I feel a little bad writing this because I just came down on How to be an Antiracist author Ibram X. Kendi in my last (and first ever, on this blog) post, and especially so since I used him as a bit of a “what not to do” example. At the same time, though, Kendi’s important enough that he merits some above-average amount of attention -
Kendi seems to misunderstand (whether on purpose or not) what "simplistic" means. He takes McWhorter as stating that Kendi has distilled complex material into an approachable package. Quite the opposite. By labelling the work simplistic, McWhorter means that it lacks nuance or understanding. Simplistic does not mean simplified.
Kendi seems to misunderstand (whether on purpose or not) what "simplistic" means. He takes McWhorter as stating that Kendi has distilled complex material into an approachable package. Quite the opposite. By labelling the work simplistic, McWhorter means that it lacks nuance or understanding. Simplistic does not mean simplified.