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Injustice, Racism and COVID-19

Injustice, Racism and COVID-19

Last updated on: May 15, 2020 at 12:57 pm by Henry Karlson

Injustice, Racism and COVID-19 2020-05-15T12:57:29-05:00 Henry Karlson

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Jess Hawsor: NYC, anti-xenophobia poster amid coronavirus pandemic, Canal St, 6 Line / Wikimedia Commons

Pope St. Paul VI, in Octogesima Adveniens, spoke against racial injustice:

Among the victims of situations of injustice – unfortunately no new phenomenon – must be placed those who are discriminated against, in law or in fact, on account of their race, origin, color, culture, sex or religion. [1]

When bigotry leads to discrimination and abuse of various people, whether by law or by the way society treats them, it must be denounced. The dignity of the human person is undermined when such injustice is allowed to continue and those who benefit from it prosper.

We must recognize that bigotry can find itself in systematic forms, such as in the structures of society which promote and enforce racism. While those with power and privilege gain from such abuse, systematic racism undermines justice, and with it, the bond which we share with each other because of our common human nature:

Racial discrimination possesses at the moment a character of very great relevance by reason of the tension which it stirs up both within countries and on the international level. Men rightly consider unjustifiable and reject as inadmissible the tendency to maintain or introduce legislation or behavior systematically inspired by racialist prejudice. The members of mankind share the same basic rights and duties, as well as the same supernatural destiny. Within a country which belongs to each one, all should be equal before the law, find equal admittance to economic, cultural, civic and social life and benefit from a fair sharing of the nation’s riches.[2]

Everyone should have a fair share of the resources of the world; this is exactly what Catholic teaching indicates with its talk of the universal destination of goods. This is true, of course, not only of money, but also of all the needs of the human person, including and especially, healthcare. If particular communities suffer more from the lack of healthcare resources and protections which help keep people healthy, the system which allows for that injustice must be changed. At its root is a sin which ignores the plight of those in need. If we find that those who have the healthcare resources they need, and feel secure because of it, pressure those who do not have them to act in a way as if their lives do not matter, then we see a breakdown of justice in society which indicates the need to change the structures of society which allow for such an abuse. And when it is clear that this breakdown can be seen along racial lines, then it is clear, racism is involved with this injustice.

Gaudium et spes is very clear: we have a duty to deal with the fundamental injustices which are perpetuated in society, especially when such injustice is founded upon ignorance and malice:

It is now possible to free most of humanity from the misery of ignorance. Therefore the duty most consonant with our times, especially for Christians, is that of working diligently for fundamental decisions to be taken in economic and political affairs, both on the national and international level which will everywhere recognize and satisfy the right of all to a human and social culture in conformity with the dignity of the human person without any discrimination of race, sex, nation, religion or social condition. Therefore it is necessary to provide all with a sufficient quantity of cultural benefits, especially of those which constitute the so-called fundamental culture lest very many be prevented from cooperating in the promotion of the common good in a truly human manner because of illiteracy and a lack of responsible activity.[3]

Society, with all its rules and laws, exists for the common good, which means that the rules and laws put into place must likewise serve the common good. When particular rights are rejected, when human dignity is ignored for some, society itself suffers. Even if it means some must sacrifice various privileges, various comforts which we have been accustomed to enjoy, society must do what it can to change the system to make sure everyone receives the basic benefits which any given society should give to all its members.

All of this this relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. We see before us many people who feel they are not at risk from the virus (despite the fact they are). These people have demonstrated to us that they do not care about others. They ignore social distancing, wearing of masks, and other necessary changes in behavior because they do not want to give up their own personal luxuries.[4] As long as they think only others will suffer the consequences of their actions, they do not want to be told what to do (though they have a history of telling others what they can and should do, and indeed, with the way many of them are arming themselves and going into protests which shut down governments, they are already trying to dictate to others what they think others should do).

We must accept that, for the time being, we might have to give up some of our luxuries if we want to survive as a nation. For, the point is not just about saving our own lives, but that of others, of those who are the most vulnerable. We must take care of each other and work for the common good. We must not sacrifice our morality.

When looking to those who are most affected by COVID-19, either by the disease itself, or in the way society deals with and treats the disease, we find several minority groups are those who are most adversely affected by the pandemic. Instead of ignoring them, thinking they are “someone else,” those who are not a part of those groups must remember that people within those groups are their neighbors. If they claim to be Christian, they should listen to Christ who told them to care for their neighbors as themselves. But even if they are not Christian, it is a generally accepted principle that we should all treat others as we would like to be treated. This is how we keep society just. We must look out for each other, otherwise, we will all suffer the consequences when the rule of law and justice is overturned.

Beyond the elderly and those with various pre-existing conditions, such a diabetes and asthma, we find several groups experiencing the blunt of the effects of the virus, including:

We have become more aware of the racism and xenophobia found in our society as a result of the pandemic. Sadly, because we do not see a proper response to such bigotry and the injustice it causes being offered by those in charge (indeed, we see many leaders promoting it), we see a rise of a violent white nationalism which uses an ignorance of the risks associated with the pandemic as the grounds it can use to promote its agenda. White nationalism has historically used various conspiracy theories to promote its agenda, and so, it is not surprising, we see the same type of conspiracy theories employed by those who want to reject those policies needed to deal with the pandemic. Thus, white supremacists are actively involved with the various protests against the lockdowns in the nation, and they are using the fears of those who do not appreciate and understand the ramifications of COVID-19 to promote the ideologies which keep systematic structures of abuse in effect. For who will be those who will have to risk their lives, if they are forced to go to work, but those who are already suffering the most from the virus, and already have little to no resources given to them to deal with it? We can see this already happening when we look to the way Native Americans, who find themselves more at risk from the virus , are being told they cannot protect themselves and their reservations from those who would bring the virus into their land.

Racism is revealing itself in the way COVID-19 is being treated, but also in the way people refuse to accept the reality of the threat itself. So many see it as an issue for “others,” not for themselves. If they are not a member of one of the groups which are most affected by the pandemic, at this time, they feel they do not have to worry about it and even dictate to those who suffer from it how they should just sacrifice themselves because of how little value they hold to the dignity of human life of such “minorities.” The Christian response must be one which rejects such racism. It must be one which recognizes the need to care for our neighbor, to look after the vulnerable, and not put any extra burden on those who have already received the blunt of social burdens. The underling systematic racism found in the United States, far from being repudiated in the past, has shown itself to be as destructive as it is thriving today. Christians must not, cannot accept this. They must recognize everyone deserves protection. Everyone should be helped. Everyone should be cared for. We must not ignore the needs of others just because it requires more from us than we are used to giving. Social justice demands we reform the system, and that means those who have in excess must be willing to give up that excess to those who are in need

[1] Pope St. Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens. Vatican translation. ¶16.

[2] Pope St. Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens, ¶16.

[3] Gaudium et spes. Vatican translation. ¶60.

[4] It is amusing to see those who demand others “go to work,” are the ones who do not want to do the real work which needs to be done. That is, one of the many aspects involved with an irresponsible response to the pandemic is sloth, with people trying to find all kinds of excuses to excuse themselves from their own responsibilities.

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