http://itchwoot.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] itchwoot.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] muckefuck 2008-11-06 06:54 pm (UTC)

I disagree: Openness doesn't breed tolerance.

The term "tolerance" conveys that there's something objectionable that you merely endure for the sake of peace. If I find something like homosexuality objectionable, it's easier to tolerate when few gay people are around. But if more of them are visible, I'm more inclined to regard them as a menace.
The only way that openness can lead to more tolerance is through peer pressure, but that's fake tolerance that can backlash any moment.

I think we're not talking about tolerance here, though. A lack of prejudices rather leads towards indifference - now that's something to strive for! If only more people were indifferent towards homosexuals...

Prejudices in general are not always merely learned from previous generations. There has to be a point where they came into existence, right? Future generations are not exempt from projecting their own failures onto a convenient scapegoat. I can imagine hundreds of scenarios that could produce new prejudices.

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