Critical Thinking: Why Do Some People Who Always Talk About Tolerance Act Intolerant?

If one uses social media, they may have come across people who talk about how important it is to be tolerant. This could be something that has taken place through reading what people write and through looking at the images they have shared.

And, if one spends a lot of time online, this have may have been something they have comes across on numerous occasions. But even if they don’t use social media, it doesn’t mean that they will have missed out on this.

Another Way

This is something that they may have come across through reading the paper and/or watching the news. This is not to say that this source has told them that they need to be tolerant, as it could be something that typically takes place indirectly.

For example, one may have read an article where someone spoke about how people need to be more tolerant of a certain group of people. If one was to think back to what they have read, they may find that it doesn’t always relate to the same group.

On Campus

In addition to this, this may have been something that one has been exposed to if they go to university/college. This could show that they are studying something that talks about the importance of being tolerant.

If this is not the case, it might be something they have heard about through being part of a society.  At the same time, this might not have taken place either, and one may have heard about it from other students.
One Way

One could then come to believe that they need to tolerate everything, and that to go against this would be the wrong thing to do. Through behaving in this way, one will be accepting other people’s views and behaviours.

Now, this doesn’t mean that they have to accept what people come out with or how they behave. As one could find that they don’t always accept what someone says or how they behave; nevertheless, it will be important for them to be tolerant.

The Next Stage

For some people, this could be seen as the best way for human beings to behave. Said another way, if someone is an evolved human being, they will be tolerant towards people who have views and behaviours that are different to their own.

Thus, if someone has tolerance, they can end up being seen as a moral person. And if they don’t, they can be seen as someone who is stuck in the past, and it will be vital for them to get with the times.
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An Analogy

If someone was to say that women should stay in the kitchen, this is likely to cause them to receive a negative reaction from a lot of people. In the same way, if one was to be intolerant, it could also cause them to experience a similar reaction.

This shows how being tolerant is not something that a lot of people are willing to overlook. Either someone behaves in this way or they might soon experience the wrath of these people.

One Purpose

When it comes to the people who will criticise them for being intolerant, this could be something they do on a regular basis. In their eyes, they could believe that it is their job to convert people who are not behaving in the right way.

This is something that they can do online through using social media, and they can do it in the real world. It could be said that it will be far easier for them to do this online, and this is because this won’t requite a lot of effort.

Confusion

If one was to be criticised or even harmed for being intolerant by people like this, it could be hard for them to understand what is going on. After all, these are the people who talk about how important it is to be tolerant.

What this shows is that their behaviour doesn’t match up with what comes out of their mouth. Another way of looking at this would to be to say that they don’t practice what they preach.

Hypocrisy

The people who talk about the importance of being tolerant are then going to be completely intolerant. If anything, they are trying to hide their intolerance through making out they are tolerant.

As a result of this, the reason people who are intolerant cause them to experience such a strong reaction is because it reminds them of the part of themselves that they are not willing to face. This part of them then ends up being projected onto others, and they end up trying to change their own reflection.

Avoidance

Now, if they were to face themselves, it would cause them to experience pain and this would have a negative effect on them. But through disconnecting from themselves and projecting their issues onto others, it allows them to not only feel good about themselves; they can also delude themselves into believing they are morally superior to these people.

It is then easy to see why someone would end up taking the moral high ground, as opposed to taking responsibility for what is taking place within them.  So, instead of making the world a better place, they end up making it even worse.

The Downside

And while it can sound like a good idea to be tolerant, it could be said it is not this black and white. For one thing, if the people who are intolerant are tolerated, it won’t be possible for the people who are tolerant to exist.

Ergo, in order for people to be tolerant, it will be necessary for the people who are intolerant to be dealt with in some way. If they are allowed to do what they want to do, there will be no such thing as tolerance.
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Conclusion

This can be seen as one of the many things that can take place when someone doesn’t own what is taking place within them. Trying to control others is what happens when someone is unable to experience self-control

In an ideal world, they would reach out for the right support and deal with their issues. This would stop them from trying to control other people, and it would then be a lot easier for the people around them (and online) to enjoy life.  

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