My mama taught me that I should never use a word if I don’t know its meaning. Good advice.
We can expand this advice to include activist groups: never support an activist group if you don’t understand the issues it endorses.
Case in point: Eanes4Equity. Yes, yes, I know Eanes4Equity stands, in part, for anti-bullying and tolerance. (Who doesn’t?) But they also support these ideas:
- equity
- radical queer theory
- racism/antiracism
- critical consciousness
- whiteness as an oppressive ideology
Do you support Eanes4Equity? Can you explain these ideas? Can you talk about how equity =/= equality and explain why you endorse this view?
Fundamentally, these concepts are not liberal. Eanes4Equity is not a liberal organization. What they are advocating, whether they understand it or not, is illiberal. Don’t believe me? Then check out this chart.
The bottom line: if you’ve got an E4E sign out in the front yard, you are really declaring to the world that your politics are illiberal.
*****
P.S. Are you familiar with motte-and-bailey as a shifty rhetorical maneuver?
Here’s an example.
E4E: We support radical queer theory.
Eanes Community: Wait, what?!?
E4E: What? Are you against tolerance and anti-bullying?
For more info on the motte-and-bailey maneuver, see here, here, here, and here.