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    Two Visions of America by Don Jans

    Calling it What it is: A Conspiracy Theory

     

     

    By Sullivan Israel

    What comes to mind when you hear the term “White Supremacist?” Perhaps men in white-hooded robes riding through the countryside with torches? Or maybe unkempt, bearded lumberjack-types covered in tattoos who live out in the woods? Well, I’ve got one new thing you should add to that list: soap dispensers.

    Yes, you read that correctly. According to a recent debate on “Systemic Racism” put on by the Bruin Republican club which I attended at UCLA, soap dispensers are the newest extension of the Klu Klux Klan. But it’s not just any dispensers, mind you. It’s those high-tech automatic ones. The reason is simple. As one UCLA student claimed at the debate, automatic soap dispensers “don’t see her hands” due to the dark pigment of her skin. As another student reiterated, soap dispensers are racist because they force “black and brown bodies” to show their palms “the only light areas of the skin” in order to get soap out.

    I’m not joking.

    First of all, let me just debunk the basis of this claim: for anyone who doesn’t know, the sensors on soap dispensers don’t see human hands; they don’t have eyes. They work using a simple device called a PIR sensor that senses infrared light, which is emitted by all people, regardless of color (as long as they’re not dead). Also, I don’t know about you, but those darn things never work for me. I can’t remember how many times I’ve banged on one to try to get soap out.

    But I digress. The point here isn’t how a soap dispenser works. It’s the idea that a student at UCLA thought that they were designed with white supremacy in mind. This, and other claims like it, were not unique perspectives shared by one lone student, but rather a world-view that was reiterated and supported by the over 80 students who attended the debate. Wild dispenser-eque claims abounded: from the claim that “white people fed black babies to crocodiles” to “I had a racist teacher who was racist because she asked me where I was from” there was a virtual plethora from which to choose.

    The scary thing about these claims aren’t the ideas themselves, but rather the world-view that informs them: that white supremacy is all around us, and in everyone, and everything, you encounter. These students go about their daily lives and when anything goes even slightly wrong, they immediately conclude that white supremacy is to blame. They don’t contend that it is some people who are racist to varying degrees, some of whom have power over others through systems, and some of whom are silent and powerless themselves. Nor do they allow that there is a difference between real racism and perceived racism, which may or may not pan out to be the former. No, for them the “feeling” that anything at all “negative” is racist, that all “negative” outcomes are from a racist design, and that all “good” ones must be anti-racist, has become a default setting. They don’t believe that some people are racist, or that overt and some covert racism continue to negatively affect minorities in this country. For  them, racism is not a viewpoint held by shrinking group misguided individuals, but rather a secret force exists everywhere, permeates all things, and wields power over society. Sound familiar? That’s because it has a name: conspiracy theory.

    Merriam-Webster defines a conspiracy theory as “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” But I’m sure you didn’t need to hear that. After all, reports on conspiracy theories abound in the news today. From QAnon to a Jewish Space laser, there are some conspiracies that would be comical, if only so many people didn’t believe in them. Whatever the theory, most of the well-known ones have one thing in common: the media sees their followers as people from “the Right.” When it comes to conspiracies that abound in members of their own party, they are a bit more reticent to call them such, or, in most cases, actually support them.

    The obvious objection is that Systemic Racism isn’t a conspiracy because it doesn’t fit the definition. Really? Let’s examine that claim (using Encyclopedia Britannica for our definitions):

    “Explains circumstances as a result of a secret plot”—Check. Unfair outcomes on standardized tests? Systemic Racism. A teacher asks me where I’m from? White Supremacy. A soap dispenser doesn’t work? You guessed it: White supremacy strikes again.

    “The content of conspiracy theories is emotionally laden and its alleged discovery can be gratifying”–Check. Believers in Systemic Racism use what they call “Lived Experience” a.k.a the collective, random events experienced by its followers to cobble together enough circumstantial evidence to support their claims.

    “The evidentiary standards for corroborating conspiracy theories are typically weak, and they are usually resistant to falsification”–Check again. Followers of Systemic Racism ignore all actual scientific facts and statistics, from real police brutality statistics, to numbers of reported hate crimes, and instead use weak, emotion-based arguments. Additionally, they refuse to accept any evidence contrary to their claims as legitimate, and have therefore made their claims un-falsifiable. 

    In other words, these students, and the many, many academics and Leftists that support and inform them, explain any unfair outcome as a result of some hidden, all-encompassing plot that permeates all aspects of American life: Systemic Racism/White Supremacy. There is no rubric of statistical proof for these claims, nor any provable evidence (and many writers have written ad-nauseum on this). Instead, believers cite their “lived experience” as proof enough, citing all questions to the contrary as part of the racist plot itself. Sounds like a conspiracy to me. 

    The worst part about this ideology is that it obscures real racism and actual problems we continue to face as a nation, including the continued marginalization of many groups across this country, including so-called “black and brown” people. When people rant and rave about soap dispensers, it de-legitimizes claims of racism when racism actually occurs. Of course there are still racists in this country–I have met some myself. What separates believers in Systemic Racism from people like me is not the belief that there is still racism, or that it continues to guide some peoples’ lives. It’s the idea that all things that have an unfair outcome, from measurable things like standardized test scores, to immeasurable things like “upsetting experiences” can all sweepingly be chalked up to racism alone. 

    There is a lot of talk of conspiracy theories today. They are, in fact, on a rise. A last quote from Britannica notes that “Conspiracy theories increase in prevalence in periods of widespread anxiety, uncertainty, or hardship” such as the current pandemic. I would argue that Systemic Racism needs to be added to the list of modern conspiracy theories, right along with the likes of QAnon. Often, as I saw at the UCLA debate, there is little point in arguing with the theorists themselves. They have become so entrenched in their far-fetched beliefs that they consider all opposition to be inherently evil (many of the pro-Systemic Racism students claimed all opponents to their ideas were simply racist themselves). Instead, the most we can do is shun these people, and loudly and confidently defy their claims publicly, in order to prevent more unknowing people from falling into their grip. Systemic Racism and its proponents must be pushed out of the center of American discourse, but the first step is labeling it for what it is: a conspiracy theory.           

    The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal

    Mr. Israel is a Civil Engineering student living in Santa Barbara


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    6 COMMENTS

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    Guy Montag
    Guy Montag
    2 years ago

    Hey moron, that isn’t how the technology works, you won’t go far in engineering, but maybe on FOX. They are “racist” if they discriminate against a race. You actually provide zero evidence of your claim that these people even exist, much less of the strawman that they claimed the tech INTENTIONALLY discriminates. Most “systemic” racism is not intentional, it is engrained in the culture.

    Last edited 2 years ago by Guy Montag
    James
    James
    3 years ago

    Excellent analysis and insights!

    Michael A....
    Michael A....
    3 years ago

    Re: Auto Soap Dispensers. We are a nation of idiots.

    Peter Smith
    Peter Smith
    3 years ago

    These activist seem to have no end goal. What do they want, for people to console them every time they take offense to any little thing?

    Dan Ary
    Dan Ary
    3 years ago

    I completely agree!

    Paola
    Paola
    3 years ago

    Racist soap dispensers? Yes, we all heard it. I was there.

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