That's me finished with The Guardian

[Arkless Electronics]

But there haven't been any such views expressed so you are making a big assumption that there will be racist/homophobe/whatevers actually on the site and reading this in order to be offended by you.

Believing you have the moral high ground and that it therefore gives you the right to say and do whatever you like is a very dangerous place to be. Might I remind you that the Nazis were convinced they held the moral high ground and look how that ended?

You can leave posts expressing bigotry/racism/etc to the moderators to deal with. That is what we are here for. You want to conduct your own independent campaign against such ills that's fine but please do it somewhere else, where it might actually be required.

As is often the case I would need to raid the thesaurus to express just how strongly I disagree with you!

[Macca]

I'm not saying that we should tolerate anything in particular or be intolerant to anything either, I'm just pointing out that you appear to think intolerance in others is unacceptable but it's ok for you be to intolerant. Of course, that's ok because what you consider intolerable really is intolerable, whereas when someone else makes a judgement about what is intolerable they're wrong.
Isn't there a logical inconsistency there?

There are always logical inconsistencies when it comes to morality.

We regard being tolerant of others as a good thing, yet we regard tolerating things like racism or homophobia as a bad thing. So who decides what we should be tolerant of and what we should be intolerant of? This is where the problems lie.

[Arkless Electronics]

I'm not saying that we should tolerate anything in particular or be intolerant to anything either, I'm just pointing out that you appear to think intolerance in others is unacceptable but it's ok for you be to intolerant. Of course, that's ok because what you consider intolerable really is intolerable, whereas when someone else makes a judgement about what is intolerable they're wrong.
Isn't there a logical inconsistency there?

Read up on "the paradox of tolerance" and why the one thing it is always right to be intolerant of is intolerance!

Reading between the lines of what you say in your last post you seem to be suggesting that it merely my personal opinion that it is wrong to be racist, homophobic, xenophobic etc and that to hate black or gay people is a perfectly reasonable alternative opinion! If that is what you believe then I have nothing more to say to you. ever. If someone in a pub suggested to me it was perfectly reasonable to hate gay or black people they would probably leave in an ambulance and I'm very proud of being THAT intolerant of intolerance!

[Arkless Electronics]

There are always logical inconsistencies when it comes to morality.

We regard being tolerant of others as a good thing, yet we regard tolerating things like racism or homophobia as a bad thing. So who decides what we should be tolerant of and what we should be intolerant of? This is where the problems lie.

Most of us get a good handle on right and wrong at an early age. If you need to be told that it is wrong to be racist or homophobic then you inhabit a moral cess pit. Is it OK to find it amusing to kick a blind man's stick away... until being told it was morally unacceptable?

[Marco]

Then you're missing out. Sunday afternoons for me are about sitting in the garden in the sun with a G&T and working my way through the Sunday Times!

Lol... How very English! [Which I'm not in any way whatsoever]

Sorry, I find reading newspapers extremely boring, unless it's the back pages of a Scottish tabloid reporting on a Celtic match!

Marco.

[RothwellAudio]

There are always logical inconsistencies when it comes to morality.

We regard being tolerant of others as a good thing, yet we regard tolerating things like racism or homophobia as a bad thing. So who decides what we should be tolerant of and what we should be intolerant of? This is where the problems lie.

Yes, exactly the point I was trying to make.

[RothwellAudio]

Reading between the lines of what you say in your last post you seem to be suggesting that it merely my personal opinion that it is wrong to be racist, homophobic, xenophobic etc...

Maybe you should just read the lines instead of imagining what you think might be between them.
The Guardian forum moderators thought your views were intolerable and wouldn't tolerate them. You thought their censorship was intolerant.
There always has to be a judgement made as to what is tolerable and what isn't, and liberty always has its limits. I may be liberal but I don't think people should be given the liberty to steal or rape or murder. Those judgements are probably not controversial, but how about polygamy? In some countries it's perfectly legal. What about child abuse? I don't doubt that we none of us here condones child abuse, but what actually is child abuse? You may be surprised if you google "age of consent" to find that in some European countries what is perfectly legal - and presumably socially acceptable - would be a crime here.
All I'm saying is that judgements are made and your judgements may not be the same as someone else's.

Where you get the idea from that I condone racism is a mystery.

[prestonchipfryer]

Leaving in an ambulance. Ha ha ha. What a bigot.

[struth]

Ok, no more ... thanks. Will look at rest of thread later.

[Macca]

Yes, exactly the point I was trying to make.

I once had an extended debate on the subject with this bloke https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Dancy who had just read us his paper entitled 'In Praise Of Intolerance' which sought to disentangle these dilemmas. Although it didn't and I said so. Think he might have narrowed his eyes a bit. Happy days.


Edit I see from the Wikipedia entry that he has now come round to my way of thinking. He has had 30 years to ponder it though.