Re Critical Race Theory
Perhaps proponents of CRT could do a better job of explaining CRT, which I suspect is far more complex and nuanced than one of Josh's nifty graphics can capture, and in this case, probably distort.
Given your self-proclaimed ignorance, "probably distort" seems like a claim to knowledge that you shouldn't be making.
CRT has been explained here, Banks. And I think you are too generous about reactions to the notions of White Supremacy and its related labels, but I could be wrong.
Understand that this is a 40 year old theory, not something that just came up during the Trump years. It derived from careful scholarly study of our legal systems (yes, more than one) and social structures (ditto). And as with
any social science/legal field, it has been continually poked and prodded by supporters and opponents over the year, leading to additions and changes. I bumped into a book, "The
New Critical Race Theory," not long ago.
Short, direct definition of CRT, courtesy of the Britannica:
intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.
The second sentence is an application of the first to American history, though there are many other ways and places in which it can be and has been applied.
Opposition to application of CRT can be found in objections to a key element of the 1619 project, Howard Zinn's work, and many other works --> the notion that America was racist from the start.
Once one denies that, ignores the simple legal truths built into that and the centuries of furtherance of such legal and societal structure, it becomes trivial to then maintain that there is no historical element that has any kind of ongoing role in the inequities that exist in society today. (Indeed, there are some here who deny there is any systemic racism in America at all.)
I hope this helps.
If you are interested in a deeper take on it, I suggest these resources:
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05https://globalsocialtheory.org/topics/critical-race-theory/Or, to go back before the current dust up, this book might not be a bad read for you:
https://archive.org/details/raceisraceisntcr0000unse