What responsibility does leadership⿿business, political, religious, community⿿bear in fostering hate and intolerance?

I’ve asked and been asked this question many times in recent years, since intolerance seems to be on the upswing and thought I’d throw it open to a wider and more diverse audience then normally present.

In fairness to the conversation I’ll start by laying out some of my own MAP (mindset, attitude, philosophy)⿢ since it will color what I say⿿it’s almost impossible to write totally objectively. My hope is that this will become a far ranging discussion.

Please remember that this is my MAP I’m describing and not an effort to convince you of anything.

• I detest fanatics. They have a one-dimension view of the world and tend to think that any words or actions are acceptable because they are Right, with a capital R. Some are obvious terrorists⿿Al Queada, Army of God, Earth Liberation Front, Black Liberation Army⿿while others “merely” churn out, in often polished prose and from well respected platforms, their messages of hate and intolerance.
• I wholeheartedly support the Patrick Henry’s comment, ⿿I may disagree with what you have to say, but I⿿ll fight to the death for your right to say it,⿿ even when I⿿m violently opposed to the thoughts expressed.
• I do not support having those thoughts crammed down my throat or being forced to be like “them,” instead of like me.
• I doubt that my ideal is your ideal, so who chooses? What I consider close-minded or bigoted is very likely another person⿿s passionate belief⿿to me there is no ⿿Right.⿿
• have enormous respect for faith, less for organized religion and none for rampant ideology.
• I believe that there is one race, human, on Earth that comes in many flavors. Preferring one flavor to another is fine, but trying to abolish any flavor is not.
• I think that ethics and morality are situational and subject to the interpretation of the historical time, society, and the various ideologies in ascendance.

If you have a response that you feel is too long for a comment please email it to me (miki.saxon@b5media.com); I’m open to using it as a post just as I expect to draw post ideas from your comments. The only rule is that there are no personal attacks and the language stays fairly polite.

I’ll post some of my thoughts on the question tomorrow.

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