Popular misconception: Targets of intolerance cannot be intolerant

[manifold]

In the current climate of political correctness, I've noticed a widely accepted misconception that popular targets of intolerance couldn't possibly be intolerant themselves. The idea that blacks cannot be racist, women cannot be sexist, queers cannot be bigots, jews cannot be anything but victims of anti-semitism, etc., seems to have found its way into our collective psyche and people accept it without question.

Now most people will deny that they personally think this way, but en masse, this obviously cannot be true. More likely is that people don't even realize that they think this way. I'm not sure if anything can be done about it, but I'm interested in what others have to say about it.

Discuss.

 

[rightwinger]

I think Chris Rock put it best..
Life is not fair
Fat girls are allowed to make fun of skinny girls....but if skinny girls make fun of fat girls, its just plain mean
Short people can make fun of tall people...but if tall people make fun of short people, its just plain mean
Poor people can make fun of rich people....but if rich people make fun of poor people, its just plain mean

 

[manifold]

"Making fun of..." and "being intolerant of..." are two very different things.

 

[RodISHI]

Push for more progressive political correctness that should cover it.

 

[Dr.Traveler]

In the current climate of political correctness, I've noticed a widely accepted misconception that popular targets of intolerance couldn't possibly be intolerant themselves. The idea that blacks cannot be racist, women cannot be sexist, queers cannot be bigots, jews cannot be anything but victims of anti-semitism, etc., seems to have found its way into our collective psyche and people accept it without question.

Now most people will deny that they personally think this way, but en masse, this obviously cannot be true. More likely is that people don't even realize that they think this way. I'm not sure if anything can be done about it, but I'm interested in what others have to say about it.

Discuss.

Folks with a knowledge of history know the oppressed always become the oppressors.

Take a look at the Roman Empire. Christians were severly persecuted for a long period of time. Christians were blamed for anything and everything that went wrong and subjected to terrible inhuman fates.

However, once a few Emperors converted the Christians themselves found that they now had the political power. Remembering how they were themselves oppressed, they decided to take steps to ensure it would Never Again happen to them (the bold part is often the rally cry of the oppressed). They closed "pagan worship" centers such as Plato's Academy and attacked pagan leaders such as Hypatia (who was assassinated by a Christian Mob that cut her to pieces with sharpened clay shards and shells).

The same thing is happening in Israel today, though saying it isn't very popular. After the Holocaust, Jewish leaders vowed Never Again, and as such have instituted some pretty extreme policies on the Palestinian population to ensure their continued survival.

Never Again is always the rally cry of the oppressed, but it often becomes the justification for the oppressor.

 

[xsited1]

In the current climate of political correctness, I've noticed a widely accepted misconception that popular targets of intolerance couldn't possibly be intolerant themselves. The idea that blacks cannot be racist, women cannot be sexist, queers cannot be bigots, jews cannot be anything but victims of anti-semitism, etc., seems to have found its way into our collective psyche and people accept it without question.

Now most people will deny that they personally think this way, but en masse, this obviously cannot be true. More likely is that people don't even realize that they think this way. I'm not sure if anything can be done about it, but I'm interested in what others have to say about it.

Discuss.

I think there are more people who see through this political correctness BS than you think. However, there are some groups who cling to being PC like it's a religion. I doubt anything can be done for these people.

 

[manifold]

I think there are more people who see through this political correctness BS than you think.

Perhaps, but Shogun doesn't count. He's just an ineffectual internet tough guy.

 

[nodoginnafight]

Never Again is always the rally cry of the oppressed, but it often becomes the justification for the oppressor.

Very good point.

 

[DiamondDave]

"Making fun of..." and "being intolerant of..." are two very different things.

Tolerance and acceptance are also 2 entirely different things

 

[Ravi]

I don't think it is true, it is just another one of those silly conventional wisdom disconnects.