by Alannah Hurley
“Tolerance: a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.”
June 15th, 2017, a group of LGBT individuals disrupted an ex-gay conference to declare their discontent for the ex-gay members’ decisions to no longer practice homosexuality. In March 2017, liberal protestors created a mob of violence to attack a conservative speaker and in the process, injured a liberalist speaker, who ended up in a neck brace. In February 2017, 150 masked liberal rioters invaded an event at UC Berkeley where a speech was to be given by Milo Yiannopoulos. “Fires that were deliberately set, one outside the campus Amazon outlet; Molotov cocktails that caused generator-powered spotlights to catch fire; commercial-grade fireworks thrown at police officers; barricades pushed into windows and skirmishes within the crowd, were among the evening’s violent acts.”
These are just a few of the many examples of intolerance displayed over the past year by individuals who profess to bleed tolerance, love, and acceptance. Obviously, not all individuals who support more liberal beliefs are like this and these activists are giving the peaceful and open-minded groups a bad reputation. But these acts of violence cannot be ignored when considering the safety and security of communities and families.
“Tolerance does not mean that only one person or party shows tolerance and the others do not. When some people disagree on a certain issue they must advocate and express their opinion in a respectful manner, and hateful and provocative words should not be used. Tolerance must be shown from both sides on issues, in order for it to be effective.
Here, let it be clear that showing respect and tolerance to the opinions of others does not necessarily mean you have to compromise your principles or embrace or accept others’ ideas. It is simply a matter of fundamental human rights. The right of every human being that his sensibilities and sentiments shall not be violated and offended must be recognized. And every human person has the right to have an opinion and to express it.”
Whatever your opinions or views may be, be civil in expressing them. It is counterproductive to be harsh while trying to cultivate a nation of peace and open-mindedness. Harsh tones, harsh language, and harsh actions create deaf ears and build prejudices. “You will catch more flies with honey, than with vinegar.”