Warren Smith, a high school teacher and YouTuber renowned for his channel dedicated to critical thinking, recently spoke to a woke reporter who argued that “you can’t be racist against White people.”
Smith shared the encounter that left the reporter frazzled while she delivered an endless word salad before she ultimately bailed on the debate.
Reporter: I’m just gonna say this, and you can debate it. You can’t be racist against White people. You can be prejudiced against white people. Racism implies a power imbalance.
Smith: Where’d you learn that?
Reporter: That’s just how it is.
Smith: There’s no way to arrive to that. You just say, “It’s just how it is.” That is.
Reporter: I’m sorry.
Smith: So would people say, “Well, black people have to use separate water fountains because that’s just how it is. I’m sorry.”
Reporter: If that’s how you want to take it, that’s how you want to take it.
Smith: You don’t think you can advance any more on that?
Reporter: I really don’t want to.
Smith breaks from the interview to add, “I wanted to get this out quickly because this is one of the most important interactions I’ve ever caught on camera. I was at a student summit speaking to students. A reporter sat down who was covering the event.
Smith: When people are talking about DEI, they’re specifically talking about trying to achieve specific outcomes.
Reporter: Yes.
Smith: So you said, I don’t think it logically works.
Reporter: Okay.
Smith cut back in, “I tried to point out to her that DEI inevitably is racist. Logically. There’s no way around it.”
Smith: Because I think it’s the only example of systemic racism anyone’s been able to provide to me.
Reporter: It’s not systemic racism against you.
Smith: How?
Reporter: Everyone deserves a chance to speak and a chance to kind of be out there. We are only as good as representing everyone in our nation. It’s not just White men. It’s not just rich people. We need every single voice there.
Smith: So it’d be equal opportunity, right?
Reporter: Yes.
Smith: Okay, but equity is equal outcome.
Reporter: Yes.
Smith: So it’s a different word. That’s why we have a different—
Reporter: Yes, but we should be focusing on— we should be fighting for equality and equity. Okay, it’s both sides of the coin.
Smith: But if equity is— am I misunderstanding equity?
Reporter: I don’t think you are. I think equity is leveling the playing field so then everyone can reach an equal opportunity.
Smith: Okay, so let’s run through an example. Like, how do we level the playing field? Um, I’m a firefighter, volunteer firefighter, so let’s use as an example. If there’s not enough of a specific skin color in the fire department, how do we fix that without being racist?
Reporter: It’s also just reaching out to demographics who don’t—
Smith: That’s advertising.
Reporter: It’s advertising, yes, it’s making sure those people that feel comfortable joining a group like firefighters.
Smith: So we’ll put— we have, because mentally we have this column of advertising, we’re trying to put that aside and understand equity though, because you’re advocating for DEI, right?
Reporter: Yes.
Smith: Okay, so, so can you get into the DEI portion of it beyond advertising?
Reporter: Just that like everyone is equal of a— I don’t really understand what you’re asking.
The debate went back and forth with the reporter clearly not actually understanding the DEI concepts she advocates for.
Later in the interview, Smith pushed her on the specifics of DEI.
Smith: So, do you think DEI, now we look at it through this lens, do you think pushing for equal outcomes might be a flawed process?
Reporter: I still don’t think so.
Smith cut in, “Equity means equality of outcome. No one can explain to me how you’re going to achieve that without being, by definition, racist. The only response she can offer is to change the very definition of racism.”
Hellbound and Down 