The globalization processes of the last hundred years have led to mass migrations and the emergence of diverse societies where representatives of different, sometimes completely incomprehensible cultures coexist side by side. All these processes nowadays increasingly lead to a discussion of the concept of “tolerance”. Is this good or harm? As a rule, the political forces of the racist and
nationalist persuasion, calling for the expulsion of alien elements from the country and the establishment of a monocultural and mono-ethnic society.
Tolerance. What is this in biology?
Initially, this term was used by biologists to refer to certain properties of living organisms. The Latin word tolerate literally means processes of patience or addiction. In relation, for example, to immunology, this implied a state of the organism in which for some reason it could not reproduce antibodies to certain antigens. Typically, such an inability is negative and literally means the body's inability to resist foreign elements. At the same time, tolerance is and is necessary. For example, with the development of the fetus, it does not cause rejection in the mother's body. Environmentalists call tolerance the body’s ability to adapt and survive in a very wide range of conditions. Also a very useful property.
Tolerance. What is this for society?
The above problems in building multicultural societies have created an understanding of social tolerance as exclusively tolerance of foreigners. However, its other types are distinguished: for example, gender, political, educational, interclass, tolerance towards people with disabilities, sexual minorities and some other categories of society. At the same time, the formation of tolerance in these areas is quite successful in many Western countries. What, however, cannot be said about Russia, the CIS states, and even more so the eastern world.
Racial and national tolerance. Is this good or harm?
This is the most discussed type of tolerance in modern society. The former president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is already openly talking about the failure of multiculturalism, openly nationalist political forces are gaining momentum in northern Belgium (Flemish), and the reader himself is well aware of the situation in Russian reality.
The first thing I would like to note is that most ultra-right forces strongly and deliberately distort the concept
tolerance, presenting it not as a willingness to perceive something new, but as a blind and meek submission to the negative trends associated with migration. Turning him into vice and a laughing stock. However, in reality, tolerance for a different skin color or acceptable cultural traditions does not at all imply tolerance for inappropriate acts of national minorities (such as Lezginka in public places), their defiant behavior or
cultural manifestations inappropriate to local law and
standards (such as the introduction of Sharia). Another tool of the ultra-right is the exploitation of the image of the Jews as the source of all ills. However, a thoughtful look at the
historical process dispels this myth, the purpose of which is to distract the young and radical from the real causes of social problems in society. Education serves as a method of combating these trends. For these purposes, a Museum of Tolerance was opened in Moscow a year ago.
An important argument against the arguments of the racists is the study of modern academic authorities in the study of the phenomena of nation and nationalism: Anthony Smith, Eric Hobsbaum, Benedict Anderson, Ernest Gellner and others. Despite some differences, they all agree that the nation is a social construct, and the main cause of modern international problems is not racial differences at all, but philosophical and social contradictions.
The national minorities of Muslims in France, Germany, and Russia are at the stage of social development, when identification is extremely important, which pushes them to its widespread demonstration and fierce protection. While Western Europeans already had two hundred years to play enough with the concept of nation and move on to another stage of development (which is characterized by the transfer of power from national governments to transnational corporations. We call such a society a consumer society). In addition, most migrants face serious social problems, which causes bitterness. Thus, the solution to the problem lies not in shutting societies down (globalization is inevitable anyway), but in pulling those lagging behind in the processes of quality education, economic and social development.