University of Illinois math professor: Math is Racist Against Minorities

University of Illinois math professor: Math is Racist Against Minorities

I hate math. I especially hate math that includes letters. There is no excuse for that. None.

That being said, I don’t think it’s racist in any way. Like it’s arguably one of the least racist things on the planet. It’s numbers and facts. Just because it’s not fun, doesn’t make it evil. (High schoolers could probably form an effective argument, but it wouldn’t hold up.)

But of course, this is coming from a professor, so are we surprised?

University of Illinois math professor Rochelle Gutierrez warned that we should be aware of the “identity politics” surrounding mathematics.

“On many levels, mathematics operates as Whiteness,” she argues. “Who gets credit for doing and developing mathematics, who is capable in mathematics, and who is seen as part of the mathematical community is generally viewed as White.”

She also states that algebra, geometry and all things that relate with mathematics are steeped in white privilege and racism. She believes that “curricula emphasizing terms like Pythagorean Theorem and pi perpetuate a perception that mathematics as largely developed by Greeks and other Europeans.” And apparently anything that is developed by white people is automatically racism. Because logic?

“Are we really that smart just because we do mathematics?” Gutierrez asks. “If one is not viewed as mathematical, there will always be a sense of inferiority that can be summoned.”

She states that minorities “have experienced microaggressions from participating in math classrooms… [where people are] judged by whether they can reason abstractly.”

Well yeah, because that’s math. If you can’t reason abstractly, you aren’t going to do well in math. That’s not racist, that’s just how math works. It’s not biased against minorities or anyone, it just IS.

The fact that a math professor can argue that the subject that she teaches is racially biased (as a successful female professor who I’m going to assume is a minority based on her last name) is absolutely laughable.

So, now minorities are being told they’re not smart enough to do math by liberals? And they still have the gall to claim that conservatives and whites are the ones who are supposed to be racist? I’m not saying they’re full of crap, I’m saying that they are engaging in the “racism of low expectations,” which deems people of color to be so unintelligent that they need the standards lowered to make them seem successful. It’s unbelievable and insulting to those of us who believe people to be equal.

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