In my work reporting on critical race theory, I don’t think I’ve effectively communicated how scary it is to understand what’s happening and what’s been happening in this country’s education system for decades—and that is an intentional deletion of Black history, really a significant portion of American history. So I wrote this work of fiction to communicate the kind of deception I feel is all too readily applied to matters of Black history and now critical race theory:

Karen doesn’t want her Libby learning about flying in school. Karen doesn’t understand how planes work, so she views them as extremely dangerous and scary. The thought that Libby could learn about flying at school and come home wanting to get on an airplane is enough to drive Karen to action. Now, she can’t flat-out say she’s against flying. Too many people view it as important, even necessary. So Karen decides she won’t tell her local school board she doesn’t want flying taught in schools. She’ll choose another phrase that’s less commonly understood, so she can assign it new meaning. Aeronautical engineering works.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines aeronautical engineering, an earlier name for what we now know as aerospace engineering, as a “field of engineering concerned with the design, development, construction, testing, and operation of vehicles operating in the Earth’s atmosphere or in outer space.” But Karen knows that most people, whether out of sheer laziness or disinterest, aren’t going to take it upon themselves to research the definition, and they’re definitely not going to read books written by early aeronautical engineers to understand the field. So it’s the perfect phrase for her to redefine for an audience already inclined to accept her definition as fact. (Karen’s popular in certain circles.)

Mind you, actual aeronautical engineering likely and unfortunately would not have even come up in school aside from a career-day here or there or an advanced placement course. But Karen has redefined aerospace engineering to mean anything even remotely related to flying. She says aerospace engineering is too complex to be taught in schools and may leave children with the wrong idea. She says we shouldn’t be teaching it. She even creates a list of words and deems them to be evidence that aerospace engineering is inconspicuously being taught at your schools. On that list is: Flying, flight, flight path, planes, aircraft, pilot, airport, baggage handler, flight attendant, friendly skies, Delta, Southwest, United, American, boarding pass, luggage, TSA, clouds, landing, deplaning, taxiing, and gate. Karen’s people eat it up. They believe every word she says and angrily demand aeronautical engineering be banned in schools. They write broad laws, and school boards pass emergency orders.

Those familiar with Karen’s usual tricks know not to believe her. They practically beg people to research aeronautical engineering themselves before blindly accepting her idea as fact. They write articles, post videos, send countless social media posts, all reporting the actual definition of aeronautical engineering and revealing Karen as someone who has misconstrued the definition to serve her own agenda. But then something unexpected happens. Karen’s critics realize not everyone following her is ignorant or lazy. Many have secretly despised flying for years. They latch on to Karen’s plan not because they’ve been fooled but because it’s a better strategy of asserting what they already believe, that flying is dangerous. 

Flying was never really thoroughly taught in schools anyway, but Karen and her supporters want it removed completely. What’s worse is that in some areas of the country, they may get their wish. 

Now, Karen and her plan are not real. This is complete fiction, but the problem I’m having is that when I step back and take a look at the conversations happening about critical race theory and Black history (the aeronautical engineering and flying in my story) Karen’s plan feels comfortably in the realm of possibilities. 

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