WTB: Tolerance

[CamB]

Does this topic belong on the "for sale"Board! Jeez, we're really doing our bit for international and interpersonal relationships around here right now.

I'm curious on people's viewpoint on whether the world would be a better place if everyone tried to be more tolerant, given that there will still be some evil crazies no matter how tolerant all the "good guys" are.

I think yes, but can imagine the other side of the argument (give someone an inch and they'll take a mile). I guess I take the stand that people are inherrently good rather than bad.

Remember when looking at my opinions that I live in a country with only 4 million people. Total.

[RallyJon]

Individuals are mostly very tolerant. It's when you get them into groups that things go bad in a hurry.

Just think if every person acting as part of an intolerant group stopped and considered whether they would be doing the same thing if they didn't have the support of a crowd or organization or government around them legitimizing their intolerance:

No more "peace" marches.
No more anti-abortion protests.
No more racial violence.
No more death squads.
No more ethnic cleansing.

I'm sure I could think of a hundred other examples from playground bullies to the U.S. congress.

[turbo6bar]

Originally posted by CamB
I guess I take the stand that people are inherrently good rather than bad.

Yeah, I believe people are inherently good, but if that was true, then everyone would enjoy Communism. I once believed it was truly a grand form of government, but then I found out about the real world and how dumb and naive I really am.

I think it is perfectly OK for Americans to show great patriotism, as long as it does not go to the point of making enemies with otherwise good people living in other countries. Life is too short to be mean and hateful. Of course, I have the grand pleasure of living in the US, instead of Vietnam or Germany, so I do tend to underestimate true evil.

Jurgen

[island911]

So Cam, your stance is; while people (in general) are inherrently good, they’re not good enough, thus the need that people be MORE tolerant ?! . .. or is tolerance NOT a part of being "good" ?

Well I for one, am extra special, because I'm for more good and less bad . ..

Sardonics aside;
I do agree with your view that people (in general) are inherrently good. Though have you considered that the problem maybe due to too much tolerance?

Have you never known a spoiled kid that would walk all over his/her parents? . . the parents continue to "be tolerant", and the kid continues to take.

Some people have been spoiled by "tolerance," and now need to be (and are being) spanked.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Yeah, but nowadays if you spank your kids your neighbors report you to the police.

[CamB]

Easy pickings first. Communism might work in my opinion if not only was everybody good, but altruistic as well. Otherwise there is no incentive. Without incentives etc, stuff just gets inefficient and wasteful. Then it all breaks down.

Yeah Island - ignoring the sardonic stuff, I know what you mean about "too much tolerance". I think I mean tolerance of opinion. Seriously, this is extremely tricky ground for me.

Why? Well, as a Christian I take a stance on something like abortion (which RallyJon mentioned). My beliefs actually make it impossible for me to be particularly tolerant about it. I'm never going to burn down a clinic, but if I had the opportunity to try and talk someone out of abortion, I would do my best. That isn't really being tolerant.

Ergo, I'm a hypocrite. Fabulous. I knew this was tricky ground.

The spoiled kid argument is similar. I had neither much freedom nor excessive oppression as a lad. I think it worked out fine and would want to do the same with my own children. They will be entititled to an opinion, but only up to a point!!! Hypocracy again, I think.

Phew. Enough deep thought for now.

[WOODPIE]

Compliments to CamB for starting a thread with less flame-bait.

Would the world be a better place if everyone tried to be more tolerant? (And, I'm assuming, had some success...) It could be, in some points of view, better. It would be a lot filthier, though.

I take the opposing view. People are inherently bad. The reason this world runs along as well as it (arguably) does is due to vast, and sometimes incomprehensible, amounts of intolerance.

Intolerance is what makes people behave. A parent won't tolerate a rude child. A society won't tolerate a lawbreaking citizen. A nation of liberty will not kneel in supplication to an aggressor.

Now, personally, I think I am a pretty tolerant person. But even my high tolerance rises up to incredible heights as long as I don't have to look at it, hear about it, read about it, feel it, smell it, or taste it in my food. Given that amount of distance, tolerance begets ignorance, and ignorance can be pretty evil.

Just my opinion...

Ed

Jeez, can I totally kill a thread, or what?