Tell Me Sweet Little Lies: Racism as a Form of Persistent Malinformation. PIL Provocation Series. Volume 1, Number 4

Racist/racialized malinformation is the phenomenon of how we are conditioned, socialized, and repeatedly bombarded with racist and negative images and stereotypes. These stereotypes are repeated and normalized until they become malinformation. Persistent malinformation comes through media, textbooks, religion, celebrated holidays, pop culture, and so many other venues. Malinformation comes through subtly and imperceptibly and is so ingrained it has become difficult to recognize and defeat. Can mis/dis and racist malinformation be eliminated? Perhaps not, but they can certainly be managed through even more persistent education, specifically, what the author has come to call "critical cultural literacy" (CCL) education. In this article, the author discusses what CCL is and how can it address this current social and educational quandary.