Our BetterMost Community > BetterMost People
Tolerance works both ways
Shakesthecoffecan:
I would like to take this opportunity to ask my fellow Bettermost residents to consider something.
I consider myself a liberal. I am a card carrying member of the ACLU, I am disenchanted with politics and have some deffinate ideas on national policy. One of those ideas is that it is the responsibility of the majority to look after the interests of the minority.
We here on this forum are in the awkward and somewhat liberating position of being in the majority for once. There are no haters, no trolls, no one calling us fags or chastising straight people for associating with us and that is a good thing. We are a largely liberal bunch, with a healthy mix of all political stripes. However, I think this largely liberal bunch needs to be more accepting of our conservative members. Their struggle is every bit as real as ours, their viewpoints just as valid. We are lucky that we live in countries where we are free to speak our minds without fear of retribution. It should be the same here, and we just might learn something from them.
In a nutshell I ask you, please listen to what a person has to say, and try to understand why they feel that way.
Lynne:
This is a very valid point, Truman. And I think you've hit the nail on the head in a sense with this statement:
--- Quote from: Shakestheground on October 24, 2007, 09:35:14 pm ---We here on this forum are in the awkward and somewhat liberating position of being in the majority for once.
--- End quote ---
That feeling of liberation, even ecstasy, when you feel you've gone so long without anybody understanding you, can be heady.
One of the things I like and respect about BetterMost members, by-and-large, is that we're a well-read, intelligent crowd who are 'real thinkers'. If one of us feels strongly about something, you can count on it being for a good reason, not just because somebody else said it or we heard a sound byte that was appealing.
I would hate to think that anyone would feel alienated from this diverse community because of differences of opinion about the details. This community bridges so many barriers - ethnicity, nationality, religion, economy, philosophy, education, age, and obviously gender and sexual orientation.
Reasonable people can disagree. I cannot stress that enough. We have a lot of fun here, but we also debate some pretty serious issues that do not have easy answers. If the answers were easy, there wouldn't be much to talk about.
I love the respectful discussions we have when we strive to understand why someone feels strongly one way or another. I'm usually the optimist, but I doubt we're going to definitively solve any of the world's problems here and now. So what matters most to me is understanding what's in each of our hearts. Let's take this phenomenal opportunity we've been handed (pretty much on a silver platter!) and learn from one another.
Someone, (Phillip, I think? or maybe Aussie Chris?) posted this before in the very earliest days, but one of the purposes of an online community is to be a place where you can be Heard. Let's strive to keep BetterMost friendly and nonjudgmental where we DO Hear each other and Love each other. And where we're never hesitant to express what's in our hearts, even (especially?) if we know it's not going to be popular. A big part of loving is loving without conditions.
Shasta542:
I like the way ya'll think. ;D ;)
Shasta542:
:P :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :-*
ifyoucantfixit:
One of them what? Jess,,,, :-\ :-\ :-\
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