The problem remains as who defines what is intolerant. But in this case I think the argument is sound. This like was clearly endorsement. And the act was inexcusable no matter how offended anyone can be in their religion.
The problem remains as who defines what is intolerant. But in this case I think the argument is sound. This like was clearly endorsement. And the act was inexcusable no matter how offended anyone can be in their religion.
The whole point of political discussions is pointing out the intolerances of your opponents without using physical violence.
I think that 99% of people are intolerant. The 1% being, of course, those that agree with me on everything.
Intolerance refers specifically to those people who fight for their views with means outside of civil discourse, i.e. violence and intimidation (1), thus destroying the possibility of civil discourse.
Deciding who these people are really isn't a hard problem in practice; a democratic society would have no problem with it.
(1) Yes, intimidation can be "just words".
Is it really? Then I suppose war is terrorism, and the military is a terrorist organization.
If you respond that the definition only applies to non-state actors, I have to ask: why does the state get a free pass to do the same thing? Not legally or practically, but ethically. Why?
Accusing a whole group of racism and guilt based on skin color? Intolerant.
Want to close the borders? That's intolerant of those who want to enter.
Drawing disrespectful cartoons you know will cause backlash and division? Intolerant.
Boycotting a country or business because they endorse said cartoons? Also intolerant.
The trouble is deciding who gets to wield that force
I.e. who's wielding power and over whom are they wielding it.
Whoever is wielding the force is the one gets to wield it. We can have a more civilized society by strictly limiting the wield the force by limiting opportunity to weild it by clear defined individual rights.
Also, vote!
We’re going to have to be doing more of this.
Either we have to treat socially undeveloped nations like a star trek, noninterferance and isolation until some bar is passed, or we have to police opinions. You can’t have peace and a considerable population that does not support some of the basic values of your society. If change doesn’t come this sort of thing is going to keep happening until the people fear it enough to start turning it into state sponsored ethnic violence.
It is a much more difficult solution than being blindly tolerant or blindly racist, you have to walk a very fine line of being specifically intolerant of certain ideas, expressions, and actions.