Noxious Marxist theories that have festered in academia for decades finally burst out of ivy-covered walls in 2020, invading all aspects of American life. It wasn’t just the cities succumbing to nightly riots—everything from sporting events, to classrooms, to the workplace was hammered with the message that America was never the land of the free.
Even “Jeopardy”—the beloved television quiz show that ratifies when a meme has become an integral part of American culture—had a question in December on the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which claims that “our founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were written.”
For this reason, the two of us have written a report for The Heritage Foundation that explains the theories that are the beating heart of what has transpired this year. They are known variously as critical race theory, or critical legal theory, or simply critical theory, or many other new disciplines with the words “critical” or “studies” attached. In some places, such as California, you now have to take a course on one of these areas to graduate from a state university.
It is this worldview that for years has provided ideologues and activists with the blueprint needed to discredit the pursuit of truth, and redefine justice, and even the language to go with it.
