In a spirited back and forth with Valley Patriot publisher, Tom Duggan, on the Paying Attention! Podcast, Methuen Mayor Neil Perry said, unequivocally, that Critical Race Theory is not being taught in the Methuen Schools.
The topic came up after a Methuen third grade teacher was called out on social media for signing a pledge to teach the racist theory in her classroom.
Critical Race Theory was developed by the Democratic Party to teach children in public schools that white people are inherently racist, and that white people have “white privilege”, whereas blacks and minorities are automatically victims of society because of white racism.
Duggan: “Is Critical Race Theory being taught in Methuen?”
Perry: “No it’s not.”
Duggan: “Are they teaching the same stuff that’s in Critical Race Theory but just not calling it that?”
Perry: “No, we’re not. The Curriculum is DESE (Department of Education) approved. Listen, the country is 51% to 49%, and as a guy who is dead in the middle…”
Duggan: “Dead in the middle, but you lean really left”
Perry: “I do, I lean more left… I would say my people policies are more left. But, financially I’m to the right. But, when you look at everything that happens in this country – locally, statewide and nationally – it gets zoomed in on based on your perspective. So, what happens is, people are filtering it through a lens. In my inauguration speech I said, ‘first seek to understand’, and we have not made progress there. I’m saying on the state, local, and national level we’re not doing it, we are not seeking to understand.”
Duggan: “You’re not defending Critical Race Theory, are you?”
Perry “No, I’m not. But my point is that people use a topic like that to elicit some kind of reaction from certain groups of people.”
Duggan: “That doesn’t make the issue any less valid, does it? I mean, if Republicans and Democrats are on opposing sides of that issue, that doesn’t mean it’s not a valid issue, does it?”
Perry: “But, it doesn’t mean either one of them are right though.”
Duggan: “Well it does if both have diametrically opposing views, though. The Democrats want to teach this racist theory that white people are racist by virtue of being white and that we have ‘White Privilege” and the Republicans are saying this is racist don’t teach it to our kids.”
Perry: “That’s not true. You see, that’s what inflames me about you. What you just said there is a crock.”
Duggan: “What part of that was a crock?”
Perry: “You said ‘all Democrats…’”
Duggan: “I didn’t say all Democrats.”
Perry: “Well, you say Democrats!”
Duggan: “OK, the Democrat Party leadership that runs the Democrat Party, I’m not saying every registered Democrat out there, I’m saying the party platform, and the Democrat Party leadership is pushing to teach racism to our kids and the Republicans are against it.”
Perry: “Forget Critical Race for a second, when we had the riots before the election, is it not true that both parties used it to their advantage?”
Duggan: “Yeah, and so did the media.”
Perry: “Right, and that’s the point.”
Duggan: “But, it doesn’t make it any less of a valid discussion.”
Perry: “It’s used to divide us rather than having us sit back and think it through”