So good to hear a dissenting and unpopular voice. This is interesting and informative, thank you. Please continue speaking truth to power whatever the cost!
Yes. What's sad though is that his voice is actually the popular voice - notice the like/dislike ratio. Unfortunately the mainstream media only seems to highlight the unpopular voices right now so they trick people into thinking that's how most people think you know?
I would highly recommend check out Dr Sheena Mason's RU-vid page then. She's doing amazing things with her Theory of Racelessness that uses much of what Erec speaks to here plus much more.
You have NO IDEA how nice it is to hear someone such as yourself who is black and who has an academic background of a discipline applicable to our current race situation. A number of the thoughts and ideas that you have shared are conclusions I have come to myself as a white person who is NOT an academic in this area. Thank you again. I have subscribed and will be listening to probably almost everything you put out just like I do with Thomas Sowell, Colemn Hughs, John Mcwhorter and Glenn Lowry, amongst others. 🙏🏻
@@just_another32 MJ's "Black or White" is about racial tolerance, which implies that racial intolerance exists. Therefore, thinking critically about how racism plays apart in our society seems to be a logical progression.
@@just_another32 I liked what you said :) that smooth brain can go play in the corner by himself/themself. Anyways the Professor's video is amazing and makes me feel a lot better about the world and less crazy for coming to some of the same concussions.
This is exceptionally good, and jives with the parenting philosophy of many immigrant parents whose children find success despite some degree of disadvantage.
Yes! I'm a Refugee in the US whose parents couldn't speak English, have elementary school educations and were able to own successful businesses in South Florida. Decades later their PNW is higher than most US born individuals- hard work and living within their budget created generational wealth. No time for victimhood when you have little kids to feed!!
@@juana7035 Me too. Both parents were in their mid 30s zero English, zero education...my mother didn't finish middle school and my father didn't finish HS. Bought two houses and gave my brother and I every chance to make a better life for ourselves...which we did.
If it hasn’t happened yet, I’d love to see a conversation between Erec and Peter Begossian on Parrhesia. They are both advocating for it, and it’s so important. So many of us are scared to bring in good faith inquiry for fear of being shut down and demonized.
It's wonderful to see a person in academia pushing back against some really bad ideas that have become so prevalent. So many professors seem to be indoctrinating rather that teaching critical thinking. Thank you for shedding some light on how differently whites and blacks identify. .
They used to call them “The Four R’s,” which has been cheapened to “The Three R’s.” Wow, thank God you are bringing back Rhetoric. I saw you on NBC News and love your approach. I embrace All and know things were worse and need to improve. This discord we’re having could spiral into the same violence and self-oppression as Post-Apartheid South Africa has had. My Ancestor, Robert Dakin, fought from Boston to Yorktown , VA with the Pennsylvania troops of George Washington’s army who were at Cornwallis’s surrender there. After the Revolution he returned to York. Glad to see such a Wiseman in Academics there, a great Professor of Rhetoric. Thanks.
Can I clone you? Can I rent space in your brilliant mind? I'm subscribing, I can learn so much from you. Thank you. The US needs more strong, intelligent men like you, we have a deficit right now.
This video was obviously produced originally for an academic audience, so I can understand all the academic jargon. I would suggest if you plan to post to RU-vid you consider your audience and use plain language. There are many intellectual academics that post to RU-vid and are able to use language that effectively communicates their points so that non-academics can understand. I'll watch some more of your videos, hopefully this is an exception.
Wow, fascinating. This explains a lot. Post-traumatic slave syndrome is an interesting concept. It might explain why racial identity politics and CRT have hitherto (at least till 2020) not gained much traction in UK politics and culture.
Just to explain what I meant in my comment... this post slavery syndrome thing he talks about... it can explain why CRT has such traction in the US - since African Americans have that history. Many Africans who have recently immigrated to the UK and other countries (including the US) are not descendants of slaves. So they do not share that part of history and thus this "syndrome" may not be applicable to them.
I don't think it is scientific! I am talking about the difference between black people in the US and blank people in the UK, and how racism identity politics took a long time to get any foothold here in the UK. I do think one of the reasons for that might be the fact that many black people do not have descendents that were slaves in the UK. I'm not really making an argument. I'm just reflecting / thinking aloud having listened to this gentleman. All the best :)
I'm sure there are a lot of professors who feel this way, however, they're afraid to speak up OR if they do they are swept under the rug; their voices silenced.
Book marking his book for when I can afford to spend $90 again after the pandemic. Seems like it’s got interesting and useful ideas. I plan on working with kids and families that have experienced trauma and the empowerment theory model seems like a positive framework to apply. I myself went through years of abuse growing up and I think this theory really applies to how I broke the cycle and gained a sense of control. Very thought provoking!
This was amazing, thank you so much for your great insight! My hope is that it cause more profound thought in these matters and stirs courage for discussion and civil discourse. Thanks again!
Thank you for this late Birthday present!! (I thought it was just me .I used the term: multi-colored-white-people way back in the early 90's)... A Critique of Anti-racism in Rhetoric and Composition: The Semblance of Empowerment - probably the most expensive book I have seen on Amazon in a long time - but after that analysis you just provided, am probably going to buy it for sure. Empowerment Theory sounds really interesting - you gave a lot of practical solutions to a very, very complicated subject, Really excellent presentation: lots of technical terminology - but well defined.
I totally agree that without the intrapersonal foundation, there is no true empowerment. You mention mindfulness and meta cognition, which is great. But what’s lacking here is that genuine presence or mindfulness isn’t possible unless we embrace a healing journey. This means there’s a need to acknowledge our own pain and suffering - the pain body - and come into right relationship with it. If we don’t do this we can’t really be fully present, and we end up projecting our pain onto others, blaming them for it, or asking them to save us from it.
Thank you. I just failed a program here in Texas because my “rhetoric” program was really an indoctrination into woke social justice politics. Really turned me (a liberal) off of the humanities and liberalism.
“Control people you control their thoughts; to do that you control their language ; to do that you control the definitions/redefine words” I am paraphrasing George Orwell This is what we are seeing today-constantly redefining of words, forcing thoughts into public consciousness and shoving it into law and thus behavior.
In regards to getting opposing groups to get together and solve real problems, or as you put it “getting over ourselves to solve material and social issues” - one counter argument I think is often made is that some of these social issues are specifically race related. Thus, race needs to be focused on, or at the least included, in the problem solving. To go further, people may also say that all social problems have a fundamental race component because America was founded upon racially-based slavery. Therefore, the compounding effects of this carry on to the present whether it is apparently obvious or not.
there is so much so to digest here. Bravo...will actually need to watch/listen twice to absorb all points...a transcript would be helpful- perhaps I need to get his book !? while not a Marxist (whatever that designation means anymore, if anything), a more finely tuned "class" based critique of a certain type of fetishized focus on "identity" might be in order.....I'm sure it's been done, but may be another piece to the puzzle to add here
Booker T. Washington had the most functionally effective approach toward obtaining results: Focus on hard work, pragmatism, demonstrating competence, trustworthiness, thrift, etc. and the desired feelings of equality will be granted from the target group. Of course, W.E.B. DuBois was correct in the inherent equality between blacks and whites. Declaring that a priori, and insisting on that approach when a large segment of the audience had prejudice was like insisting on an outcome without a plan on how to achieve it. DuBois would say there is nothing to "achieve" because it is a "self-evident truth." Yet, it was not a truth that was self-evident to the target audience---white society---one was trying to persuade. Some people are persuaded by rational argument, abstractly or analytically. Most people, though, require observed experience. Witnessing people exhibit virtue is a more potent means of persuading someone that you are good rather than a logical argument. Washington understood the limits of psychology in this way that Dubois did not. As such, Washington's approach was the means to achieve Dubois' ends. Once white society saw the worth of blacks and viewed blacks as earning their respect, whites then realized it was a truth that should've been self-evident to them all along. It is unfortunate that in order to persuade people, we sometimes have to prove ourselves to earn their respect rather than declare it from the start. This, however, seems to be an inescapable component of human nature and social relations that pervades our thinking and existing in the world at times. Not all the time. Nor is it an omnipotent force, but it is a component.
Just looking at any multicultural group of engineers is evidence. I thought of this, what he says here, too. I'm glad he drew the connection to Dewey. That is very useful information. If subject matter is not respected, eventually, people will suffer from the impacts of lower standards in every domain. People who reject constructive criticism, may be the engineers designing the bridge that collapses on your loved one, or you. Example: FIU pedestrian bridge in Miami, FL. Good luck everyone! When reality no longer matters, life becomes less important than hurt feelings.
@@jtalbainWSA I'd assume his goals are to penetrate academia. Which seems to be the root of the problem. You have to be precise and use flowery language to an extent.
Thank you. If I could please offer a suggestion... your message would have been far, far more effective if you try to use much less academic jargon. And if you have to use jargon, explain it and set it up, so you can very well take us all on your thought journey.
Thanks, hard to speak against it from a layman's perspective,,this might help in dealing with my young Black daughters educators. We are far from eye to eye
I've been using the term "post identity" to refine the difference between age, gender and "content of character", from identity. We are people first, and therefore it is simple meanness to attack an individuals personhood (toxic-masculinity for instance), however once we self-identify, the figurative gloves come off. Individuals do not have to respect identities. Allowances for one another for peaceful purposes is great, but once identified as Jew, White, Gay, Black, Trans, etc., the tribal instincts of venality demand "Pre-figurative Politics" (Never heard the term. Thank you for that.) Keep talking please. :)
One who listens to people like professor Smith, Coleman Hughes, John McWhorter and Glenn Loury vis-a-vis the work of people like DiAngelo and Kendi, can't honestly deny that the former are much more eloquent, nuanced, coherent and ultimately intellectually profound.
"I'm not here to make enemies..." (unfortunately) *enemies gather Professor Smith, is the idea of an inability to discontinue a fight, against a destructive paradigm (that has been substantially mitigated), until that paradigm has been completely reversed (regardless of the obvious impossibility of the task), any part of your thinking? Particularly, the idea that if any racists, of any degree of racism, exist and behave racistly (regardless of how few), no minority is free of racism. Obviously this is something an exaggeration in regards to some anti racist theory/platform, but not much of an exaggeration to many. And I don't mean to imply that the number of acting racists, is so miniscule that they are of no consequence. The idea is more that, as a society we have come a long way, as a 51yo I can remember overt racial hostility toward blacks, from certain classes of whites, as a kid. Similar behaviors wouldn't be tolerated today, at least in the same town/situation. But this improvement seems unseen or at least unacknowledged, by many anti racists. As though today is no better, racially, than the 50's, or even that today is possibly worse. It seems like the tendency to require/expect rapid perfection, as opposed to slow progress, is a common trait. And it has it's benefits surely, but the more these expectations become widely held, and impatiently demanded, the more exponentially counterproductive becomes the seeking. Anyway, rambling over, great video, will look for more from you!
The concept of anti-racism foolishly or with malicious intent commits the false dichotomy/black and white fallacy (excuse the puny-ness). It does this by not offering not-racist as a more evident position for one to hold.
Just started watching this, I’ll probably understand what he’s saying but I get the feeling this would be much more effective if he spoke in laymans terms.
All this talk of racism, aka, slavery. Why has no one exposed and created a front to attack and end it in the continent that still has it functioning today, NOW. Real slavery, not “thought - slavery”, real slavery, - being bought and sold. Address that and maybe I’ll start to listen to these “thought” issues.
