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Comment by oldgregg | Hacker News Reader

What ridiculous ramblings. You presuppose that the only problem in the world is intolerance. Well what if my "true self" is touching kids in the naughty place, would you tolerate that?

Everyone is intolerant of others, the question is just who is drawing the line.

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I don't think I ever said it was the only problem in the world. I simply stated that it's a problem. And a big one. Grumpy oldgregg is grumpy. Relax, friend.

Ridiculous straw man retort. If tolerance, in the form the author argues for ("recognition and respect (of) differences in opinions or beliefs" from an impartial viewpoint), was more widely adopted we would be able to have reasonable debates on issues like censorship and individual liberties without people like you appealing to people's emotional biases with pathetic fear-inducing examples.

It's not a straw man, see the very frequent example below. The problem is the definition of "impartial viewpoint."

umm... I wouldn't tolerate that because you touching kids is imposing your needs and desires onto someone that is not qualified to consent to that kind of imposition and I don't think this is what the author of the post is saying.

Because they are 12 yrs old? 14? 16? 18? Who gets to draw the "qualified to consent" line?

Their parents I would think or until they are able to provide and sustain themselves on their own. Anyway, this is a really weird kind of argument you've gotten yourself into. It completely misses the intent of the post.

Fortunately when people can look at issues rationally not emotionally we can debate under what conditions (age, development, maturity etc.) a person is able to give their consent.

Once everybody in the world is considering issues rationally the first guy that starts debating emotionally is going to have a hell of a big influence. Half the population has an IQ below 100.

But if everyone in the world considered issues rationally, then everyone would be smarter, no?

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