In San Francisco, A Call to Justice
For three decades, Father John Jimenez has served as a teacher and priest in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, California. In a letter to the San Francisco Chronicle in November 2018, Father John Jimenez commented on social problems faced by the city.
Father Jimenez based his opinion on the theories of the late philosopher René Girard of Stanford University. Girard maintained that society regards persons not like ourselves as “others” who are dehumanized and scapegoated. Persons who have not achieved their desires hold these “others” responsible. According to the theory, this blame-shifting motivates society to mistreat those who live on its edges, such as people who are elderly or impoverished. Gentrification forces persons who are marginalized to live elsewhere and thus erodes their sense of community.
In addition, social media and a “survival of the fittest” economic policy dehumanize longtime city residents. What many people regard as free expression and the working of free markets is actually freedom without social conscience. To alleviate this problem, Father Jimenez believes, community-based organization such as non-profit agencies, local newspapers, and schools should support corrective measures. Local initiatives such as rent control and affordable housing can improve living conditions for these “others.”
Father Jimenez based his opinion on the theories of the late philosopher René Girard of Stanford University. Girard maintained that society regards persons not like ourselves as “others” who are dehumanized and scapegoated. Persons who have not achieved their desires hold these “others” responsible. According to the theory, this blame-shifting motivates society to mistreat those who live on its edges, such as people who are elderly or impoverished. Gentrification forces persons who are marginalized to live elsewhere and thus erodes their sense of community.
In addition, social media and a “survival of the fittest” economic policy dehumanize longtime city residents. What many people regard as free expression and the working of free markets is actually freedom without social conscience. To alleviate this problem, Father Jimenez believes, community-based organization such as non-profit agencies, local newspapers, and schools should support corrective measures. Local initiatives such as rent control and affordable housing can improve living conditions for these “others.”
