At the moment, the left — and Charlie Sykes, but I repeat myself — is engaged in what could be the world’s clearest example of motte-and-baileying. The motte-and-bailey, named for a medieval fortification design, is an argumentative tactic: The arguer takes one position, then retreats to a different, less extreme position when attacked, often denying his support for the extreme position in the first place.

The cascade of anti-CRT bills passed by Republican state legislatures is engendering just this response. Critical race theory is a boogeyman invented by Trump’s stooges, the Very Smart People tell us. No, libraries across the land never hosted Robin DiAngelo book clubs. Medical conglomerates never told us to read anything by Ibram X. Kendi. Critical Race Theory: An Introduction was never published. Kimberlé Crenshaw never edited a tome called Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement. No! What are you talking about? There is no such movement. You’re crazy. Why do you care so much about race, anyway? Are you a racist or something? You must be, since you’re refusing to grapple with America’s racist past. You want to ban teaching about slavery? What kind of monster are you!?