However, when a person chooses to be hateful towards another due to culture, or a person chooses to judge that person based on their background, I have very little patience.
On my tour of the Jewish Quarter today, our tour guide decided to share this little treasure with us:
"Czechs are very tolerant of all religions. 'Cept Muslims. We don't like Muslims. I think it is cause we don't like explosions."
Problems with this previous statement::
1. You THINK that's why you don't like them? You don't actually know why you personally dislike an entire culture??
2. Judging an entire race based on a few extremists is unacceptable.
3. Explaining to the tour group that your entire country feels this way is unnecessary. And false. Your own personal views do not represent an entire country.
Being an American in Europe, I have seen and felt how horrible it is to be judged based on a stereotype. And I would never wish it upon anyone to be judged on the American stereotype. Why then, would you try to group your entire country together? Every country is made up of individual personalities and individual views. It is impossible, therefore, to say what "all of the Czech Republic" feels about a specific issue.
But it just goes to show you: intolerant people are universal. And we can't escape them.
Unfortunately.
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