Seite - 77 - in Reflective Cosmopolitanism - Educating towards inclusive communities through Philosophical Enquiry

HANADI (MANUAL) 77 If, by ‘tolerating’ the Other, we understand it as meaning ‘resigned’, ‘patient’, ‘benevo- lent’ or even ‘suffering’ the other’s actions or thoughts, then this tolerance does not imply respect. Such tolerance could be mistaken for indifference, which is a disrespectful way of treating the Other (since we do not recognize him as a valid interlocutor, or as an active member of the community). If, by contrast, we understand ‘tolerance’ as meaning we are openly interested in the Other’s thoughts and actions, then tolerance could be translated as active acceptance of the Other (where there is always respect and there is no place for indifference). While in the first case, tolerance towards the Other does not require contact or listening, in the second case both elements are vital in a voluntary relation with the Other. In referring to cosmopolitan and diverse environments, we often observe that people who are different are tolerated in the way we first defined “toleration” (i.e., difference from the other is tolerated). This means that their presence is tolerated from a distance, and this makes the other a permanent stranger. From this position, it is impossible to understand the Other’s different vision of the world, or to comprehend the Other’s convictions that mo- tivate the way she expresses herself and the way she acts. This type of tolerance is based on avoiding contact with the Other, while simply putting up with the Other’s presence. This conception of tolerance does not imply any effort in trying to understand difference, and may be profoundly disrespectful if silent rejection and non-recognition of differences are disguised as acceptance and tolerance. In contrast to this, we have the second concep- tion, which requires concern for, interest in, and recognition of the other. While the first de- finition is exclusionary through ignorance, the second is inclusive, thanks to recognition. You will find further resources on the concept of “tolerance” in the manual to In and out the park, episode 5, “Tolerant? Who?”, leading idea 1. Exercise: Tolerance and respect In which of the following situations does the use of the term “tolerance” imply the existence of respect and in which does it not. 1. Maria tolerates high temperatures: she never feels hot. 2. José and Juan have different points of view but they are capable of discussing things calmly and listening to one another. 3. My friend Carlos cannot tolerate the fact that I hand-write my school reports, although our teacher does not mind whether we type or hand-write them. 4. Rosario can hardly tolerate Zulma and never speaks to her. 5. The classmate I share a desk with needs complete silence when working, whi- le I tend to quietly hum tunes when I concentrate without noticing that I’m doing it. This annoys my friend, so we have talked. I make an effort not to hum and he tolerates me humming from time to time. 6. My father does not tolerate the messiness of my room. 7. Charo cannot tolerate the smell of boiled spinach when her mother is cooking. 8. We all know Juana does not tolerate anybody sitting at her chair during breaks in class. Today, she pushed Rocio to the floor because she sat at her chair knowing how much it annoys Juana. 9. The teacher does not tolerate anybody being late to class. 10. Paco has no choice but to tolerate his neighbors playing very loud music when he wants to listen to the news on TV. However, whenever he sees his neighbors, he thinks that if he ignores them, they will understand that he is annoyed.