Tag: NeverFearthe

Posted in Political

Old Glory and Her Companions

Posted on by simplebender

Recently, I’ve spent some time driving through several urban and rural parts of America and something struck me. I noticed a lot of American flags flying. Some were crisp, clean, and clearly new. Some were tattered and worn. Some were damaged by smoke and flames from forest fires, yet they survived. I saw the red strip as well as the blue strip.  Most waved majestically, stars aloft. A very few flew resolutely upside-down declaring distress. The flag of the Republic fluttering in the breeze silently representing all of us regardless of our political position. You see the flag doesn’t know or care what you believe. It simply waves, the light dancing off the symbolic colors and independent, yet clustered, stars.

What struck me the most was the flags which joined Old Glory. Those are the flags which might just tell the real story of belief and maybe disbelief. I saw the State’s flag symbolically flying subserviently. I saw the flag remembering those Missing In Action (MIA) and the sacrifice they and their families have made and solemnly wished them well. I saw crisp, new, clean Ukrainian flags the bright yellow and blue sending a strong message and wished them peace and strength. I saw the Rainbow flag. I saw the Gadsden flag and pondered if the those flying it knew its history and that of the Continental Marines which it represented. I saw flags of the failed Confederacy and of South Vietnam and wondered.

But the grouping which was most gripping was a tri-pole flying an inverted, half-staffed, American in the center, a ‘Brandon’ flag to the left and a Russian flag to the right. As I passed, I was glad those responsible for the display had the right and freedom to do so. And yet wondered about those flying the MIA and/or the Ukraine flags and the messages each cluster was sending.

Maybe the few inverted flags were the most symbolically honest. Maybe we are a divided country in distress. Division only benefits our detractors and enemies. Maybe we should disarm our polarized positions and recognize, despite ourselves, we are stronger together than apart. Let’s not let them win.

Dream

Posted in Philosophy

Critical Thinking and Theory are needed now more than ever

Posted on by simplebender

Today, more than ever we need to practice Critical Thinking and the principles of Critical Theory.  We are bombarded by partisan media, politics, and opinions.  We face both sides of the ‘Big Lie’, ‘Stop the Steal’, and unabashedly biased ‘journalism’ and editorials.  Without a structured, normalized, approach toward analysis we are destined to wallow in unverified, unchallenged fantasies which can then become the structure of our society, institutions, and legal systems.

Critical thinking and theory do not profess any bias toward outcome, rather they focus us on a questioning process and let the outcome evolve and crystallize more with ever probing questions.  We must never just accept, but rather presume something is wrong, something can be improved, and/or be more holistically truthful.  Process and practices which encourage us to make explicit self-examination, and which are more concerned with preventing the loss of truth rather than being afraid of the resulting outcome are good for individuals, institutions, and societies in general.  Critical Thinking and Theory typically has three aspects: 1) presume something is wrong and identify what, 2) identify the aspects, or actors, which can be and/or need to be changed, and 3) establish norms for routine criticism and analysis. The only way to determine if our institutional knowledge are institutional myths is to critically challenge, probe, and analyze every aspect, on a continuous basis.  If it proves false, then let facts prevail. If it withstands the scrutiny either the challenge needs to be changed or the facts are firm.  Therefore, Critical Thinking and Theory are the anthesis of cancel culture.

As to Critical Race Theory.  Let’s agree; racism isn’t biological.  We are not born racists.  It is learned.  Therefore, racism must be a normal feature of our social fabric.  Woven into our education, public policy, and legal structure.  If so, then our responsibility as a society, as members of a civil order, is to critically ask ourselves, what needs to be changed in those institutions, and legal framework to eradicate systematic racism.  Consider how much fuller and richer our accepted history would be if it were written including all perspectives including those of race, religion, and gender.  Imagine how our legal system could be improved, presuming institutional racism could be recognized and removed.

If you are unwilling to accept the pretext of institutional racism and sexism, ask yourself why it took over a hundred years after the end of the Civil War for the Civil Rights Act to be passed and the Supreme Court to recognize the legitimacy of mixed marriages.  Ask yourself why the Civil Rights Act was even necessary.  Why were Jim Crow Laws passed and brutally enforced? Why, the Equal Rights Amendment hasn’t passed? And why are the Boards of Corporations essential devoid of minorities and women?

Those amongst us who refuse to challenge the social norms and status quo will forever be the pawns of those who want to manipulate the uninformed with disinformation, biased partisan partial perspectives, and conspiracy theories. Ironically, those claiming cancel culture are the ones who have tried for centuries to cancel and ignore the historical perspectives of others.  All of us, to some degree, are racist and sexist; our social culture made us what we are.  Maybe we should be engaging in Critical Gender and Critical Religion Theory as well.  

And who am I?  I’m an engineer, trained to question everything, challenge the status quo, and continually search for a better way to make things, systems, and processes work.  Trained never to accept anything at face value regardless of who propagated the thought or policy.  The one who practiced the art of Critical Thinking and Theory as an engineer and executive in the private and public sectors to advance engineering, as well as corporate and public policy.

Dream #CRT #CriticalRaceTheory