In less than four months, Fox News has invoked "critical race theory" 1,300 times. Why? Because critical race theory (CRT) has become a new bogeyman for those who refuse to acknowledge our country's racist history and how it continues to affect us now.

As per brookings, understanding what CRT is and is not is critical to understanding why it has become such a cultural flashpoint. Opponents believe CRT condemns all white people as oppressors while categorising all Black people as hopelessly victimised victims. These concerns have prompted school boards and state governments from Tennessee to Idaho to prohibit classroom lectures concerning racism.

But they are as wrong as one could be!

CRT does not blame racism on individual white people or even large groups of people. Simply put, critical race theory asserts that racism is incorporated in laws, regulations, norms, and procedures in US social institutions (such as the criminal justice system, education system, job market, housing market, and healthcare system), resulting in disparities in outcomes based on race.

Racism can exist without racists, according to sociologists and other academics. Many Americans, on the other hand, are unable to distinguish their own identity as an American from the social institutions that govern us; they see themselves as part of the system. As a result, many view calling societal institutions racist as a personal attack.