Peter M. Rojcewicz, PhD

Absence of multiple-perspectives-literacy leads to Othering. By assuming roles of socially disenfranchised or politically incompatible Others and co-engaging in projects across socio-cultural borders, we step back from our bias and privilege into much of what we previously devalued or dehumanized. In that moment, we question our life and worldview, pushing back limits of our stereotypical perceptions and expanding awareness of the human condition. Human beings possess fluid, malleable identities and possess simultaneous group memberships that can serve as starting points for understanding Others.

Scientists who study the genome find no biological basis for race. Sharon Bagley reports, “Geneticists find that when they add up the tiny genetic variations that make one person different from the next, there is greater difference within races than between races.” That fact makes it ostensibly prohibitive to disdain people, causes, or alliances as outliers on the assumption that they are not ‘our kind’. Our ethical responsibility for those with whom we are existentially connected is pre-requisite for social concord and requires we stand up against fascism and all forms of xenophobia despite intimidation from powerful actors.