By Iona Italia, PhD

Whether you love or hate critical Theory (Critical Race Theory, intersectionality, third wave
feminism, etc.), I think you have to admit that the behaviour of most of its adherents, when faced
with criticism, is absolutely extraordinary. Thread.

Telling people that if they aren't enamoured of the stuff it's because they need to educate
themselves, etc., is condescending & illogical. It's possible to have read the theory & to disagree
with its premises.

I've read a fair bit & Helen Pluckrose has read almost everything written in the field at this point (I
know: I've edited her book, I've seen the notes & bibliography & citations). We don't need to be
told to go & "keep reading DiAngelo till you agree with her" (literal quote).

No, disagreeing with the theoretical premises of a set of academic sub-disciplines doesn't mean
you "hate people of colour, LGBT people or trans people." The theories are ways of explaining how
society works: they are NOT ethical codes. My ethics is not dependent on Foucault.

No, disagreeing with the theories doesn't make you right wing. The fact that some right-wing
partisans rant on about blue-haired students all day doesn't lend credence to Kimberlé Crenshaw's
ideas. There is an economic left & a liberal, universal humanist left. I'm part of it.

No, disagreeing with the theories doesn't make you privileged (my friend Helen is bisexual,
disabled, working class—which is neither here nor there) nor does it make you "white." I'm still
Parsi & no I'm not a "race traitor" or coconut because I disagree with a bunch of theories.

These aren't theories in the way that evolution is a "theory" (i.e. a model of the way the work
works, with falsifiable, testable predictions which has stood up to so many robust attempts to
debunk it that it is now beyond reasonable doubt). They are more like hypotheses.

Sure, it's possible that the theories are correct & I am wrong or mistaken in my interpretation of
them. A theory's validity is independent of the good or bad behaviour of its adherents &
detractors. And let me stress that not all its adherents behave in these ways. Many, NOT all

Those of you on the Social Justice left who are open to disagreement on these issues—I've
encountered some of you—I respect you. In any case, I am willing to separate the ideas from the
people (just as do with other ideologies I disagree with, like Islam: I'll fight for Muslims).

And there *are* uses for this. The theories do sometimes bring up valid points. In particular, their
proponents often have valid criticisms of those of us on the other side. I don't think anyone should
be silenced, defunded, fired, etc. I want MORE academic freedom, not less.

But if you think these theories are simply common sense or a code of straightforward ethics that
can be translated to "don't be a bigot," then I think *you* are not familiar with these theories & I
am tired of that bait & switch.
If you're on this side of things, you should discourage the bullying, badgering tactics of so many on
the Social Justice left. Telling me I'm a bad person or privileged or "white passing" for not agreeing
will not convince me. You can silence that way—but you can't persuade