Creating Tolerance and World Peace

Posts Tagged ‘Hate’

Ronald Reagan was an American enigma. He is remembered for inadequacies and triumphs in office. So are most presidents. If you were Republican at the time, you loved him. Democrats, likely despised the man. There were reasons for the feelings on both sides.

Four quotes attributed to him make the enigma clear:

“Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”

“Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.”

“All waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”

“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

Some of his statements may inflame you. Others may bring tears to your eyes and yet some simply make you laugh, causing you to realize he had a sense of humor, distinct flaws, rightful desires and clear misdirection. He had a habit of making statements that showed a great deal of wisdom and character and then made decisions that showed the opposite. He was human.

History tends to mount up memories of things that are negative. People remember how much Ronald Reagan’s daughter despised him. We do not know the total picture of events between Ronald and his family on a personal level and yet we tend to think that public knowledge is irrefutable. That is a dangerous practice. Public knowledge is not always correct knowledge.

History, if written, eventually becomes set in stone for the student. We think Gandhi was a saint. We believe from the deepest of our hearts that Walter Cronkite would have been the best grandpa on the planet and we are absolutely certain that Richard Nixon WAS a crook.

Look at the entire picture before you judge. If evidence is available to give you a more complete picture, look at all the evidence. You do not have to agree with decisions made by Reagan or Nixon. You don’t have to feel bad if you thought that Huntley and Brinkley were better news casters than Cronkite. But you need to allow all of them to be human.

Tolerance awareness has reached a new level with the suicide rate of teens and young adults on the rise. The first question that may run across a lot of minds is what do tolerance and the teen suicide rate increase have in common? The connection is within a discrimination and hate crime trend that is increasing with each passing day.

This discrimination and hate crime increase is focused on teens and young adults who identify themselves openly or closeted as gay, lesbian, or transgender. The hate crimes and actions of discrimination and intolerance are so horrific that they have lead to actions by celebrities and community groups to make a change and stop the hate.

Through the use of the Internet and global media, celebrities and a mass joining of activists have come forward to help stop the hate. The campaign is called "It Get’s Better" and is designed to tell personal stories of discrimination. The celebrity talks about their personal issue and then moves on to tell the person listening how, though times are difficult and seem hard now, things do get better. It is a campaign to act as encouragement in the eye of the storm and help the person move through without ending their life.

Campaigns to end anti-gay violence and spread tolerance awareness have even started in several major cities. The campaign started by the city of Manhatten has grown to new depths and is known as "Love love. Hate hate." This campaign comes in the form of a public service announcement and spreads the concept of diversity and love. Another key component of this campaign and others that share it’s cause is strength.

The main feeling is that it takes strength to be who you are, to be open about you who are, proud of yourself, and to overcome the hate and discrimination that may come with that self awareness.