At one point I was actually thinking of writing an article like this myself about the events of the last couple days here in Fredonia, but I was not certain how to proceed so I wouldn't have to hear the complaints of peopl around me. Fortunately, Scott O'Dell has rescued me from that merciless necessity by getting an article out first. I do intend to write something about this on my thoughts later on this week, but for now, I am going to present Scott's article.
We pause our discussion of music to bring you this brief rant from Scott:
OK, now I am disappointed. No, I am upset. Actually, outraged may even be the word that I am looking for. Whatever the work is, I am. So, kiddies, let’s learn a new word today…and that word is (insert drum roll here) tolerance.
Yeah, yeah, I know, political correctness and all that. Well, deal with it, because I’m pissed again. Why?
The other day, a respected and respectable friend of mine showed intolerance toward a different religious group from that which this person ascribes, and it got back to me. Now, this does nothing to diminish my liking for this friend, but it does disappoint me, in that this person comes from a group for whom extreme intolerance was shown in Nazi Germany, to the point of genocide. This person, of all people, should know that religious intolerance toward any individual or group could lead to the same thing happening again.
Is it so far-fetched to think that? I don’t think so.
Why? If we don’t learn a lesson from history, history repeats itself. There is plenty of hatred in the United States from many groups toward other groups right now. What if a certain group, through some misdealing and misrepresentations, suddenly came to power and declared that a certain religion was illegal and its practitioners were to be killed? That is basically what happened in Germany in the 1930’s. Could it happen here? We hope not, but one lesson from history is that nothing can be ruled out. I am sure that the people of Germany thought that it could not happen there, either.
The point is, that by showing intolerance toward another group, you are all but inviting intolerance upon yourself. Every group has the right to express itself, no matter whether you find it offensive or not. If you do find what they say to be offensive, don’t listen, but also don’t take away their right to publicly say what they believe. For even though they may be offended by what you say, they may be the ones who defend your right to publicly speak when you choose to do so.
By the way, a famous philosopher once said, “Do not tell your friend that they have a speck in their eye, when you have a log in yours. Remove the log from your own eye first, and then you will be able to see the speck in their eye more clearly.” I’ll leave you to guess who the philosopher was, but I think the point is made.
Thank you, Scott, for saying what needed to be said, and backing it with a logical, reasonable argument. I have to say that while I may not always agree with the opinions of others, I am always inclined to trust more in the truth and lessons that can be gained from listening to a person with solid logic and reasoning. I do agree with Scott on this issue, and I'll write more on it later, but in closing this off, I need to add the comment of someone whom I discussed this matter with, and despite a general feeling of annoyance I sense from others towards this person, I think the comment they made was excellent.
If you are claiming to be offended by something, make sure you've taken the time to really learn the truth about what it is that you claim offends you. You never have to agree with what you hear others say, but learn the truth about what it is you're against, so you can be against it for the right reason.
These were the approximate words of Jason Kaufman, who has, in 3 days, gained much of my admiration and respect for being a voice of reason and a mind of logic.
We pause our discussion of music to bring you this brief rant from Scott:
OK, now I am disappointed. No, I am upset. Actually, outraged may even be the word that I am looking for. Whatever the work is, I am. So, kiddies, let’s learn a new word today…and that word is (insert drum roll here) tolerance.
Yeah, yeah, I know, political correctness and all that. Well, deal with it, because I’m pissed again. Why?
The other day, a respected and respectable friend of mine showed intolerance toward a different religious group from that which this person ascribes, and it got back to me. Now, this does nothing to diminish my liking for this friend, but it does disappoint me, in that this person comes from a group for whom extreme intolerance was shown in Nazi Germany, to the point of genocide. This person, of all people, should know that religious intolerance toward any individual or group could lead to the same thing happening again.
Is it so far-fetched to think that? I don’t think so.
Why? If we don’t learn a lesson from history, history repeats itself. There is plenty of hatred in the United States from many groups toward other groups right now. What if a certain group, through some misdealing and misrepresentations, suddenly came to power and declared that a certain religion was illegal and its practitioners were to be killed? That is basically what happened in Germany in the 1930’s. Could it happen here? We hope not, but one lesson from history is that nothing can be ruled out. I am sure that the people of Germany thought that it could not happen there, either.
The point is, that by showing intolerance toward another group, you are all but inviting intolerance upon yourself. Every group has the right to express itself, no matter whether you find it offensive or not. If you do find what they say to be offensive, don’t listen, but also don’t take away their right to publicly say what they believe. For even though they may be offended by what you say, they may be the ones who defend your right to publicly speak when you choose to do so.
By the way, a famous philosopher once said, “Do not tell your friend that they have a speck in their eye, when you have a log in yours. Remove the log from your own eye first, and then you will be able to see the speck in their eye more clearly.” I’ll leave you to guess who the philosopher was, but I think the point is made.
Thank you, Scott, for saying what needed to be said, and backing it with a logical, reasonable argument. I have to say that while I may not always agree with the opinions of others, I am always inclined to trust more in the truth and lessons that can be gained from listening to a person with solid logic and reasoning. I do agree with Scott on this issue, and I'll write more on it later, but in closing this off, I need to add the comment of someone whom I discussed this matter with, and despite a general feeling of annoyance I sense from others towards this person, I think the comment they made was excellent.
If you are claiming to be offended by something, make sure you've taken the time to really learn the truth about what it is that you claim offends you. You never have to agree with what you hear others say, but learn the truth about what it is you're against, so you can be against it for the right reason.
These were the approximate words of Jason Kaufman, who has, in 3 days, gained much of my admiration and respect for being a voice of reason and a mind of logic.
