Breaking Down the Hypocrisy of the American Dream in Dallas-Center Grimes
If a parent is comfortable with their child reading Of Mice and Men—which explicitly portrays the American Dream as an illusion due to systemic barriers that keep poor white men trapped in cycles of hardship—yet objects to This Is My America, which examines how systemic racism creates additional barriers for Black Americans, the question becomes: Why is one acceptable, but the other is not?
Breaking Down the Hypocrisy
“Divisive Concepts” Is a Manufactured Talking Point
The term “divisive concepts” comes from conservative legislation and activism aimed at banning discussions of race, privilege, and historical injustice—particularly when it comes to racism in America.
In practice, it’s less about division and more about silencing discussions that challenge a patriotic, traditionalist worldview.
If they were truly worried about division, books about systemic sexism or economic inequality would be just as targeted—but those issues don’t threaten their narrative as much.
Both Books Challenge the American Dream—But Only One Is Targeted
📖 Of Mice and Men shows how economic hardship and social structures prevent poor white men from achieving independence.
📖 This Is My America explores how racism and the criminal justice system create similar (and often worse) barriers for Black Americans.
If teaching about systemic inequality is the problem, then both books should be equally controversial. But they’re not.
They See Race as More Politically Dangerous Than Class or Gender
Racism challenges who belongs in America. Many book-banning groups push a “colorblind” ideology, arguing that teaching about racism is itself racist because it makes white children feel guilty or ashamed.
Books about sexism or class struggle don’t evoke the same us vs. them fear. Even conservatives who oppose feminism still acknowledge gender inequality in some ways, and economic hardship affects people across political lines.
Is It Only Okay When the Victims Are White?
When Of Mice and Men presents the American Dream as unattainable for poor white men, many parents seem fine with it. It’s viewed as a classic—a tragic but important story.
But when This Is My America presents the American Dream as unattainable for Black Americans due to racism, suddenly it’s “divisive” and “teaching kids to hate white people.”
This selective outrage suggests these parents don’t actually have an issue with discussions of systemic barriers—they just don’t want their children learning about the ones that affect Black people.
Why Is Systemic Oppression Acceptable When It’s About Class—But Not Race?
If a parent believes their child can read Of Mice and Men without feeling personally attacked because it critiques economic systems, then why wouldn’t the same logic apply to This Is My America?
And if they claim that discussing systemic racism is “divisive,” why doesn’t that same concern apply to books that show how the wealthy rig the system against the middle class and poor—or even books that explore systemic sexism and the ways women have historically been denied the same opportunities as men?
Because it was never about avoiding division—it was about avoiding racial reckoning.
The Real Fear: Their Child Might Recognize Racism—Maybe Even at Home
For some parents, the fear isn’t that their child will be exposed to oppression—it’s that they’ll start recognizing it in real life.
🔹 They might question why their school district has so little diversity.
🔹 They might start to notice disparities in policing, education, and opportunities.
🔹 They might even recognize racist beliefs within their own household.
And the easiest way to prevent that uncomfortable reckoning? Ban the book.
This isn’t about “protecting children”—it’s about protecting racist ideologies from scrutiny.
Outrage Drives the Agenda—Race Sells More Outrage
Right-wing media and parent groups have spent years hyping up racial issues in schools, tying them to fears of CRT (Critical Race Theory), DEI, and affirmative action.
The same groups are far less invested in sexism or classism as existential threats, so they don’t push those issues as aggressively.
Books about racism visibly challenge the idea of America as a fair and just nation, which is why they provoke a stronger reaction.
Selective Outrage Is Racial Bias in Action
Some argue that calling someone a “racist” is merely a tactic to deflect from the substance of a debate—an attempt to shut down discussion rather than engage with the actual argument. While this might be true in certain cases, it does not apply here, where the hypocrisy in book banning clearly exposes racial bias.
There’s a fundamental difference between calling someone a racist to avoid debate and pointing out that their selective outrage is driven by racism.
Let’s be clear:
✅ If banning This Is My America was truly about concerns over profanity, systemic oppression, or difficult themes, then Of Mice and Men—which includes racial slurs, violence, and the brutal reality of systemic barriers—would be just as controversial. But it’s not.
✅ If it were truly about avoiding “divisive concepts,” then books about systemic sexism or classism would also be under fire. But they’re not.
That’s the hypocrisy.
The Bottom Line: Yes, It’s Racism.
This selective outrage isn’t about “protecting children.” It’s about controlling the narrative and making sure their children don’t learn truths that could make them question the beliefs they’ve been raised with.
When a parent says they’re fine with a book about white people struggling under systemic barriers but not a book about Black people facing racism, what they’re really saying is:
💬 “I don’t mind stories of hardship—so long as they don’t force my child to acknowledge racism.”
That is textbook racism—and their fear of This Is My America proves just how necessary books like it are.