I enjoyed Matt Walsh’s movie, as did the audience in the theater where I saw it.  He skewers DIE mythology very effectively, showing with example after example that a good deal of what’s going on here is just plain money-grubbing opportunism.  Also coming through loud and clear is the foolishness of whites who take DIE nonsense seriously.  The self-flagellation scene (no kidding) had me howling with laughter.

Because a movie is not the place for academic analysis, Walsh could not very well include an interview with someone, such as a philosopher specializing in moral theory, who is qualified to explain that “racism” isn’t just a dangerously loaded term; it has multiple meanings that should be distinguished carefully.  Failing to do so will guarantee that the logical fallacy of equivocation is committed.

A good person for Walsh to have interviewed on the subject of racism is Thomas L. Carson, who taught philosophy at Loyola University Chicago for many years, now retired.  Among Carson’s several books is Lincoln’s Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2015), to which I contributed comments in draft — Tom and I went to Brown together.

Eight concepts of racism can be extracted from definitions Carson presented in a chapter titled “Was Lincoln a Racist?”  Carson says (p. 338) that his definitions “draw on important work in contemporary philosophy.”

Racism-1: Believing that members of a group with certain racial characteristics are morally or intellectually “inferior” to members of groups that lack those racial characteristics.

• It is racist-1 to believe that blacks are morally or intellectually inferior to whites or Asians (for example).
• I’d venture to say a comparatively small number of people hold racism-1 beliefs.
• The left throws racism-1 accusations at Republicans without a shred of evidence.

Racism-2: Believing that discrimination against members of a group with certain racial characteristics is justified.

• Civil rights laws were enacted in large part to combat discrimination against blacks.
• College admission quotas that discriminate against whites are racist-2.

Racism-3: Members of “superior” groups believing that they are justified in exploiting or using members of the “inferior” group for their benefit.

• The slave trade exemplified racism-3 beliefs, which were also quite common in the antebellum (Democrat) South and persisted into the 20th century well after slavery was abolished. See below.

Racism-4: Members of “superior” groups believing that they are justified in hatred or ill will toward members of “inferior” groups.

Racism-5: Believing that indifference to the welfare of members of a group with racial characteristics considered “inferior” is justified.

Racism-6: Believing that inadequate concern for the welfare of members of a group with racial characteristics considered “inferior” is justified.

Racism-7: Believing that disrespect toward members of a group with racial characteristics considered “inferior” is justified.

Racism-8: Believing that inadequate respect toward members of a group with racial characteristics considered “inferior” is justified.

The Democrat party in the antebellum South was racist by all eight criteria listed above and used several to justify slavery.  Segregationist policies were in force during the Wilson administration as well as FDR’s.  Democrats would like Americans to forget that their party created the Klan (and its lynch mobs) and that Democrat politicians at one time fought tooth and nail against civil rights laws.  A Republican president, Dwight D. Eisenhower, used federal troops to make sure black students could enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, who were blocked on order of Democrat governor Orval Faubus.  Democrats managed to get away with brazen “rebranding” (lying) thanks to consistent help from media toadies.  Though we haven’t let the Nazis off the hook, Stalin and Mao, who murdered millions more, are heroes for the left.  Bernie Sanders thinks socialism is just grand and insists that he can do it right.  Kamala Harris is a Marxist.

Finally, leftists have been known to charge anyone with “racism” who:

• Utters a word of criticism against Vice-President Harris.
• Considers affirmative action immoral.
• Blames violent crime in Chicago on African-Americans.
• Believes that welfare is a huge waste of money.
• Voted for Donald Trump.
• Is a Republican or supports GOP candidates.
• Finds statistics linking I.Q. to scholastic achievement credible.
• Believes that slavery reparations would punish innocent people.
• Wears a MAGA hat.
• Disagrees with New York Times editorials on race.
• Is a member of the National Rifle Association.
• Thinks George Floyd was largely responsible for his own death.

These are phony charges according to the eight criteria presented in this article.  Anyone who thinks other criteria merit consideration is welcome to formulate them.

A frequent contributor to American Thinker, Arnold Cusmariu is the author of Logic for Kids.  His academic articles can be read at ResearchGate.com.  Also a sculptor, Arnold is currently making pieces that redefine Surrealism.

Image: stevepb via Pixabay, Pixabay license.