Every day brings forth something bizarre from Wokedom's idealogues. Today it is the assault on grammar as being part of structural- systemic - racism from some US academics.
It is always disappointing to note a lot of this comes from unaccountable tenured university pseudo- intellectual ideologues. Ultimately they decry the system and want it destroyed but as long as that destruction does not touch them all is well.
Dan Bogino Ep 1551 (28 June 2021) has a clip from Thomas Sowell who makes the salient point that these pseudo-intellectuals are unaccountable for the real-world consequences of their ideas. These so-called intellectuals, generally Neo Marxists string words, new terms, theories, ideas and make untenable connections and conclusions from predetermined positions: "never mind the reality let's see how it works in theory" is their creed.
Karl Marx spent most of his days writing and reading in the British Museum Libary relying on secondary sources and avoided empirical- real-world facts and data- research. Marx suffering from body odour and painful boils could howl at the world, and the cosmic forces of history, from the safety of a cloistered book-lined room. He never in his lifetime had his ideas tested and held to be accountable for their failure.
The Blaze carries this story:https://www.theblaze.com/news/professors-say-proper-grammar-is-racist-perpetuates-whiteness?utm_source=theblaze-breaking&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20210628Trending-ProfsGrammarRacist&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Breaking%20News
The title is "Professors say Proper Grammar is racist and perpetuates "whiteness." The forum was also, in the typical Woke pablum, to address 'linguistic justice." Any differentiation in the indiscriminate world of Wokedom is inequality and thus injustice. Making justice the preeminent and sole social touchstone, following Rawls, has been exploded as errant by Sowell in Intellectuals and Society.
The focus was on what is perceived as the marginalising of Black students who use an English patiois which is considered inferior and thus racist. Bear in mind this is a university where a high standard of English is required as thought is contained in words and precision is needed. Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Jason D Hill seemed to have mastered good English and are brilliant scholars. All students entering university have to conform to its standards. Many first-year students, irrespective of race or ethnic background, struggle with getting on top of written English.
The Delgado and Stefencic, DiAngelo, Kendi critical race theory influence is pronounced and imbibed without scrutiny as Delgado and his co-author state CRT is an activist programme. The ultimate aim is to tear down the system.
The forum's proponents argue:
."The way black language is devalued in schools reflects how black lives are devalued in the world," Baker-Bell said, "[and] the anti-black linguistic racism that is used to diminish black language and black students in classrooms is not separate from the rampant and deliberate anti-black racism and violence inflicted upon black people in society."
Also present was Cristina Sánchez-Martín, English professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, who said that she is working hard to undo "whiteness" in her students' writing.
“The repeated references to 'correct grammar' and 'standard language' reinforce master narratives of English only as white and monolingualism and a deficit view of multilingualism," Sánchez-Martín insisted during the symposium.
April Barker-Bell's assumption does not appear to be backed by any evidence: how about some forms of patois/argot are not easily understood. The Parisian langue de verlan is an example as is some elements of Cockney argot.
Are these women- and the article only cites women- saying a Tower of Babel situation is preferable. That would predict a relativism in language at a time where good clear communication is required for socially important "conversations."
Christina Sanchez-Martin freely discloses her activist orientation- she is "working hard to undo whitness." Hers is the Kendi antiracist racism made manifest.
Our grammar rules and apprehension of grammar are hard wired according to Noam Chomsky. The Neo Marxist are anti biology and the implicit thesis of these academics is that 'proper grammar' is merely a social construct, as articulated by Berger and Luckmann, that is determined by the Marxian economic base or power base in Neo-Marxism. The economic bases have altered over time but the immutable nature across the entire human species for grammar has not.
The consequences of this theory entering the minds of students, who don't have university tenure, and have to get a job real world is sure to set them up to fail. Would this work for lawyers in a Court of law where words and phrases and sentences are examined? Or for surgeons or pilots? There is often enough misunderstanding and disputes of meaning in one language without compounding the problem in a Tower of Babel. If the theory were put into practice it is a recipe for systemic failure and ultimately social failure.
The academics will not be on the scrap heap of failure and be subject to its harsh ensuing prejudices and disadvantages but will remain unaccountable for ideas that will have real-world consequences. It is a serious serious issue for Marxism- Socialism owing to its ongoing real-world failures.
We shall never ever see these academic pseudo-intellectual worms of Wormwood do something practical such as give up their tenured positions for the socially and racially disadvantaged. That would have real-world consequences...to their power, status and wallets.
Graham Hill
Nelson 29 June 2021