Education’s in a state of transition.
Whereas before — it seems to me — the core purpose of tax-funded instruction was to teach very basic, objective facts in the form of reading, general history, writing, science, and math, these days, potent perspective and subjective theory are ultimately on offer.
A component of the government’s new service: a righting of wrongs by way of racial justice.
And at the university level, they’re really trying to fix our flaws.
Example: a recent event at Louisiana State University.
A February 18th news release heralded, “At the Intersection of Race and Religion: LSU Series to Spotlight the Religion of White Rage.”
Per the announcement, the February 23rd extravaganza would “shed light on the phenomenon of white rage and map out the uneasy relationship between white anxiety, religious fervor, American identity and perceived Black racial progress.”
The discussion was inspired by the book The Religion of White Rage: Religious Fervor, White Workers and the Myth of Black Racial Progress, co-edited by Stephen C. Finley.
Stephen’s an associate professor of African & African American Studies at the school.
Is faith a good thing? Or is it the poisonous fuel of white supremacy?
And what of all of America’s “white rage”? Is religion prompting that, too?
To hear Stephen tell it, Yes:
“Religion is a source of connection and community for many Americans; however, it is also the primary motivating factor for the rise of white rage and white supremacist sentiment in the United States.”
Via the release, he pointed to a recent case study:
“The Capitol insurrection is the latest example of this.”
“In this episode,” he was quoted by the ad, “we will hone in on this relationship between white apprehension, race and religion, and their subsequent effects on communities of color and the struggle for equality.”
The conversation was set to be moderated by Syracuse University Ph.D. candidate (and LSU alum) Danae Faulk.
Partners for the event: Louisiana Budget Project, NAACP Louisiana State Conference, Southern University and A&M College’s Nelson Mandela College of Government and Social Sciences, and the LSU Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Among the panelists: Louisiana State Sociology Professor Lori Martin.
As noted by Campus Reform’s March 22nd write-up, during the seminar, Stephen praised Lori’s chapter in the book as a “brilliant analysis of how anger functions and fluctuates figuratively in and through the bodies of white women.”
As for Stephen’s own chapter, he said it’s about “what we now call ‘Karens’ — white women who [call] the cops on black men in an attempt to pretty much get them killed.”
Perhaps most notably, Syracuse University Religion Professor Biko Gray dropped a bomb about right-wingers.
You’ve heard the term “euphemism”…did you know it describes conservatism?
Biko proposed the distinct possibility:
“Maybe conservatism, away from being a financial and economic and political policy, is just a euphemism for white supremacy and its effective variant, white rage.”
Campus Reform relays the shindig ended on a bit of a downer:
In closing, [Biko] called out Louisiana State Rep. Ray Garofalo and Campus Reform, saying that, “Here we are, three black scholars, and no matter how much tenure we get, how much money we get paid, we will always be in a situation of precocity when it comes to discourses, when it comes to this particular country. That’s white rage, and we started working on this text long before Ray Garofalo knew who we were or we started getting emails from Campus Reform.”
So, there ya go.
If you weren’t aware the white American populace was so saddled with anxiety and brimming with rage, now you are.
And for a small window into how breathtakingly sophisticated education has become post-reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic, enjoy the mouthful of an intro given for Professor Danae Faulk:
“Originally from Baton Rouge, Ms. Faulk earned her MA in Religious Studies with a minor in Women and Genders Studies from the University of Missouri in 2015 with her thesis, ‘Specters of Otherness: Essays at the Intersection of Religious Studies, Feminist Theory, and Alterity.’
“She earned her BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies from Louisiana State University in 2012. With research in affect, embodiment, race, and transnational feminist critique, her current research examines the relationship between misogynoir, religion, and excess that animate fat oppression, health moralism, and theories of materiality in the 20th and 21st century United States.
“Ms. Faulk authored ‘White Power Barbie and Other Figures of [the Angry White Woman],’ which can be found in the book we’re discussing today, The Religion of White Rage: Religious Fervor, White Workers, and the Myth of Black Racial Progress.”
Sophisticated, indeed.
-ALEX
See more pieces from me:
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