The debate over whether critical race theory should be banned has been raging in centrist and right-of-center circles. While the debate has been going on, Republican governors have been taking the lead by signing bans into law.

The counterargument from liberal Republicans and libertarians has been that you can’t ban ideas.

But banning critical race theory isn’t banning the study of ideas. (That’s the same dishonest argument General Milley trotted out in Congress.) It bans the indoctrination of it in a way that conditions grades, enrollment, and employment on endorsing racist and partisan ideas.

You can’t ban white supremacist ideas, but you can certainly ban schools and companies from forcing students and employees to chant, “Heil Hitler.”

That’s a basic civil rights question.

Subjecting students or employees to racial harassment has been illegal for a long time. Critical race theory sessions are racial harassment. 

Pressuring employees or students to join white affinity groups, blaming them for all the problems in the country because of their race, and forcing them to “take responsibility” on the implicit understanding that their grades, enrollment, and employment depend on it would already be illegal if the DOJ’s civil rights division weren’t headed by Kristen Clarke: a career racist. 

“Critical Race Theory Can’t Be Banned. It Can Be Exposed, Mocked, and Avoided,” Robby Soave at Reason writes.

But can it be avoided? When enough colleges and corporations do it, your options for avoiding it drop dramatically. And since universities and companies that don’t climb on board are targeted until they do, just look at what happened to Basecamp, your avoidance options keep dropping.

You can try exposing and mocking critical race theory. To the extent that social media monopolies will let you. And you can expect them to crack down further as any criticism of CRT is treated as a threat to minorities that causes literal harm. 

What’s left is avoidance. Or trying to find a college or workplace that won’t impose CRT on you as a condition of employment. You can give in, or you can actually fight back.

Individuals challenging CRT on social media is not going to lead to anything except social media bans without meaningful state action.

CRT is being imposed from above by foundations and billion-dollar donors, by Big Tech firms and massive consulting firms. And yes, by state action at the federal and state level. Countering state racism and racism by corporate monopolies will require government action. 

It’s a civil rights issue.