Critical Thinking: Does The West’s Obsession With Tolerance Show How Out Of Balance It Has Become?

In today’s world, a day rarely goes by when someone in the public eye won’t talk about how important it is to be tolerant. This is often seen as the ultimate value to have; it is as though it is the answer to most, if not all, problems.

Therefore, the more that people are willing to allow the views and behaviours that they don’t agree with to exist, the better the world will be for everyone. And, as some many countries in the western world are being flooded with people from different cultures, it is clear to see how necessary it is for people to be tolerant.

Two Options

When the people who live in these countries are able to tolerate the differences that these people bring to their country, it will allow the country to function much better than if they were to simply resist these differences. By doing this, diversity really will be their strength; as opposed to an empty phrase that is repeated endlessly by the people in power.

Nonetheless, when this doesn’t happen and there are people are not willing to go along with this, it is going to create problems. Now, this could lead to violence, but it won’t always be this black and white.

A Number of Issues

There can be people who will end up physically harming people who are different and/or they might verbally abuse them. In addition to this, there are likely to be others who would just keep their distance and not reach out.

When something likes this occurs, it is going to divide a country. So, instead of having a country where most people have similar values and live by the same laws, there will be different groups within a country, and each group will have their own values and laws.

The Real World

To say that this might happen would be a mistake, though, as this is exactly what is happening in the western world. The answer that is put forward when it comes to these problems is, of course, for people to be more tolerant.  

However, it is not uncommon for the mainstream media to overlook the challenges that multiculturalism has brought. If someone speaks up about what they are not willing to tolerate, along with what they have experienced, they can end up being silenced.

The Death of Free Speech

This can be something that will take place by people calling them a myriad of different things. They could end up being called a racist or an islamophobe, and/or they might say they suffer from xenophobia.

It is then going to be irrelevant as to why these people have the views that they do or what they have been through, as they will try to shame them into silence and have no interest in putting themselves in their shoes. Clearly, this is not how people should behave in a civilised society.

Childlike Behaviour

If this related to a small group of children, and these children were calling another child names, it would be easier to accept. This is not because this behaviour is acceptable; it is because these children are unlikely to know any better.

Yet, when it comes to an adult, they should be in a position where they have grown out of this and are able to have a mature discussion with someone regardless of what their views are. It is as though these kinds of people believe that this is the right way to behave, and one then has to wonder what this says about the education system.

Paying to be Indoctrinated

If, after spending years in the education system, so many people are coming out without the ability to think critically and to argue rationally, it doesn’t take a genius to see that something is not right. Then again, if this is what the people at the top want, everything will be exactly as it needs to be.

After all, it is going to be a lot harder to control someone if they have the ability to do both of these things. This doesn’t mean that they won’t be affected by propaganda, but it will be a lot easier for them to spot it.

Is It Always Good To Be Tolerant?

So, when someone has the ability to think critically, they will see that being tolerant can do more harm than good. For one thing, it has been said that tolerance is a precursor to abuse, and it is not difficult to see why this is.

Whether it relates to a personal relationship or a country that allows people from other cultures to behave how they did back home, the outcome can be the same – being taken advantage of and not doing anything about it. Whereas if an individual or a country were clear about what they will and won’t put up with, they wouldn’t have to end up in this position.

A Weakness

Taking this into account, while being tolerant can be a sign that someone or a country is open minded and is willing to allow opinions and behaviours that they don’t agree with to exist, it can also show that they lack backbone. When it comes to the latter, it won’t be a sign of virtue; it will be a clear sign that they need to wake up and to stand their ground.

This is then similar to how someone can see themselves as a good person, due to the fact that they always say yes and focus on other people’s needs. In reality, this is likely to show that they don’t feel safe enough to say no and that they don’t value themselves enough to take care of their own needs.

Conclusion

With this in mind, could it be that so many people in the western world don’t value the countries that they live in, which is why they are happy for their culture to be gradually destroyed? The mainstream media and the education system are often happy to blame western civilisation, for everything, and to make out that ‘all cultures are equal’, amongst other things.

Could this conditioning have something to do with the reason why so many people in the west are happy to throw away the freedoms that their ancestors worked so hard for? Tolerance could be seen as a feminine value and, to balance this value out, the masculine value of intolerance will need to be utilised from time to time.
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This is no different to how there is a time to say yes and there is also be a time when it is necessary to say no, both of these words are important. Both the masculine and feminine energies are important; the trouble with the west is that is has moved too far to one side of the spectrum.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk