Teen Vogue makes bogus claims about CRT

December 2, 2021

By Tim Worstall

In a recent piece, Teen Vogue tries the trick of having it both ways. In talking about Critical Race Theory, the magazine says that CRT is merely a graduate school theory for discussion.

It’s also something that vitally informs all teaching in K-12. Well, which is it? Something that professors mutter about, or something that’s taught to each and every kid?

As the article says, “CRT is an academic framework that is generally not taught in K-12 schools.” which is good. But then also, “While lessons about racial inequality and discrimination may have become more common in K-12 classrooms,” all of which lessons are crucially informed, even directed by, CRT. The little trick we’ve just done is that in Teen Vogue they are both parts of the same sentence, but we’ve inverted the order.

What the article actually says, when read properly, is that this Critical Race Theory is this thing far away in academia and has nothing to do with what the actual children get taught. Also, that what is taught to the children must conform to the theories, that America is a racist society, that all whites are privileged, and so on. We’re just going to pretend that the CRT that everyone has heard of isn’t how the teachers are taught, the books written and the classes designed. You know, because to let on about it would ruin the fun.

Teen Vogue gains some 5 million visits a month, it’s part of major magazine publisher Conde Nast and describes itself as “informing the influencers of the future”. Those influencers need and deserve better informing than this.

It’s certainly true that the racial history of America has been fraught but teaching it properly would be a benefit to all. Filtering a watered-down Marxism through the El – Ed colleges – which is what CRT actually does – doesn’t help anyone. Still, less does it educate, properly that is, those influencers of tomorrow. Teen Vogue should be ashamed of the logic in use here. It’s vital, hugely important, but that’s not happening at all, no, no…