How Do Suggest dealing With Aggressive Hatred & Intolerance?

Question

I say that I loath intolerance and hatred, and am glad that Falwell one purveyor of it has died, and I am accused of being intolerant and hate-filled myself for saying so.

So my question to you all is how do you suggest dealing with intolerance and hatred?

Do you think if you tolerate and love the intolerant and hateful:

They will suddenly return the favor?
or
They will devour and destroy you?

Answer 1

Any one who is intolerant and hateful towards me, makes himself my enemy, and if I can do him a disservice, I will not hesitate to do so.

I don't believe in forgiving people who are hateful towards you. I would never turn the other cheek.

Answer 2

Personally I believe that there is no way to really deal with intolerant people. People will be who they are and there are alot of jerks out there who are dead set on their ways. The only real thing you can do is try to ignore it. Words can only hurt you if you let them, so if you ignore them then the intolerant and hateful people have no power over you. You can't solve some hatred from ignorant people with more hatred from yourself. It's not like in math where two negatives can equal a positive. I'd say just be yourself and if people hate you for it then screw them. They arent worth your time. I have been accused of being hateful at times as I believe everyone can be at times and my father is EXTREMELY intolerant of every race, sexual orientation, religion and even gender sometimes except his own. Intolerant people are so... intollerable!... heh

Answer 3

It depends on your goal. Most intolerance and hatred stems from ignorance. If you're interested in helping them overcome their intolerance and hatred, you can try to offer them new information and help them understand their emotions are irrational. It won't always work, but with a warm and friendly disposition, they may at least come around to understanding why you're not intolerant or hate the same things they do.

If your goal, however, is to simply befriend them without aiding them in changing their outlook--that's much easier. You can show them by example--patience and understanding--how you interact with whatever they are intolerant of or hate. In the meantime, simply let them know that you respect their right to believe or think anything they want to, but you also respectfully request they don't vocalize those beliefs in your presence.

If you don't want to befriend them at all, or don't want the responsibility of informing them, and merely want to stop them from perpetuating the intolerance and hatred--that you work hard to inform yourself of the evidence that debunks their mythology and be prepared to share that information publicly.

An example: If someone says that the earth is flat--you can post links to satellite pictures, give passages of text explaining longitude and latitude, and offer the history of discovering the world is round. Do so in a friendly, informative way that doesn't attack the individual--only the myth.

One last thing--if you're going to go head on with those who are intolerant and hate-filled, you'll need to develop a thick skin and understand that any personal attacks they make are defensive, likely untrue, and can be easily dispatched with more facts, data and evidence about the topic.

Hope that helps.

Answer 4

I think everyone has the right to be intolerant and hateful. Up to the point that hate turns to crime I see nothing wrong with it. Well, at least in a legal light. I think hate is a very negative force and in the end it consumes the hater, not the hated.

Answer 5

With lots of love!

Since they don't have love through the hatred and intolerance... Be the one to show them!

Answer 6

I think it is hateful and intolerant of you to be glad that Falwell has died. It makes you as bad as you thought he was. You may not have agreed with his views, you may not have liked him. But last time I checked he and others still had a right to their own beliefs and opinions.
Why is it okay for you to speak your beliefs and opinions, but you rejoice when someone whose opinion differs from yours dies? That seems pretty low and petty to me.

Answer 7

i think of there is largely see you later hate can sustain itself, and time will look after the concern. additionally if Rove and his friends are got here upon answerable for obstruction of justice or an analogous severe crime, something of the people who've been stirring the pot will disappear or advance into marginalized. which will advance our national climate plenty.

Answer 8

There is a great difference between hate and intolerance. I do not support sinful behavior but I also don't hate the one who commits it. I have a small prison ministry and I love those inmates but I hate the acts they committed.

Answer 9

Ignore it and go for a walk.