, once more:
All these opponents of critical race theory told us that, sure, racism was a problem in the past. But it's not now. And so we got into these long conversations about when exactly they thought racism had ended in America. And they didn't have a good answer.
CNN's hackery was paid for by sponsor CarShield, contact them at the Conservatives Fight Back page here.
Read transcript portions below:
CNN New Day
7/7/2021
BRIANNA KEILAR:... Republican politicians have been framing this theory as a threat to American children and legislatures in more than 12 states have proposed bills to ban it. [Randi]Weingarten says her union is prepared to stand up for any member who is punished for teaching lessons on race and racism.
…
KEILAR: So Elle, do these vocal opponents of critical race theory actually understand fully what it is?
ELLE REEVE: No, and why should they? It's an academic theory mostly taught at the grad student level. But what they think it means is teaching white kids that all white people are bad and racist. Of course they're afraid of that.
…
REEVE: In the wake of protests of the murder of George Floyd, Republican politicians have been hyping critical race theory as a threat to the impressionable minds of America's children.
…
REEVE: We wanted to meet the actual people working with actual kids in actual schools. So we talked to Keziah Ridgeway, who teaches high school African-American history and discusses CRT in her anthropologie class. Can I start with a very simple question. What is critical race theory?
KEZIAH RIDGEWAY [high school teacher of anthropology]: Yes. Critical race theory is not being taught in schools. It is a theory, it is a lens by which to view history and the way that law and race kind of overlaps and connects in society. Can it influence the way that some teachers teach? Yeah, but that's a good thing, right? Because race and racism is literally the building blocks of this country. So how can you not talk about it?
REEVE: Critical race theory says racial inequality is perpetuated by the racism embedded in America's laws. Not by individual bigotry. But relentless propaganda from some conservatives created a panic that white people and especially white children are under attack.
[montage of Fox News’ personalities]
RIDGEWAY: These are systemic things. Ignoring it perpetuates the problem by acknowledging it, we can find solutions and we can address the problems and inequality that exists in our country. So I think teaching it this way actually does the opposite of what these people say it does.
REEVE: Are you teaching children to hate America?
RIDGEWAY: No, I'm teaching children to question America and that's what makes a good patriot.
…
[PARENT] ELANA ...Taking a wide brush and painting this country as structurally racist, it's insane.
REEVE: Why is it insane, though?
ELANA Because its a lie.
REEVE: Last year Elana received an email from her kids school that students would learn more about the role of race in American society. She thought the materials were racist so she pulled her kids out of public school. Then she created an advocacy group “no left turn in education,” to draw attention to her claims that CRT is poisoning young minds. …
REEVE: Anti-crt propaganda is drawing big crowds.
…
REEVE: What is critical race theory?
SAM JONES, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN, ANTI-CRT PROTESTER: Critical race theory the idea that's taught to our nation's youth that the way that you're born contributes to the amount of success that you can achieve in this country. It’s not true. It Basically states that white people are born with everything and if you're not white, you're born with nothing.
REEVE: Can you name any critical race theory scholars?
JONES: Probably not.
REEVE: Can you name any critical race theory concepts?
JONES: I don't know what the concepts are. I think I summarized critical race theory as a whole pretty well.
CRAIG LEWIS, COLLEGE REPUBLICAN: To paint the country as an inherently racist country from its founding, I think is dangerous.
REEVE: The ⅗ Compromise is written into the Constitution in which slaves are counted as three fifths of a person.
LEWIS: Of course. That was applied at an earlier time. That is not the case now obviously.
REEVE: Well, you just mentioned the founding of the country. So.
LEWIS: Well, yeah. It wasn't perfectly written in the Constitution.
REEVE: When did you first hear about critical race theory?
MEKKAH X MOHAMMED, CONCERNED PARENT: Some time around last year.
REEVE: Where did you see it?
MOHAMMED: On Fox News.
MOHAMMED: The idea that you can’t succeed based on your race is ludicrous. This is not the 1960s just because of your skin color does not mean you cannot be successful here in America, point blank period.
…
RIDGEWAY..And I think we do them a disservice by continuing to pretend like critical race theory is the issue when it's really you just don't want kids to learn the truth because not only do they become critical thinkers, they also become voters. And that is what's scaring a lot of these people. They know as this generation gets older, a lot of these people making these laws will be voted out of office.
REEVE: All these opponents of critical race theory told us that, sure, racism was a problem in the past. But it's not now. And so we got into these long conversations about when exactly they thought racism had ended in America. And they didn't have a good answer.
KEILAR: What did they tell you? What were their answers for that? Did they point to any specific data points?
REEVE:Well, one person offered the '90s. Another person said, well, the '50s and '60s were really bad but that ended some time in the '80s and '90s. Other people pointed to Barack Obama.
KEILAR: It is a fascinating report and such an important in-depth look that you took there, Ellie, thank you.
REEVE: Thanks.
KEILAR: John?
BERMAN:That was so great.
KEILAR: Right?
BERMAN: That was just so great. And just the way the questions are asked, just by asking simple questions you revealed so much. I mean, that was just fantastic.
