Posted on 04/03/2022 1:14:33 PM PDT by algore
A Seattle Pacific University professor claims that white supremacy permeates introductory physics classes. It’s research that is meant to explain why so few black people are in the field of study. But it reads like a parody.
Dr. Amy Robertson (“a chronically ill and disabled, physics-Ph.D.-holding, thin wealthy white woman”) and equity consultant Rev. W. Tali Hairston (“an African American male and lifelong learner, researcher, and educator of equity-inclusive frameworks”) use critical race theory to claim that racism and white supremacy are endemic to college- and graduate-level physics courses.
The study’s authors acknowledge that their research is instructed by their own political beliefs. And the research itself is stunningly racist. The authors capitalize “Black, Hispanic, and Students or People of Color” but “we choose not to capitalize white” because it is a “…socially constructed category that was created for the purposes of dominance and exclusion.” Oh, okay.
Robertson and Hairston argue that the physics classroom “constructs and maintains whiteness” in the field. The paper argues it’s white supremacy for a professor to call on students who raise their hands — regardless of the race of anyone involved. Remarkably, the research paper even maintains that using a whiteboard is an example of white supremacy culture. If you were to write a satire on whiteness in physics, you would not live up to this research.
The authors mind-bogglingly contorted their views to develop what was almost certainly a pre-determined outcome. They wanted to claim white supremacy in physics. It’s less a research study than an unintelligible, woke essay.
The ‘whiteness’ of physics
Robertson and Hairston focus on the whiteness of physics, but the dense, myopic research paper could apply to any discipline.
“Observing whiteness in introductory physics: A case study” was published in the March edition of the journal Physical Review Physics Education Research.
They argue that the “invisible nature of whiteness is a primary means through which white dominance goes unchallenged…” and that “making whiteness visible is one way to disrupt white dominance.” White supremacy dominance can be maintained by people regardless of their race. Indeed, whiteness “does not require actors be white in order to participate in whiteness, even if the benefits of participating may be conferred disproportionately to white or white-passing people.”
To conduct the study, Robertson and Hairston watched film recorded over four days at an unidentified, large, west coast university physics course. They provide anti-racist, woke play-by-play for each recording.
The video shows students discussing and solving physics problems for the professor. The two researchers then interviewed the professor and three racially diverse students, showing the portions of the video that Hairston believed showed “power and identity” influences in the classroom.
Everything is racist while the students answer a physics question
The analysis of the video borders on the kind of satire that is far worse than the joke that got the Babylon Bee banned from Twitter.
Drake is a middle eastern male student featured in the video. During a problem-solving exercise, he took the initiative, physically standing in the center of the workspace and using the whiteboard to jot down answers to the question. Drake refocused the problem-solving conversation of his female colleagues to what he wrote on the board. This, the researchers claimed, is an example of white supremacy guiding the classroom.
The racism was supposedly amplified when Drake raised his hand to answer a question from the professor. As bad, he was chosen by the group to be the lead, which is also white supremacy.
“Within whiteness as social organization, there is a center that has been ascribed transcendent value; all else is, in effect, marginal,” the researchers write.
There were multiple answers to the physics question that was posed. According to the researchers, the group prioritized this male student’s work on the whiteboard, which is how “whiteness masks” the other solutions.
Being smart is racist.
So this just goes to prove the universe — physics — is racist.
This is MUCH bigger than we humans…
The only cure for the plague of brain dead professors and teachers in this country is to outlaw the tenure system.
It says PhD physics not EdD on her school bio so at some point she had to show some competence in QM, EM, StatMech, etc.
Of course, as you say it’s much easier to produce papers proving racism particularly when you start with a conclusion of racism.
So how in the hell can these morons that will be graduating from college in physics, engendering, metallurgy, and design EVER develop, market, and sell cars that will get a manufacturer’s fleet average of 50 MPG. Also stay together and last 300k miles.
Be careful what you wish for.
A lot of this stuff is not coming from ‘tenured’ professors. It’s coming from incompetents who think they can make their mark with it.
In fact, many tenured people have stood up against it. They’ve often gotten into ‘trouble’ for it despite tenure, but at least they possessed a degree of protection. And they have the ability to ignore a lot of it.
Silly idea. There is a class/caste system at work in all cultures I know of, including ours. So, to say some are born with better prospects than others is almost a captain obvious moment. Of course they are.
However, to say gravity or thermodynamic, for example, are a product of cultural issues is ignorant. What goes up must come down is true for poor or rich.
Not to argue your point, but this person seems to be arguing about the TEACHING of physics.
She’s basically a pretend physicist who has found another career line.
Physics isn’t fair because heavier objects have more gravity.
Hence, physics is white.
She probably just needs a good physic.
So, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” is now RACIST? Who Knew!
/massive eyeroll
Oh, and this from Reverend Tali’s website, some more facts about physics - and why they always be talking about black ho’s and not talking about no white ho’s?? That is racissst! And it is the dark matter that nobody sees because of dark people is ignored and overlooked!
Oh, and this from Reverend Tali’s website, some more facts about physics - and why they always be talking about black ho’s and not talking about no white ho’s?? That is racissst! And it is the dark matter that nobody sees because of dark people is ignored and overlooked!
I stand corrected
Not what they desire to do. All they want is to stir the crap pot
Is this from TheBee?!
No they need to be gone.
“invisible nature of whiteness is a primary means through which white dominance goes unchallenged…” and that “making whiteness visible is one way to disrupt white dominance.”Maybe if we whities dressed like Governor Coonman, we'd be more visible?
“White Knight here to explain racism to us.”
Mediocrity is not racist.
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