Legal Evaluation of Intolerance - Essay Example

?Intolerance Order No. 526053 Introduction The Declaration of Principles on Tolerance was adopted by the UNESCO in 1996 and initiated by the U.N. general assembly who encouraged member states to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16th November each year. The chief premise of this declaration was aimed at encouraging tolerance and bringing about world peace. However, even though we have come a long way, yet we find a lot of intolerance being manifested in different areas of our lives. The only way that tolerance can be fostered is by respecting and accepting people and cultures as they are and through broadmindedness and freedom of thought and communication. In this study we’re going to examine the concept of intolerance in the different areas of our lives and try to find suitable solutions to these problems. 1. Give a summary (including citations) of the two articles you selected and include  information on how the events in the articles show intolerance toward a group or  individual. Who are the minority and majority groups in this article? (min.1 pg- max 2  pgs for each article)  Article 1 “Crossing the Limits of Tolerance” (Newspaper article, Nov. 16th 2008) speaks of intolerance among people of different ethnic cultures. The majority groups in this case are people from the well developed countries who were very affluent and well educated. The minority groups in this case would be the people belonging to developing of underdeveloped countries and who are not so well educated and have a much lesser socio- economic background. This article sheds light on how people in ancient times exhibited great intolerance due to insecurity involving territorial rights and their basic existence. However, when civilizations developed and progressed and Science made great advancement, man gained better insight and sophistication which led to a higher sense of security, thereby leading to greater tolerance and better harmony. However, in contemporary society, the scales have tipped once again towards intolerance, for the fact that great strides have been made in the field of technological advancement. People of affluent countries have discovered that they have power to gain control over the groups of have -nots by making use of such technology. It is due to such intolerance towards others that fear -mongering and insecurity have become the norm of today. Article 2 “For some Observers, History repeating itself” by Michael E. Ross, msnbc reporter, sheds light on the hate groups in the United States. The Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal defense organization for civil rights quotes the number of active hate groups to be 762. Intolerance towards different ethnic groups was the root cause for the formation of such hate groups. The organization monitored the emergence and progress of these groups and found that a leading Internet site called the ‘Stormfront Forum’ which was initially run by the previous leader of the Ku Klux Klan had a membership of 46, 300 and marketed ‘white supremacy’ to the masses through leaflets and billboards. Ethnic intolerance and racism was the fulcrum around which these hate groups operated. 2. Make a comparison between the two articles you selected and „Us and Them?. Cite  specific examples from both the articles and the articles in „Us and Them? and show how  they are similar and/or different. (min.1 pg- max 2 pgs)  Article 1 and 2 both deal with intolerance but each of a different kind. Article 1 speaks of intolerance of well educated and affluent societies towards groups and societies with a poor socio- economic background. It also sheds light on the power that is wielded by the affluent societies and directed towards the lesser developed countries who are no match for them. In comparison to the first article, the second article speaks of intolerance towards other ethnic groups by advocating hate towards them. ‘Us and Them’ by David Berreby is an invaluable and groundbreaking work that sheds light on our behavior and says how it comes in the way and lends us protection. The author states how it is our understanding of persons and things that make us do what we do and this is what determines whether we want to make friends or enemies of others. This enlightening book also sheds light on the ‘Power of Us’ and how it is possible to be adjustable, adaptable and collaborative in a totally disjointed world and bring about a good sense of tolerance and harmony within our lives. 3. Take a stance on how well these two articles you selected demonstrate sympathy and  empathy from the Bennett article we read in week #4. Use specific examples from both the articles you selected and the Bennett article to make your claim. (min.1 pg- max 2  pgs)  Both articles one and two well understand the problem of intolerance among different ethnic groups as well as among individuals from developed countries and those that are still developing. For example in article No. 1 -“Crossing the Limits of Tolerance” the author expresses sympathy and empathy by stressing the fact that though intolerance is prevalent in our societies, yet he takes an optimistic stand stating that by respecting, tolerating and accepting the thoughts, views and perspectives of people from othercultures, we can foster the concept of harmony and brotherhood by eliminating intolerance. Article 2 titled “For some Observers, History repeating itself” by Michael E. Ross, the author empathizes with the people for the damage created in our societies by the different hate groups that belong to different ethnic cultures and appeals to them to foster better understanding through communication and negotiation instead of through intolerance and violence. Janet Bennett in her article titled ‘Transition Shock’ sheds light on culture shock that threatens the stability of our lives. The author defines culture shock as an “anxiety that results from losing all of our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse.”(pg. 215) The author perceives ‘culture shock’ as a sub- category of the transitional experience and if viewed in the light of our previous life experiences, it could bring about a better understanding and tolerance on our part. 4. Using the Bennett article on transition shock from essay 1, describe the symptoms,  responses, stages and resolution that occur in each of the two articles you selected. (You  may not see all of these in each article). How could the participants in the events in your  articles have better handled the situation(s)? What are possible solutions to preventing  this kind of intolerance from occurring again? (min.1 pg- max 2 pgs According to the Bennett article, the symptoms include feelings of helplessness, anger, concern, paranoia, fear, anxiety and also psychological stress reactions. In article 1 we find the symptoms of intolerance include fear and anger brought about by repression and threatening from nations more powerful than them. In article 2, the symptoms of intolerance include fear, anxiety and hatred from groups who feel cheated and disillusioned. Response according to the Bennett article states that both Transitional and Culture shock could be perceived as defense mechanisms that are brought about by cognitive inconsistency. In article 1 the response was to make people understand the damage caused by intolerance and an appeal to understand and adapt themselves to the cultural concepts of others. In article 2, the response was hate and anger when these groups found it impossible to have control over their situation when they believed that they were cheated or disillusioned. Bennett sheds light on the stages of the course of action to be taken and says that there are four phases of psychological adjustment during a transition experience. These stages are – fight, flight, filter and flex. These defense mechanisms help us to explore the problem and based on the capacity and ability of the individual, they choose one of the above and try to bring stability into their lives. In article 1, these stages cannot be so well defined because a larger group of people are involved and because every individual is unique, what suits one may not suit another. However in article 2, since it is a small collective group who work towards a single goal, the path the group takes relies on how they want to manage a particular crisis. Resolution depends largely on certain characteristics of personality according to Bennett. These characteristics include self awareness, cognitive complexity and cultural empathy. In understanding our own values and beliefs we can better understand the cultural values of other societies. In article 1 and 2, because of the inconsistent understanding of other peoples culture and value systems it has manifested itself as problems that need to be resolved, or it would create bigger problems. References Janet. M. Bennett, Transition Shock: Putting Culture Shock in Perspective. (Reader) Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Newspaper Article –“Crossing the Limits of Tolerance” www.paperarticles.com/.../crossing-limits-of-tolerance.html Racial Intolerance www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8077765/ns/us_news-life/ Read More