Must we be tolerant of those who are not tolerant of us? Why or why not?
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east brunswick high school > 380 cranbury road > east brunswick, nj 08816
6 comments:
I don't think we HAVE to, but we should. We live in America, where everyone has the right to do whatever they want, as long as no one gets hurt. Anyone has the right to feel a certain way or say anything about a particular race, gender, religon, etc., even if it is derogatory.
Philosopher John Rawls concluded "that a just society must be tolerant; therefore, the intolerant must be tolerated, for otherwise, the society would then be intolerant, and so unjust." I agree with this statement, because everyone must fit into the difintion of tolerance. As long as the intolerant do not cause harm to anyone, they should be allowed to believe whatever they please, otherwise we would also be intolerant.
As hard as it is, we do have to be tolerant of those who do not tolerate us; if not, we’d be waging war with people every day. Reciprocating the meanness and cruelty of others is no better than the “an eye for an eye” rule. Either way, we end up with lots of blind/hurt/angry people.
For example, Jesus was simply trying to spread a message of peace and love, and as a result was sentenced to a criminal’s death, during which people spat and yelled obscenities at Him. At no point did Jesus ever say ill words to any of his antagonists, much less spit back on them. Doing so would have made himself no better than the crowd. Many of his followers probably would not have had half the respect for Him had he lashed out in anger. Also, Jesus was not so much tolerant (tolerant meaning to put up with others, not necessarily like them) of others as he was compassionate, even to people who wanted him dead. I am not saying that you must be compassionate with your enemies (it’s hard enough to not daydream about the misfortunes you hope they encounter…you know you’ve done it at least once in your life) but being combative with them gets you nowhere.
We don't have to be tolerant of anyone strictly speaking, but it is the better thing to do. People are allowed to feel the want to feel, believe in what they want to believe in and live the life they choose. If the ideals of one person don’t agree with another, they should still remain open minded about a different point of view. Strangers don't know who you are, where you came from, or what you believe in for the most part. How can you expect them to understand? The same thing goes for others. You don't know the who, where, or what of their lives so how can you automatically judge them based on a single encounter? It’s not worth the effort of fighting or arguing about an idea or belief that one disagrees with, especially if the opinions won’t change. Sometimes its better to live with the bite marks on your tongue.
"There comes a time when you have to stand up and shout:
This is me! I look the way I look, think the way I think, feel the way I feel, love the way I love! I am a whole complex package. Take me... or leave me. Accept me - or walk away! Do not try to make me feel like less of a person just because I don't fit your idea of who I should be and don't try to change me to fit your mold. If I need to change, I alone will make that decision." - Stacey Charter
It's not a "black and white" topic. In the case of other contries looking at us, I would say we should be tolerant. When a poor family who can barely put food on their table living in some third world nation looks at America and sees how big, powerful and rich we are, they spite us. In the case of a majortiy persecuting a minortiy, I would say it all comes down to who has the bigger guns. The minority should fight back though.
Andrew E.
Maximus
first off i would like to say that i think that this topic is one of those things that apply to everything.
i say we have to be tolerant of those who are not tolerant of us because if we didn't, there would be a WHOLE lot of fights. if we aren't tolerant of those people, it would be like adding gasoline to an inferno. even though it is hard, people should try and be tolerant and work together instead of fighting and bickering
i think that if people didnt tolerate other people, the world will still be in a world war
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