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The thing is ... I think ...
At different times, in different societies, there have been many things that have sometimes been allowed, sometimes forbidden, sometimes accepted, sometimes frowned upon.
It's a mistake to take a little snapshot of time, and to believe that we have reached a "perfect point" regarding what is, and what is not, acceptable.
For instance, things that have at times been accepted, and at times not, include ...
- smoking in pubs
- driving home from the pub
- using a phone whilst driving (do we all remember the first car phones ... attached to a box between the front seats ... specifically designed for the driver to use ... and would the "Carphone Warehouse" still be called that, if it was starting today?)
- same gender sexual relationships
- having a glass of wine (think Prohibition!)
- riding a motorbike without a helmet (some countries believe helmets lead to more accidents because the rider is less aware of the surrounding traffic)
Etc ...
My point is that there are no absolutes of right and wrong.
Even tolerance is a grey area. Should we tolerate drug smokers, as long as they stick to the beach, and not the town centre? (okay, that is actually what happens here. But then, as you'll appreciate, we have a high tolerance level around here).
Why am I rambling on like this?
Because we are all the way we are. We all have different beliefs and tolerances. If someone (eg another ABer) does not feel tolerant of something that we do, then we should not turn on them. We should take the approach ... your view is interesting, but I firmly disagree with it, so let's debate the issue.
But we shouldn't abuse each other.
There are two big red herrings.
(1) Whether something is legal or not does not represent an absolute measure of moral right/wrong because, as illustrated above, things can be legal at one time, and not legal at other times.
(2) Being "tolerant" does not, of itself, create a moral high ground. There are things of which I am tolerant, because they don't affect me personally, about which other people become quite heated. I am tolerant of teenage drug takers if they keep it down on the beach. I am tolerant of speeding drivers if they don't cause an accident. I am tolerant of loud night life, and drunks in the street, because I just happen to have chosen to live near the centre of a lively town. But merely being tolerant doesn't make me right, and being intolerant doesn't turn other people into Daily Mail readers. It's just the way we are.
So anyway, the punch line to this is ... maybe we should accept people's views, no matter how much they clash with our own.
Apart from anything else, we need lots of different viewpoints to keep the thread going. My PayPal account is looking quite healthy today since The Ed sent me my cut of the advertising revenue for getting 200 posts. If we get to 500 (note to self: don't tempt fate!) I think I get allotted some Shares in Answerbank Ltd.