Eighth grade English teacher Caleb Wells from Illinois caught media attention this week for defending Marxist critical race theory teachings in the classroom, saying that it refusing to teach such ideas would constitute racism. The woke Illinois teacher with the username "tiktoksmellyboi" on TikTok used his the social media platform to share a video of himself discussing his pro-Marxist critical race theory stance.
"When you don't want to teach about how these systems were designed to oppress people, you're taking the side of the oppressor and being racist," Wells said in a TikTok video that was posted to Twitter and got a lot of attention, FOX News reported. The woke Illinois teacher argued that critical race theory helps students understand how allegedly "oppressive systems" work in America, including the prison-industrial complex.
Wells said in the video that critical race theory explains how American's "systems" and "laws" such as the prison-industrial system, the military-industrial system are all "designed to oppress people groups." He believes that teaching such Marxist ideology in the classroom will show kids "what systems need to be challenged and thought about differently."
More shockingly, Wells believes that racism cannot be addressed by kindness. He took a grander, more revolutionary approach, saying, "We can dismantle racism by dismantling systems of oppression, not by being nice to people."
Wells' TikTok video cannot be accessed as of writing time.
Fighting back against CRT
Elana Yaron Fishbein, a mother of two students who attended Gladwyne Elementary School in the suburbs of Philadelphia, began an advocacy against anti-racist teaching when she learned that her kids were being indoctrinated with critical race theory and the school did not respond to her letter, NBC News reported. She moved her kids to a private school and founded the advocacy group, No Left Turn in Education, which now has 30 chapters in 23 states following an appearance at Tucker Carlson's FOX News show.
"The schools have been hijacked," Fishbein declared. "Our kids are captive audiences. And they think they can do whatever they want with our kids."
But parents aren't the only ones fighting back against critical race theory. A North Korean defector who fled the communist state as a young woman and became a U.S. refugee is sounding the alarm on universities and educators such as the woke Illinois teacher for promoting critical race theory in the classroom.
Yeonmi Park, a North Korean defector who came to the U.S. to study at Columbia University was shocked when she learned that critical race theory was being taught in school. She revealed to the New York Post, "They are forcing you to think the way they want you to think."
Lawmakers from different states are already mobilizing to block Marxist critical race theory from entering classrooms. According to the Boston Globe, the Florida State Board of Education approved a measure last week to prohibit public schools from teaching critical race theory. Republicans across 22 states have also proposed similar legislation.
