Why is everyone so intolerant lately?

Look, I’m a liberal and I respect all faiths and people acting in good faith, but there’s this persistent, ugly undertone in America—this primitive tendency to be intolerant toward different racial or social groups. People claim ignorance is the root cause, but honestly? That feels like an excuse. It goes deeper than that; it’s baked into our cultural prejudices.
It’s wild how many people carry around genuine hatred for others without ever having lived through any real hardship themselves. It’s almost like humans have this innate, dark need to find a scapegoat. You can try to pray it away or use religious interventions, but it’s not that easy to purge from the soul.
It’s all about balance. This darkness probably exists in everyone; the only difference is how much of it you let show.

I wouldn't go so far as to call myself intolerant—that’s a bit strong—but I definitely find I don't particularly care for certain groups.😁

Steven Allen9 said:Look, I’m a liberal and I respect all faiths and people acting in good faith, but there’s this persistent, ugly undertone in America—this primitive tendency to be intolerant toward different racial or social groups. People claim ignorance is the root cause, but honestly? That feels like an excuse. It goes deeper than that; it’s baked into our cultural prejudices.
It’s wild how many people carry around genuine hatred for others without ever having lived through any real hardship themselves. It’s almost like humans have this innate, dark need to find a scapegoat. You can try to pray it away or use religious interventions, but it’s not that easy to purge from the soul.
It’s all about balance. This darkness probably exists in everyone; the only difference is how much of it you let show.

You’re right—it isn't just about a lack of knowledge. Ignorance persists because people refuse to learn... and they refuse to learn so they can have someone to be intolerant toward. That intolerance provides a sense of identity—because if they actually realized how little they knew, they might lose their footing entirely.

Steven Allen9 said:Look, I’m a liberal and I respect all faiths and people acting in good faith, but there’s this persistent, ugly undertone in America—this primitive tendency to be intolerant toward different racial or social groups. People claim ignorance is the root cause, but honestly? That feels like an excuse. It goes deeper than that; it’s baked into our cultural prejudices.
It’s wild how many people carry around genuine hatred for others without ever having lived through any real hardship themselves. It’s almost like humans have this innate, dark need to find a scapegoat. You can try to pray it away or use religious interventions, but it’s not that easy to purge from the soul.
It’s all about balance. This darkness probably exists in everyone; the only difference is how much of it you let show.

electrichound94 said:I wouldn't go so far as to call myself intolerant—that’s a bit strong—but I definitely find I don't particularly care for certain groups.😁

briskraven28 said:You’re right—it isn't just about a lack of knowledge. Ignorance persists because people refuse to learn... and they refuse to learn so they can have someone to be intolerant toward. That intolerance provides a sense of identity—because if they actually realized how little they knew, they might lose their footing entirely.

😁

"I know that I know nothing"—that was what Socrates said. But he still knew who he was, goodness knows. He probably harbored his own intolerance toward non-Socratics, like Protagoras or Plato... which eventually led to his method of dialogue and logical debate where he would basically corner them until they adopted his view, essentially becoming part of him, or rather, part of Socrates. In the history of philosophy, perhaps it should have just been recorded as a brief note:

"I know that I know nothing, so I don't even know who I am." Anonymous.

One reason people get so intolerant is because their own tolerance goes unacknowledged. Honestly, when the other side completely misses your good intentions and just resorts to cheap, primitive insults that attack who you are, that patience you were holding onto? It vanishes. You're left with nothing but anger, and that’s where intolerance starts. When one side refuses to understand, it builds a wall of resentment automatically. Luckily, I’m human enough to know better—I won't just give up on trying to learn what I don't know. If I don't get something, I take a step back, clear my head, and try again. That’s how you actually weigh whether an effort is worth it.

Look, anyone who actually claims to be a believer—and I mean a *real* one, not just someone going through the motions—simply can't be a racist, or intolerant, or some kind of bigoted jerk...
At the very least, they’ve gotta be striving for perfection, even if we all know it's basically impossible to actually reach it.

Whether they put their faith in Yahweh, Allah, Manitou, nature... honestly, it doesn't matter which God they follow, what matters is that they are a true believer. And let's be real, every single faith comes with its own set of codes and incredibly high moral standards.

silverraven7 said:Look, anyone who actually claims to be a believer—and I mean a *real* one, not just someone going through the motions—simply can't be a racist, or intolerant, or some kind of bigoted jerk...
At the very least, they’ve gotta be striving for perfection, even if we all know it's basically impossible to actually reach it.

Whether they put their faith in Yahweh, Allah, Manitou, nature... honestly, it doesn't matter which God they follow, what matters is that they are a true believer. And let's be real, every single faith comes with its own set of codes and incredibly high moral standards.

Exactly. The key word is "true."
I know people who identify as Nazis or extremists, yet they claim to be more devout than the Pope himself.🙄

copperskipper68 said:Exactly. The key word is "true."
I know people who identify as Nazis or extremists, yet they claim to be more devout than the Pope himself.🙄

Faith and tolerance don't really have anything to do with each other... honestly, if you look at the history of the Church in America, both back then and even now, it's pretty clear evidence for that...

And honestly, I think everyone has to have at least one group of people they just can't stand... because let's be real, we aren't supposed to like everyone or accept everything... for instance, I've got zero interest in Satanists, even though I don't actually know any of them personally... I just wouldn't want to meet one, you know? Because they're all about Satan and that whole vibe... :/

I’m just not buying into this whole absolute tolerance thing. It's a joke.☕

... people have just as much of a biological craving for hatred as they do for any other emotion... I don't really feel like getting into the weeds with an explanation right now; I've spent plenty of time trying to blunt that edge before...

Intolerance toward specific racial or social groups doesn't stem from ignorance. It isn't even about prejudice. Some people simply harbor an excess of hatred within themselves; they have to direct it outward just to keep from being consumed by it. Why is there so much hate? Because they are fools. It is easier to hate than to accept reality and deal with it. Hatred provides a sense of purpose, direction, and justification. It inflates the ego without any actual merit, while stripping away the value of others—making the hater feel righteous, worthy, divine, and unshakable. And what is foolish about that? Everything. 😁

I see a lot of people out there who just hate things for the most pathetic reasons—attention seeking, using rage to make a point, or just straight-up acting like toddlers in adult bodies.
Real intolerance usually comes from some deep-seated personal trauma, which isn't actually that common. Most of the general animosity you see is just fueled by annoying neighbors or what people watch on TV; that tiny fraction of true hatred belongs to the pathological extremists. For them, hate is just built-in because they're too weak to take responsibility for their own failures.
Hating someone is mostly just dead weight. The Bible was spot on about that.

Aaron Anderson72 said:We already covered this right here! I started a thread a few months back titled "why a man should object to hatred"—go check it out if you want some actual decent answers.

Look, apology accepted. But you know how it works—mods flag you for bumping old threads, so I had to start a fresh one.
Hopefully your roommate isn't too much of a headache..

Steven Allen9 said:Look, apology accepted. But you know how it works—mods flag you for bumping old threads, so I had to start a fresh one.
Hopefully your roommate isn't too much of a headache..

Yeah, I know. I just dropped the link because there were some really smart comments on that thread if you guys feel like checking them out...

Quincy:

...the moderator is penalizing people for bumping "old" posts...

???... wow, first vote... I honestly thought everyone hated opening the exact same threads over and over again... damn, I guess I’ll have to go back and re-read those rules one more time...

Look, I’m not saying I’m bigoted or anything, but I’ve got my own way of doing things. For instance, I don't get the whole gay thing—it just doesn't sit right with me, and honestly, I see it more as a psychological issue...
I’m also not a fan of divorced people; I feel like they struggle to handle family dynamics properly. And don't even get me started on subcultures—Goths, hippies, trash culture, emos, BDSM types... yeah, I definitely have some issues with being accepting, but that's just who I am.

briskraven28 said:You’re right—it isn't just about a lack of knowledge. Ignorance persists because people refuse to learn... and they refuse to learn so they can have someone to be intolerant toward. That intolerance provides a sense of identity—because if they actually realized how little they knew, they might lose their footing entirely.

👍

Then there’s that whole "this is who I am" thing—along with the desperate need for everyone else to be exactly like them. If someone else is perfectly normal but doesn't act like me, then suddenly I'm the one who isn't. If we disagree, one of us has to be wrong. And obviously, my take is always the right one. 😬

It's all so complicated... until you realize everyone is just looking through their own lens and can only offer their own perspective. The most important part is acknowledging that other people have eyes too—and letting them express what they see through theirs.

Laura Ross57 said:Look, I’m not saying I’m bigoted or anything, but I’ve got my own way of doing things. For instance, I don't get the whole gay thing—it just doesn't sit right with me, and honestly, I see it more as a psychological issue...
I’m also not a fan of divorced people; I feel like they struggle to handle family dynamics properly. And don't even get me started on subcultures—Goths, hippies, trash culture, emos, BDSM types... yeah, I definitely have some issues with being accepting, but that's just who I am.

Yeah, I get it. I'm not about supporting same-sex rights, I'm not buying into racial equality, and I have zero tolerance for the primitive groups that have been flooding New York City for years. I try to be open-minded, but I always hit a wall. It's hard to play the "citizen of the universe" when you feel this way.
By the way, the way you write is pretty interesting, feralhound55.

Laura Ross57 said:Look, I’m not saying I’m bigoted or anything, but I’ve got my own way of doing things. For instance, I don't get the whole gay thing—it just doesn't sit right with me, and honestly, I see it more as a psychological issue...
I’m also not a fan of divorced people; I feel like they struggle to handle family dynamics properly. And don't even get me started on subcultures—Goths, hippies, trash culture, emos, BDSM types... yeah, I definitely have some issues with being accepting, but that's just who I am.

Man, that was actually pretty funny, I was laughing my head off over here! :-)))))

I hate to admit this, but we just had a big family get-together. A chunk of the guests were from California. Honestly, it hit me hard when I realized how they can be so devoutly religious one minute and then worship a Führer the next. It’s a wild contradiction. Dangerous stuff, man.
If I run into a Canadian, though, I don't even bother—I just assume they've got enough sense to handle things on their own.