Are people inherently tolerant or inherently intolerant?

[Bossy Monkey]

ie, of people of other colors, other nationalities, other cultures, etc. In the States, you'd be forgiven for thinking that people are inherently intolerant. I think, or at least hope that the opposite is the case. To reword, do you think that intolerant people were born that way or made that way by parents/ environment/ Fox News?

As ever, having ten slots to work with I'll try to give you a brazilian cop-out options, but really, I'd appreciate it if you would try to choose from between the first two.

Choice 7 refers to my own ethnic/ religious background (I mention in case anyone would otherwise find it confusing). Apologies to any other Swiss/ Irish/ Catholic Methodist Jews who may be around here.

For my part, growing up white in the Deep South during the civil rights era, I'm supposed to be some kind of megahater. We were the only kids I think in the whole region to go from private school to public during desegregation. (We weren't making any kind of statement; Dad just couldn't afford a kid at Duke, a kid at Yale and two in private school.) We found it to be a positive experience. I like black people (or to put it another way, if I have any prejudice regarding black people it is to tend to be favorably rather than unfavorably disposed toward them). I like the fact that my community has been enriched and broadened as more Latin people move into the area. I get a kick out of the music on the Spanish language station. I just don't understand how anybody can judge anyone based on color or language or pretty much anything except, as Dr. King said, the content of their character. Hence the question.

[Bossy Monkey]

1. Should have put on "inherently apathetic," I guess. :)

I thought it was rather an important question myself.

[liontamer]

2. people are inherently intolerant

part of growing up is supposed to be about learning to accept differences. Some of us figure this out in kindergarten, some never do.

[Xipe Totec]

3. Whatever...

I don't care...

:yoiks:

[uppityperson]

4. inherently tolerant

don't notice differences unless they are pointed out, rather accept differences as the norm unless pointed out. After all, most of us grew up in home with more than 1 other person in it, and besides even if it was a home with only 1 other person that other person was different than ourselves.

[OhioBlue]

5. I believe people are inherently tolerant.

A young child usually has no idea if another has a different religion - and will only judge based on what they are taught. As far as physical differences, i.e. race, disability, they might need to adjust if they have never seen someone of a different race, someone in a wheel chair, etc, but they will probably react with shyness over anger or hate. IMHO - intolerance is brought about by environment, we don't stereotype until we learn to stereotype.

[Bossy Monkey]

7. That's what I was thinking; little kids in playgrounds don't seem to care

what color or nationality the person they're playing with is. The fundamental problem is probably that this is where teaching of intolerance starts: when the racist parent sees the little kid playing with some member of a minority of whom the parent doesn't approve. In other words, the teaching starts from a very young age, and therefore puts down deep roots.

[raccoon]

18. I was going to vote "inherently intolerant" but I'm not sure. I'd

like to think people are inherently tolerant.

It seems appropriate to post these lyrics from a song in SOUTH PACIFIC.


You've Got To Be Carefully Taught
1949 Rodgers & Hammerstein

You've got to be taught to hate and fear,
You've got to be taught from year to year.
It's got to be drummed in your dear little ear.
You've got to be carefully taught!

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
Or people whose skin is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught!

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate.
You've got to be carefully taught!
You've got to be carefully taught!

[u4ic]

9. Agree

we depended upon each other for survival once upon a time.

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. People are inherently self-centered, ignorant, braindead masses of crap.

Some are, however, through force of will and superior intellect, and possibly the example of older properly evolved human beings, able to evolve themselves into a state of being tolerant.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

15. I guess I agree with that.

Our desicions are what lead us to knowledge. And it's a good thing people are self centered, because it's a survival instinct.

*Incoming Wall of Text about my thoughts on self-centerdness that you probably don't care about*

I've fought with people a lot over this, but I maintain everyone should be self-centered to a point. It's Maslows Heirarchy of Needs. You have to be centered completely around yourself by some means or another (that phrase 'by some means or another' is important, because what works for me may not for many people) until you reach self-actualization, where you have fufilled all of your needs, and can help others for their sake.

I often confuse people when I say that I am incredibly self centered, even though I often help others and I'm nearly infinantly tolerant of others (Unless they are REALLY REALLY annoying, in which case, I just ignore them). But what they don't understand is that _I_ enjoy helping others, and seeing them happy. I help others, because it helps me. By doing that, I am fufilling my own needs. And for me, thats how it should be. By being self centered, I am better to myself, and others.

Unfortunatly, this philosophy doesn't work for many people. It's just not how they operate, and I respect that. People need to reach self actualization there own ways. But on some level, people need to be self centered to survive. When people flame self centeredness, I'm often curious of how they think, because without looking out for ourselves, we would have died out a long time ago.

This is how I rationalize my actions. It's my goal in life to make things long and difficult :P

*Wall of text hits you for 8000. You die*

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. I agree with you - we do need to be self-centered

and much of that involves being self-aware, which is where most people lose it, I think.

We could not physically survive without being self-centered to some degree; and we would go insane if we weren't self-centered emotionally and spiritually as well.

Some people are afraid to admit that they help people because it benefits the helper in some way - but, for the most part, that's how it works. At the highly theoretical level, I give money and food to food banks because I believe everyone has an innate human right to eat and not starve to death. But on a personal level, doing so makes me feel good, the kind of feeling good that comes from helping others; it also makes me feel good (and gratify my somewhat smug ego) because I believe that we should share with one another, and this is a chance for me to fulfil my personal ethic; it also takes away some of my guilt for never having to worry about whether I will be able to eat; by feeding the hungry, it reduces the risk that they will steal from me or some others; it reduces the risk they might resort to violence on me or on another; and also because I figure if I model a helping behavior, then perhaps someday if I need help others will help me because they've seen a model of helping others; and so on.

Unfortuntely, some people would read some of those statements and think I'm an evil sonofabitch for even considering the "give them food so they won't steal" option or "ego-gratification" option and say that the ONLY valid option to feed the hungry is because they are human beings and deserve it. But a self-aware person realizes that these are all legitimate, honest, and human emotions and reasoning, none of which have any intrinsic ethical or moral value - they just are.

And it also means that one should be self-aware enough to say, "Gosh, normally I am a helper, but right now i am not in a good emotional/physical/spiritual/financial state to help you out (or attend your party, or visit you in the hospital, or whatever)." And to know that it's okay to say that.

And some people have a hard time dealing with someone saying "no" in that somewhat selfish, or at least self-aware, way. Which is too bad.

[everythingsxen]

8. I think deep down in our caveman/monkey brains...

we are intolerant. I think however it is much more specific than simple things like race and religion. It's more like you spot someone who has different DNA than you, thus they are a competitor for survival. I think the kernel of intolerance is in everyone, however environment/media/etc. can help water it and grow it into true racism etc.

[AlienGirl]

24. I think it depends on a hard-wired factor and an enculturation factor

Among mice, at least, there is a hard-wired novelty-seeking or novelty-avoiding trait that is heritable. Presumably this could be the same in humans; some humans may be inherently more ready to seek out new people, others may be inherently more inclined to avoid them. Infants either approach or avoid a novel thing in their environment, so it seems to be a basic personality characteristic.

That said, enculturating a novelty-avoiding child to be interested in people who are different from them wouldn't be all that hard. Repeated friendly interactions with many people who are different, in as many ways as possible, from the kid and his/her family would counteract any hard-wired novelty-avoidance.

Then there's that mysterious X factor that shows up every once in a while.

Tucker

P.S. Different DNA also means a good mate who will produce healthy kids, so it's not always about competing...

[mark414]

10. nobody's born a racist...

[gkdmaths]

11. Varies

People are either generally tolerant or intolerant. No big deal. I tend to be tolerant of most things, save stupidity when it is a choice due to laziness.

with respect to race, Ive been hammered by both the tolerant and intolerant. A friend once chastized me for not perking up and greeting an elderly african american gentleman passing us on the street - I replied to my friend that I would have done nothing differently for some rich white guy in the same position. Contrast that with a redneck neighbor out in the rural boonies of southwest Washington state who began to lob dead animals into my moms yard after one of our african american friends donated excavator labor in clearing a new arena for the horses (same guy who used unwanted lab puppies for close range target pracice).

When it comes down to it, I just dont see the difference. I grew up in rural washington, where its mostly pasty grey folks of poor european descent. We dont get a lot of racist except for the imports, we're just hard workers and dont let much else bother us.

Im also very tolerant of people's mental health and abilities, which I think is the new phobia. living with things such as OCD and Tourette's very close to me, you begin to see the odd behaviours of others in a different light; a more acceptable and understanding one.

:shrug:

but dont call me a softy because I'm not. ;)

[Bossy Monkey]

12. Some fearless person has to break the tie n/t

[SteppingRazor]

17. Done. One more for inherently intolerant n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. I think inherently intolerant.

We're animals, and animals nearly always have a sense of herd, pack, or tribe. Or worse, they're loners and intolerant of everything.

[Love Bug]

14. I vote for "inherently tolerant" ditto to those who said kids don't seem

to care about race or nationality until they are taught to "care." Reminds me of the song from South Pacific:

"You've Got To Be Carefully Taught"

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

[SteppingRazor]

16. I'd say we're almost definitely inherently intolerant...

and are taught tolerance. Look at it this way. Certainly, it is human nature to fear what we do not understand. Second, we are born without an understanding of any other race, culture, what-have-you. Therefore, we are born with a natural fear of other races, cultures, etc. It is only through education that we learn about other places and peoples, and cease to be fearful -- and therefore intolerant -- of them.

[jpgray]

19. I think both are natural reactions that are trained through enviornment

It's like being capable of both cruelty and empathy--obviously both are natural drives and we possess both, but some seem more predisposed to one than the other based on personal experience and other factors.

[BeFree]

20. Its nurtured..... learned behavior

Which means it can be unlearned.

Doesn't it seem that the "IN" crowd is intolerant?

[baldguy]

21. We are all inherently children.

intolerance is a juvenile trait. We either grow up, or we don't.

[Bossy Monkey]

23. Definition of 'inherent' for the person voting "What's 'inherently' mean?"

I assume the vote was ironical in intent, but you never can tell...
Existing as an essential constituent or characteristic; intrinsic.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/25/I0142500.html
Not a very good definition; 'inborn' probably captures it best.