What if intolerance and bigotry are genetic traits, similar to homosexuality?

Question

You know how some people go on about homosexuality being a choice (I don't believe it is). What if the characteristics of intolerance, bigotry and arrogance are genetic traits, and people are born that way, and don't have the ability to change?

I asked this last night (11 pm pacific). Looking for a daytime perspective.

Dust in the Wind - I am not comparing homosexuality to intolerance and bigotry. I have many dear friends who are strait, and many dear friends who are gay. I am just wondering if some people's physiological make up predisposes them to intolerance. I do believe that much of it is learned behavior - but the more I learn about the executive functions of the brain the more I find myself wondering, just wondering.

Answer 1

There is a lot of argument about nature vs nurture. Usually to sort out how much of our personality is influenced by environment and how much is genetic they have to do things like twin studies. That is where they take a set of identical twins who were raised in different families (like if the twins were adopted out and separated at birth to be raised by different families.) Get a genetically identical set of kids raised in different homes, you can pick and prod and learn how much their different homes affected them, and how much they remain the same because of genetic reasons. Because there aren't alot of twins raised completely apart, it is difficult to come up with a large enough group to study properly.

One thing I always think about is dog breeders and how they swear certain traits in their dogs are genetic. Some dogs, we are told, are more aggressive than others. We are told that a pit bull is usually more aggressive than a grate dane, even when they both receive optimal socialization and training, one will usually be a little more aggressive than the other one. We are told this is genetic, and dog breeders breed for certain behavioral traits as well as emotional. A hunting dog will not usually behave quite the same as a lap dog because they were bred for different traits.
If dog genes can attribute to something like aggressiveness, then you might have a point that human behavioral traits could have a genetic basis as well. The only way to find out is to do proper studies.

Answer 2

Well, let me answer one part of this first. My opinion on homosexuality is that both arguments are right... part of it is choice, and part of it is genetic. I think that there is a "gay gene" (if you want to call it that). But just because you have this gene it doesn't necessarily mean you'll wind up being a homosexual. I think for the gene to be "activated" or "expressed" the person must have some series of tragic events that occurs in their life, usually involving their father (ie: father dies when the child is young, father is not tolerant/understanding, father is out of the picture, etc.) Most gay people I know fit into this description.

Now intolerance and bigotry is not a genetic trait. It's entirely a decision based on ignorance. It doesn't matter if you're gay, straight, black, white, green... ANYONE can be ignorant. And yes, people can change, but generally they don't. Though I do think that people who are prejudiced can teach it to their children, and likewise their children teach it to their children, so on and so forth. This makes bigotry difficult to control.

Why do you think everyone in the Middle East is so ignorant toward other cultures, even Americans? It's because they're taught at an early age that cultures other than their own are different (religiously and in terms of what we look like), and therefore inferior. They even preach that Sunnis and Shiites should hate each other, so that in places like Iraq Muslims can't even get along with each other.

Answer 3

Yes, I think bigotry is kind of inescapable. As you compare it with homosexuality... then what if the whole world suddenly went homosexual (you might go even further: one nationality, race, or political or economic background)? Do you think we'd instantly have perfect world peace? Or would certain factions of homosexuals become the new oppressors of those who were "different" in some other way? By the way, it's a psychological cop-out to say of any questionable behavior, "I had no choice in it." It's an attempt to remove all responsibility for what we ourselves consider a wrong action. If I was gay, I'd be honest about it, and call it a legitimate lifestyle decision. If I insisted it was totally beyond my control and against my will, it would already be an admission that my actions were inherently inferior. The implication is, "If I COULD choose to be straight, I WOULD -- being gay is not ideal. But I can't; I'm stuck this way, so I just have to suffer through it." It's dishonest, especially when such a person turns around and promotes the thing they just implied was inferior.

Answer 4

Then I suppose its a good thing we have a system in place to help people to understand that intolerance, bigotry and arrogance are wrong and that we should choose a better way.

Homosexuality cannot be compared to these things and doing so shows your own bigotry. We do not know for sure if its genetic, or the result of environment...but regardless its a human condition and not a human character flaw such as bigotry, arrogance and intolerance.

The Skeptical Christian
Grace and Peace
Peg

Answer 5

People are predisposed to certain traits of character. Bigotry, and Racism however is learned behavior. Also, if someone is a homosexual they also had to make that choice. I being a heterosexual, who also is married, I sometimes have to battle with thoughts of lust for other women, but that does not mean I have to carry those thoughts out. Let's be careful not to blame our genes for our irresponsible behavior. Hmmm. Come to think of it, that it was Adam and Eve did a long time ago. They blamed their surroundings, instead of taking personal responsibility for their actions.

Answer 6

They're not genetic, they're learned traits as long as your brain is actually functioning properly and you have the capacity to learn otherwise. You can learn altruism very simply by simple understanding of the causes and conditions as to why bigotry and intolerance exist and applying the antidotes. You can't find an antidote, though for who you're attracted to.

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Answer 7

A true nature vs nurture, interesting.

Thinking back to my babies, I don't recall them viewing others with any opinion until they were given more information via contact, social visits, conversation, television. I think personality traits are mostly from nurture, however I think there is some genetic predisposition (not proven as far as I know). I think there is research going such as profiling etc. but I am not sure these particular qualities have been reviewed. This would be a very enlightening study.

Answer 8

I believe most of bigotry, hate etc... are learned by example. I also think there are those who have lower tolerance tendencies that make them more susceptible to hate though. But we all know right from wrong, and we know how to treat people. Some people need to fight harder than others to do the right thing, but those things are all by choice.

Answer 9

intolerance and bigotry and arrogance is a perspective of the person viewing the comment or action. for example, I feel that people are tolerant of a view until they disagree, IE Christianity is not a tolorated view except for those who are Christians, so where is the intolorance?

Answer 10

I think ignorance may be a genetic trait...I'm not certain as to whether intolerance and bigotry are by themselves, though.