Tolerance?

[Guest Sascha]

I'm coming from one of the most tolerant countries in the world. If not THE most tolerant. (as far as I know) We've have a history of tolerance, and it works quite well. We are also very egalitarian. But even here you are not completely safe anymore. I've had my share of abuse, and almost got killed. In my country they promote a lot of tolerant behavior through education, talk shows, commercials, and documentaries. Pretty much everyone knows about gays, and seemingly accepted them. But for us as trans, it's still a difficult issue. People just don't want to talk about it. But there is something that has shifted. The hatred against minorities is firing up: Gays, foreigners, trans people phobia seems to be slowly increasing. Bullying seems to increase also. (it all trickles down) ...Despite all education, despite the suicides that reach the news.

Now I know a bit about history, and it's interesting to see the parallels with the great depression and what it brought Europe: WWII. It seems that when there is a crisis, financial political or social, minorities are the first who will be used as a scapegoat. Why this happens is unclear to me, but I am fairly certain that no amount of education can tame the masses from their ruthless behavior. It's sickening to witness those shallow, ignorant, selfish people that pick on the minorities to feel better. I'm not cynical, I tend to be optimistic but I must say that I don't think it will get any better... history repeats, it repeats and repeats... no-one seems to learn from history. It's sad.

[Guest Mia J]

In times of poor economy and other times people get very frustrated and I think they look for ways to lash out to express their frustration. Sadly we have always been easy targets for that and for the people with such low self esteem that they have to find someone to blame or pick on to make themselves look better.

Mia

[Guest Sascha]

In times of poor economy and other times people get very frustrated and I think they look for ways to lash out to express their frustration. Sadly we have always been easy targets for that and for the people with such low self esteem that they have to find someone to blame or pick on to make themselves look better.

Mia

Yes. That's sad. Like a kind of pecking order: when chickens see blood they peck each other to death. Pavlov's automatons removing the weakest link. I always thought a UFO dropped me off on this cruel planet, simply because I don't understand so many things other humans do.

[Guest Sascha]

By the way, lately I see more and more hatred against gays and transsexuals on so called conspiracy and right wing websites. Some conspiracy theorists think that there is this UN agenda to make people gay and make people change sex. It's just ridiculous. The same happened in cup cake Germany: The Jews were blamed to conspire against the Germans. Don't get me wrong, some conspiracies certainly exist, but it gets very dangerous to lash out against minorities, because they are by definition a minority, not a threat at all. The same is happening in Europe right now with Islamophobia, stereotyping every Muslim as a potential terrorist that conspires against the so called Western governments. There is this fear in some people that a Muslim minority will take over and implement Sharia law. Which is ridiculous, because how can a minority take over by democratic votes? It can't unless they are the majority. I fear the majority more than a minority....

[JJ]

It seems to me that these people have always been there but they are gaining new voices through social media and such. In some ways they were late comers to modern communication and so were less visible.

I do believe that times change and history may go in cycles but does not always repeat itself.

We are living in by far the most liberal times in history in many ways. No one cared in the past about slavery or child labor or the fact that in most societies women were chattels with fewer rights than any minority. .The angry and disaffected will be greater in number during hard times and more vocal but society continues to condemn it and is putting more sanctions against them in this country at least.

I think it can get better, Each of us can make it better by being tolerant ourselves and teaching loving acceptance by living it. It ripples out. The most effective and most difficult way to handle haters is kindness back. It is human nature to reflect back what we are given. And when we give back kindness for hate it short circuits the cycle. Takes the power away from the haters. Not saying stand there and let yourself be beaten or anything-because you also have to respect yourself. You can stand up for yourself and do it without anger or hate back.

I was born amd grew up in a time when men could beat their wives with impunity and women were seen as incapable of managing the household finances. Where minorities were denied a vote because of a tax on voting and the fact that if they had tried they would have been visited by a group of men in sheets at night. When others could not sit where I sat or use the same water fountain either and few saw it as wrong. When gays were safe targets for any abuse without any response from the authorities. I could not go into a profession I wanted-doing field research in wildlife biology -because I was female bodied and there was not one program that accepted women field researchers. I was offered a job as a zookeepr once-but only in the nursery because women were seen as too emotional to work with other animals -and this was in a large zoo in a large metropolitan city.

So much has changed in my lifetime. those are just a few examples. There are hundreds more of our growth as an accepting and tolerant society. The information, the science, behind transgenders is brand new. It will take awhile but I really believe the day will come when we are generally accepted.

I live in a place with a reputation as one of the least tolerant places in the US. And I have so far not had an incident having transitioned here and being completely open about who I am and what I have done.

Of course I could have a problem today or tomorrow but by and large I am amazed at how things can and have changed.just in my lifetime. In ways they never have before too. Not in all of human history.

Johnny