There is an argument that widespread, often unintentional intolerance exist in the United States. On a broader scale, diversity in various forms, including religion, couture, race and so forth, is often not very tolerated in America. Indeed, many people in the United States agree that sexism, racism, and other “isms” are “undesirable” or “bad” things that Americans, as a society should attempt to eliminate or avoid. In addition, most people believe that they rarely, if ever, make prejudicial judgments based on these superficial factors such as religion, skin color, culture, race and many others. In short, most Americans believe and like to believe that they are inclusive and tolerant of other people who may act, look, or think differently than they do. The bottom line is that most people perceive themselves as “good” people. Nevertheless, as often the case, many “good” people are, on regular basis, intolerant of and exclude others solely based on non-substantive factors knowingly or unknowingly.
Dr. Steve L. Robbins defines unintentional intolerance as the manner in which good, well-meaning people and organizations practice potential exclusion of other people and ideas, even when they want to include them. Experience and research shows that people have biases that they are often not aware of, or think little about. In addition, these biases influence people’s behaviors, decision-making process, and attitudes on a daily basis. As such, it would be correct to assume that we make “bad” decisions and engage in exclusive behavior without knowing. Unintentional intolerance takes many forms.
Today, many people try to convince others forcibly into joining their religions. Many people have fallen victim to strange men in suits in front of their offices or at homes convincing people to join their religion. I feel offended by such people who knock on my door to sell their religion to other people like me without minding about my religious beliefs. According to Schoenberger, the main reason why people hate each other in our society if because many people are ignorant about other people’s backgrounds, and such ignorance leads to prejudice or hatred. Majority of problems that people face in today’s society are because of hatred and prejudice. I particularly find it offensive and intolerable that some people move from door to door selling their religion without considering the backgrounds of other people. I understand that they have the duty to spread their religion and get more followers, but I find it offensive for someone to force something I do not approve of doing. Schoenberger contends that the lack of education on the background of others is the major cause of hatred based on flawed beliefs (McDonald & Salomone, 2011).
Many people have been victims to unintentional intolerance. For example, there have been numerous attempts by some people to introduce prayers in public schools. This would force all students to recite prayers of the dominant churches such as Catholic. In such cases, students who come from minority religions would be left with the options of either violating their own religious beliefs or risk later harassment and violence from fellow students. Some students might also feel pressured into participating into such religious practices in schools. This can make some students reluctant to attend public schools or even drop out of school. Being a Muslim, I find it intolerable to attend Christian schools as they force their religion into all students without considering their religious backgrounds.
Unintentional intolerance in the work place often involves exclusion, and when employees feel exclude or devalued, their performance decreases. This happens because they divert their cognitive and emotional energy addressing exclusion, so they have less energy to deal with other things including job assignments. According to a study conducted by the US government, biased or unfair treatment costs employers in the US approximately $64 billion annually in terms of profits and productivity (McDonald & Salomone, 2011). In addition, compared to white men, other workers from other ethnic groups are up to three times likely to resign from a company citing unfairness as the main reason. For example, despite the fact that the US has a separation of church and state, an atheist cannot assume office as president.
Many people consider diversity in America to be good. However, many people show biasness and prejudice towards gay people and gay marriage, for which there is no coherent ground for objection other than basis of religious grounds. Despite gaining gradual acceptance among Americans, many people especially churches still find it hard to accept gay marriage and do not conduct wedding ceremonies for gay people. What they fail to acknowledge is that people have the freedom to act in some manner that does not affect the wellbeing of others. As Schoenberger says, she would much prefer distrust or hate based on what she has done, rather than hate her based on prejudice.
In conclusion, there is widespread unintentional intolerance in the United States. The American constitution is based on freedoms like religion, sexual preference, and speech. In addition, America should accommodate diverse ethnic groups and traditions. However, the problem begins when some group feel more superior than others do. It is imperative to educate people on others backgrounds and beliefs to limit such biases and prejudices.
Reference:
McDonald, S. & Salomone, W. (2011). The writer's response: A reading-based approach to writing (5th Ed.). Connecticut: Cengage Learning.
