Tolerance towards Intolerance
I started traveling around the world partly because I did not really like Japanese homogenous and intolerant society at that time. I thought that people were intolerant towards different people and values.
(*1: I am not criticizing japanese society at all. It is true that I did not like it before but now, I appreciate. Everything has both negative and positive aspects. Now, I like Japan and Japanese people.)
(*2: I am not saying that japanese society is completely homogenous. There are different ethnic groups and it goes without saying that we have to respect them. What Im saying is that it is RELATIVELY homogenous.)
As I traveled around, I have visited several diverse and tolerant cities and places in the world. I was impressed by how people there were tolerant and deeply agreed with their thought.
But as I hang out with them, I realized one tendency among them; tolerant people tend to be intolerant of intolerance.
?????????????????
What the hell does that mean?
It seems like there are certain characteristics that "tolerant" people share.
They tend to be less-religious, they tend to be for gay marriage, they tend to be against death penalty, etc etc.
(well, I am definitely one of them........)
And, they tend to stay with those who can share those values with them and exclude those who have different views.
Hnnnn? Wait, what was the original meaning of "Tolerance?"
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, "Tolerance" means
: willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own
: the ability to accept, experience, or survive something harmful or unpleasant
(Retrieved from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tolerance)
Are those people who I described above really tolerant in light of this definition?
Should tolerant people be tolerant towards intolerant people too?
