Racial Discrimination: An Anti-Mitsein, Anti-Face and Anti-Community Social Philosophy By: Kristoffer Lorenz L.

Basbao

One of the social issues that was tackled in the movie Karol: A Man who became Pope was the issue on Racism. Racism is a belief that ones own race is superior or inferior to others. It can be Racism in Color (blacks and whites), Culture (way of life, thinking, speaking, doing), Physical Make-up (face, structure), Religion (Islam, Catholics, Jew, etc.), and Knowledge. In the movie Karol, Germans have Racial Discrimination to the Polish race and to the Jews. Many died during those times. Fr. Tomasz said Jewish children are not children. German Children are clean, Jewish children are dirty. German children have teeth, Jewish children dont have any teeth. German children sleep in mattresses, Jewish children next to tables laid out with the dead. German children play, Jewish children in the ghettos dont know how to play. They really are degenerate children. Their only entertainment is to go watch their parents, brothers and sisters being shot. Their only fun is watching their mothers being murdered. With what Fr. Tomasz said, we can imagine how the Polish races and Jews suffered and died due to the racial discrimination by the Germans. Racism is really evil. It is an intense anger, opposition and discrimination to other races. It does not only remain with these. It is selfishness and pride on the part of the racist which later leads to death (of other races or own race). History would tell us that millions and millions of people died due to racial discrimination (even until now). In this paper of mine, I would like to relate Heideggers Mitsein, Levinas Face, and Schelers Person and Community in relation to the issue on Racism. The first philosopher and philosophy which I can relate to the issue on racism is Heideggers Mitsein. Mitsein means being-

with. To be with needs an Other. In being with the Other, relationship starts. We cannot achieve Mitsein without the Other. As relational beings, it is our nature to be in relation with others. Without others, surely we will die lonely. But how is it possible for racists to achieve Mitsein? They can achieve being-with but only to their race. Because racists would discriminate and oppose other races, they dont want to be-with them. They would rather choose death than to live with them (other races). That is why I can say that racism is an Anti-Mitsein, Anti-Being-With and Anti-Relationship. It does not promote relationship with other races. It promotes war, hatred, anger and death. It moves against our nature as relational beings. It is more of division, separation and isolation of other races. The second philosopher and philosophy which I can relate to the issue on racism is Levinas Face. Face is a structure of relationship which happens at the time of contact (the facing). It is the totality of our Being and the Being of the Other. All of us have a face. This face would beg to others as if saying to them be for me! The answer would only be between for him/her which affirms our being relational and makes us more social, and not for him/her which mean denying our very nature as relational beings. Because face is a structure of relationship, and every relationship comes responsibility, there enters what we call Infinite Responsibility of the Other. All of us have Infinite Responsibility of the Other. Nobody is exempted. Because our very nature is to be-with and to be in relation to others, we are infinitely responsible of whatever will happen to them. But where is Infinite Responsibility of the Other in the part of racists if on the first place they cannot accept other races face, that they are not for them? For racists, one of the reasons why they discriminate other races is because of their different face (other races). Because of having a different face on the part of other races, they deny their responsibility to them. That is why instead of being responsible to them and be for them, they would even make them more and more suffer and kill them which means they are not responsible and have no-care to other Beings. With these, I can say that racists are Anti-Face and AntiRelationship.

The last philosopher and philosophy which I can relate to racism is Schelers Personhood and Community. Person is a relational term for ego and monad. It is monad with windows. This monad with windows leads to relationship and relationship leads to sociality. This sociality means being communal. Once we reach this level, we can be called a person a man of communion. If many persons would commune, we can already call it a Community. Person is the thickest constitution. It is revealed through the acts. But the question is where is Personhood and Community in racism? Can they (Personhood and Community) be achieved? For racists, they would only achieve personhood on their own race. They are not persons in dealing with other races. Community is also possible for them but they achieve this in their own race. Their personhood and community are limited to their own race. It is like a Community that is choosy. Their community is only limited for their own race. With these, I can say they become monads and egos not capable of eduction with other races. Their community is small. Their community is an Anti-Community to other races. Differences on color, culture, physical make-up, religion and knowledge are the reasons of racism. Being-not-for-other-face (Anti-Face) means Being-not-with-them (Anti-Mitsein). AntiFace and Anti-Mitsein means denying our Infinite Responsibility to others. If this is so, Racism is Anti-Relationship to other races. With this, we cannot achieve communion with other races. That is why, for me, being a racist is really crazy. It is really going out of our very nature as persons. I dont understand why racists would condemn other races due to differences of features especially on face, way of life and beliefs. On the first place, before we were born, we cannot choose our skin color, culture, physical make-up, and religion. They are out of our control. We can only change these when we grow up (if we choose to). Usually, if we were born the way we are (features, way of life, culture, religion), we dont change them when we grow up because it is our identity. I am born a Filipino (with flat nose and Im not ashamed of it) and a Catholic and I will die as a Filipino and a Catholic. And so, the only

key to stop racism is through tolerance and respect to other races. We are born the way we are and others are also born the way they are. Because the born the way we are and the born the way they are are not on our control, we have to tolerate these differences in us and respect them. Because our being in what race is out of our control, we have no reasons to condemn, destroy and discriminate other races. As conclusion, racism is Anti-Mitsein, Anti-Face and Anti-Community. It goes against our very nature as relational beings. Through racial discrimination, there will always be division, outcasting of other races, intense anger and oppositions to other races. It will only cause harm and even death. In order for us to stop racism, we can achieve it through tolerance and respect. In life, there are things and situations wherein we cannot control. To be born on a certain race is never in our control. It is the choice of the One who is controlling us when we were still not capable of choosing (Godchoosing our face, parents, Parents- choosing our religion). We cannot blame other persons in other races for being in that race because they were born that way. Because they were born the way they are, we must not blame and discriminate them. We must tolerate the differences on races because we did not choose what our race would be. We must also give respect to other races because they need it as human beings like us. If we apply tolerance and respect in the differences of races, we will also learn to love, care and accept other races. If we can already accept them and be for them, it means that we are really responsible to them. In our being infinitely responsible to them, we achieve a Thicker Personhood and a Bigger Community.