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Ask Soylent - How to Treat Intolerance in a Tolerant Society?

posted by n1 on Sunday April 13 2014, @06:12PM   Printer-friendly
from the anyone-who-disagrees-will-be-shot dept.

Fluffeh writes:

It has been a little while now that this fledgling community has been around and it remains one of my favorite stories about communities. A splinter of a much larger community took it upon themselves to challenge the rest and make a move to a new home. Shedding the shackles that were being placed on them was a bold move, but one that has been fantastic.

The community here is great, but here is my question. Overall, we are amazingly tolerant of others, of the choices they make, and of their beliefs. I would then be curious, if we are such a tolerant group, how do we address intolerance in our ranks? I recently came across what I can only say filled me with pity and sadness. I find it saddening that in this day and age, and especially in this group, there are still such hate-filled people.

But this poses a question: how does a group that is tolerant deal with intolerance within it's ranks? Does our acceptance of others extend to accepting someone that has thoughts and beliefs which are far from the norm within this community, or is there a limit placed on how far from our own values a member of the community may be?

 
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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by EQ on Sunday April 13 2014, @08:19PM

    by EQ (1716) on Sunday April 13 2014, @08:19PM (#30912)

    " Tolerating intolerance is not tolerance." Yes it is. It means allowing him to speak, regardless of how offensive you find it. That's tolerance. Note that it does not mean adopting his views, accepting them as valid, or letting them go unopposed, verbally. But to silence them? That's the very height of intolerance. Let him spew. And feel free to either ignore him, mod him down, or actually engage him and demonstrate to him just how wrong he is. Free market of ideas, etc.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 13 2014, @08:27PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 13 2014, @08:27PM (#30919)
    Basically the end result of what you're saying is a net-gain of intolerance.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by EQ on Sunday April 13 2014, @10:34PM

      by EQ (1716) on Sunday April 13 2014, @10:34PM (#31019)

      versus a net loss of free speech. Which do you value more, freedom or conformity?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14 2014, @10:47AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14 2014, @10:47AM (#31234)

        Touche!

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14 2014, @06:20PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 14 2014, @06:20PM (#31449)
        Free speech already has limitations, nothing new here.