Yield no space to bigots, racists
Published:Friday | August 25, 2017 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
It is definitely wrong to hate, but we must be careful who or what we choose to tolerate because tolerance breeds acceptance. Whatever we put up with, we end up with and more!
When we put up with intimidation, we end up with more intimidation and bullyism. Any spouse who tolerates beating gets more beating and battering. Put up with a criminal, and we'll end up with more criminals, widespread criminality and organised crime. Tolerating a lack of accountability and transparency gives rise to cronyism, inefficiency, and all their related consequences.
Nothing remains constant. Good things continuing get better, but bad ones get far worse. In every sense, whenever we put up with smoke, we end up with more smoke until we begin to choke.
Acknowledging, then, that whatever we put up with we end up with and more, it, therefore, it follows that whatever we don't want to end up with, we should never put up with! We should never put up with: animosity, bigotry, discrimination, hatred, intolerance, racism and xenophobia; but rather encourage things like respect for the right to life, social order and justice.
It is most interesting and ironic, however, that many who constantly call for tolerance easily get aggressive, even irrational and intolerant towards those who dare contradict them publicly or simply express contrary views. We witness this daily, and I am not afraid to say I have been the beneficiary of such wrath from a few prominent personas and a high-ranking one in academia.
Many are now afraid to take a stance. People's views naturally vary. But do we have common core values as a nation? We must be careful in deciding to tolerate any social phenomenon because it is traditional, has become fashionable, or due to unnecessary pressure from external forces.
It is not difficult to determine if any social phenomenon is desirable or undesirable if we objectively evaluate our experiences and those of others and observe the desirable or undesirable consequences.
Consequences ultimately matter. We have put up with indiscipline and social disorder and now end up with high levels of crime and violence and a horrendous murder rate. But there is always hope, and things will get better once we stop putting up with what we don't want to end up with.
DAIVE R. FACEY