Family & Society - Cultural Diversity - By Mara Hurwitt


"Tolerance and human rights require each other"
                                       - Simon Wiesenthal
Roots of Intolerance
People can be categorized in many ways, such as by gender, race, religion, ethnicity, language, income, age, or sexual orientation. Unfortunately, these categories are sometimes used to label people unfairly or to saddle them with stereotypes.

Stereotypes are generalized assumptions concerning the traits or characteristics of all members of a particular group. They are frequently (although not always) negative and generally incorrect. Ironically, negative stereotypes discourage closer contact, preventing the perpetrator from discovering what the individual victims of these stereotypes are really like.

Stereotypes often form the basis of prejudice, a premature judgment about a group or a member of that group made without sufficient knowledge or thought. We can also develop prejudices towards a whole group based on a single emotional experience with one person. Prejudice demonstrates an unfair bias that does not allow for individual differences, good or bad. It violates the standards of reason, justice, and tolerance.

Many of today's prejudices have their roots in thousands of years of human history, such as the institution of slavery in America, the slaughter of European Jews by Christians en route the Holy Land during the Crusades, and numerous religious wars between Catholics and Protestants. Other biases are based on personal experiences and influences.

A number of sociologists attribute prejudice to modern social problems, including urban decay and overcrowding, unemployment, and competition between groups. Research suggests that people of lower (but not the lowest) socio-economic status or who have lost status are more prejudiced because they seek scapegoats to blame for their misfortune. Backlashes against minority groups are therefore more likely during periods of severe economic downturn and increased unemployment.

Many of us recognize our own irrational prejudices (they may concern places, foods, ideas, etc., as well as people) and work to overcome them. In contrast, bigots are those persons who obstinately cling to their prejudices, displaying a degrading attitude towards others to whom they feel superior. Various groups have been and continue to be the victims of bigotry, including racial, ethnic and religious groups, women, persons with disabilities, and gays and lesbians.

We are intolerant if we reject or dislike people because they are different, e.g., of a different religion, different socio-economic status, or have a different set of values. Intolerance harms not only its intended victims, but society at large, as well. Paul Kurtz observes,
"A tolerant society is more likely to engender mutual trust and cooperation. It tends towards a more peaceful society; insofar as we are willing to learn from others, we are more able to negotiate and compromise our differences. In a tolerant society there is thus apt to be less cruelty, hypocrisy, and duplicity, less dogmatism, hatred, and fanaticism. In short, the principle of tolerance contributes to the common good and to a more humane society, and it is justified on pragmatic, consequential, and utilitarian grounds."
Prejudice can be manifested in personal bias, discriminatory practices, and - at its worst - acts of violence.
Although we have made significant progress in eliminating discrimination, we still have a long way to go. Taking America's Pulse II, a nationwide survey conducted in early 2000 by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), found the following:

• Gays and lesbians are the most discriminated against group in America, followed by African-Americans;

• In just one month, 42% of blacks experienced at least one episode of discrimination, and 12% suffered such an experience two or more times;

• Even though only 8% of Asians believe their race experiences a great deal of discrimination, 31% report suffering unfair treatment and discrimination individually;

• 16% of Hispanics and 13% of whites also report having experienced at least one occurrence of discrimination during the prior month.

The survey also revealed that, while interracial and interethnic contact has increased, Americans remain less familiar with religious groups other than their own.

This lack of knowledge can contribute to prejudice and discrimination against members of different religions. Religious tolerance means acknowledging and supporting that individuals have the right to their own beliefs and related legitimate practices, without necessarily accepting those beliefs or practices oneself. But ignorance often fosters intolerance. Sadly, religious leaders are sometimes the worst opponents of tolerance, advocating bigotry and even hatred towards the followers of other religions.

Throughout history and continuing to the present, religious bigotry has led to severe acts of persecution around the world, including:

• Roman persecution of early Christians;

• The Christian persecution and extermination of Jews, from the late 4th century in the Roman Empire;

• The Nazi Holocaust which systematically killed about 6 million Jews, 400,000 Roma (Gypsies), an unknown number of Jehovah's Witnesses and others;

• The Sudan government's current war of extermination against Christians and Animists;

• In Northern Ireland where Roman Catholics and Protestants have assassinated thousands of followers of each other's faith groups;

• In Tibet where Tibetan Monks are persecuted by the ruling Chineses government;

• In Bosnia where Christians committed genocide against Muslims;

• In East Timor where Muslims committed crimes against humanity against Christians.

Even in the United States where religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment, a member of Congress recently attempted to bar Wiccans from practicing their religion on military installations. (How ironic that an elected official would seek to prevent members of the armed forces who have sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States from exercising their Constitutional right to freedom of religion!)

Certain religious beliefs have also been used to justify bigotry based on sexual orientation, although religion is not the only source of this form of prejudice. As the Taking America's Pulse II survey found, gays and lesbians are perceived as the most likely target of discrimination today.

Young people, in particular, have been victimized by the hostile environment created by anti-gay bigotry. According to a survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1984, nearly 50% of gay men and 20% of lesbians were harassed or assaulted in secondary school. A 1989 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Youth Suicide found that 28% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of school because of being made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, and that gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.
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