Am I Caught in the Trap?
Have I fallen into The Identity Trap? In his book, The Identity Trap, Yascha Mounk identifies and discusses the seven main themes of what he calls “Identity Synthesis.”[1] Mounk states that Identity Synthesis was “deeply shaped by the triple influence of post modernism, postcolonialism and Critical Race Theory.[2] I teach a course titled Cultural and Human Diversity at my university and within that class I teach what Delgado and Stefancic call the “Basic Tenants of CRT”[3] Because of this, I feel compelled to take time to examine what I teach and see if I have fallen into the Identity Trap. Since CRT is a hot topic and I teach at a Christian University, I pair the basic tenets of CRT with what I believe are examples from scripture. As I begin this topic, I Iet students know that Delgado and Stefancic state that not everyone who subscribes to CRT agree with one another, but what I am covering is what the authors state are the tenets that most people agree upon.[4] I also stress that CRT is just a theory, it is only one way of looking at the world. Below are the four tenets that I teach.
- “Racism is ordinary, not aberrational—‘normal science,’ the usual way society does business, the common every day experience of most people of color in this country.”[5]
Let’s look at the first part of that statement, Racism is ordinary. I teach my students that biases including discrimination, which by definition racism is a form of discrimination, was most likely seen after the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. We now have people who speak different languages, and research shows we tend to favor our own group. We see biases including discriminatory behavior throughout the Bible. Abraham didn’t want Isaac to marry a Canaanite, Egyptians considered eating with Hebrews to be detestable, Jews and Samaritans did not associate with each other.[6] Mounk talks about how we as humans tend to discriminate against those who do not belong to our same group.[7] For example, a 2005 research study examined the helping behaviors between groups and found that people were less likely to help someone who was not wearing the same team jersey that they associated with.[8] Is racism an everyday occurrence.? I tell my students that as a White male Christian living and rural Ohio, I don’t know, but I encourage them to listen to the stories of those who may experience racism.
- “Most would agree that our system of white-over-color ascendancy serves important purposes, both psychic and material for the dominant group”[9]
Do we see anything like this in the scriptures? We know that Solomon took a census of the number of aliens in Israel and conscripted all of them to work in building the temple.[10] There was likely psychic and material gain from this forced labor for the Israelites. We also see the wealthy in Israel taking advantage of the poor. In Amos 2, the prophet declares the sins of Israel including selling the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and denying justice to the oppressed.[11] This behavior made the wealthy feel superior (psychic gain) as well as the material gain they received. Thus, as the dominant group, they continued to engage in this behavior; there was no reason in their minds to stop doing it. Does this exist in our society today? Looking at what led up to the 2008 US Housing crisis, one might ask, why did US banks target minorities for subprime loans?[12] Did they gain materially and possibly psychically from this practice?
- “A third theme of critical race theory, the “social construct” thesis, hold that race and races are products of social thought and relations.
I turn back to what I would have already discussed in class, that all humans were created in the image and likeness of God.[13] God created diversity and through adaptation various genetics began to manifest themselves, likely for purposes of survival. I teach my students to recognize the diversity in all people, remembering that one piece of a person’s identify such as race or ethnicity does not define that entire person.
- “. . . the voice-of-color thesis holds that because of their different histories and experiences with oppression, black, American Indian, Asian, and Latino writers and thinkers may be able to communicate to their white counterparts matters that whites are unlikely to know.”[14]
For this tenet, I turn to the Gospels. Why do we have four different Gospels? Are there differences found in each of the Gospels? Did each person experience Jesus differently based upon who they were, their past, their needs, their expectations? Does my Black friend who grew up and lives in Cleveland experience the world differently from me? Yes, he does, but unlike proponents of standpoint theory, I believe he can communicate to others what life is like for him.[15]
I appreciate Mounk’s critique of CRT, I believe there is some truth to CRT and Mounk’s critique, but it has unnecessarily become a polarized issue. David French in an article on CRT quotes a tweet by Christopher Rufo who said his goal was to generalize everything cultural as being CRT and to cast CRT in a negative light.[16] As a result, there is so much emotion tied to CRT that people are being reactive and get caught up in emotional triangles involving it.[17] As with any new theory, we need to step back, differentiate ourselves from the emotions and take time to process (System 2 thinking) and pray.[18] After reviewing how I teach CRT, I do not think I have fallen into the Identity Trap, I stay away from the emotions, I see it as just a theory and do not use it to define all that I teach, and I try to evaluate it through the a scriptural lens.
[1] Yascha Mounk, The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time, (New York, Penguin, 2023).
[2] Mounk, 65.
[3] Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, 3rd ed. (New York: NYU Press, 2017), 8.
[4] Delgado and Stefancic, 8.
[5] Delgado and Stefancic, 8.
[6] Genesis 24:3, 43:32; John 4:9 (CSB).
[7] Mounk, 203.
[8] Mark Levine, Amy Prosser, and Stephen Reicher, “Identity and emergency Intervention: How Social Group Membership and Inclusiveness of Group Boundaries Shape Helping Behavior,” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(4) 443-453.
[9] Delgado and Stefancic, 8.
[10] 2 Chron. 2:2.
[11] Amos 2:6-7
[12] Nick Carey, “Racial predator loans fueled the US Housing Crisis: Study,” Reuters, Oct 13, 2010, https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6930K5/.
[13] Gen. 1:26-27
[14] Delgado and Stefancic, 11.
[15] Mounk, 72.
[16] David French, “How the Fight over Critical Race Theory Became a Religious War,” The Dispatch, April 10, 2022, https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p/how-the-fight-over-critical-race?s=r. Another interesting article is Benjamin Wallace-Wells, “How a Conservative Activist Invented the Conflict Over Critical Race Theory,” The New Yorker, June 18, 2021. https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory.
[17] Edwin Friedman A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix. (New York: Church Publishing, 2007).
[18][18] Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, (Canada: Anchor Canada, 2013), 20-21.
About the Author
Jeff Styer
Jeff Styer lives in Northeast Ohio's Amish Country. He has degrees in Social Work and Psychology and currently works as a professor of social work at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Jeff is married to his wife, Veronica, 25+ years. Together they have 4 beautiful children (to be honest, Jeff has 4 kids, Veronica says she is raising 5). Jeff loves the outdoors, including biking, hiking, camping, birding, and recently picked up disc golf.9 responses to “Am I Caught in the Trap?”
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HI Jeff, I really appreciate how you incorporate the Scriptures as you teach your students. This should always be our benchmark as Christians. I’m wondering if there was anything in “The Identity Trap” that will affect your teaching or perspective in the future?
Kari,
I think I want to incorporate Mounk’s principles of how to escape the identify trap into one or more of my courses. I already incorporate a couple principles but in this culture of polarity that we are in, I think it is important to that students learn these principles.
Hi Jeff – what a perfect example you used in comparing the 4 gospel writers and their life experiences on how they witnessed the life of Christ.
You write of your black friend in Cleveland: “I believe he can communicate to others what life is like for him.” – not everyone has the platform or the skills to communicate with others. How can we make this an effective tool to use?
Chris,
Great question. Fortunately, my Black friend in Cleveland is a pastor and has a great platform. With the advent of social media, I think many people have the ability to tell their stories effectively, even those with stage fright can record an effective video privately. The biggest problem though is getting the story told to the masses. This is where those of us with platforms need to make sure that we refer people to other’s stories. Wouldn’t it be great if our pastors from the pulpit on Sunday morning said, “I saw this story of how someone has been impacted by being a member of a marginalized group. I want to show you this.” Then take a few moments to discuss what they heard the person say after sharing the video.
That would be awesome Jeff. Developing habits like that to teach the flock is crucial!! Thanks for your response
Jeff, this was a very thoughtful, well-written post. Thank you for describing your use of CRT and scripture in the classroom. I am in agreement with you. There is so much emotion tied to CRT that many are unable to think critically on the subject. What response do you usually get from students when you speak on this identity topic? Have conversations shifted as identity synthesis continues to evolve?
Most students really don’t say anything. I had one student last semester state in his course evaluation that he was frustrated that I was using a book that has been banned in some states. I try to simply introduce the topic, tell them its a theory, but they need to understand it since so many people are taking about it.
It is hard to say right now exactly where conversations have shifted. I think transgender is possibly a hotter topic and I do cover that in class as well.
Jeff, I appreciate the way you self-evaluated throughout your post regarding your own status of falling into the identity trap. I was wondering what, if anything, from Mounk’s work you find helpful enough to share with your students as you teach on CRT?
I already use some of his ideas in How to escape the Identity Trap (Conclusion), but there are a couple that I want to try to incorporate more, #3 “Remember that today’s adversaries can become tomorrow’s allies and #4 Appeal to the Reasonable Masses.