I kind of agree with Sharkfin's points about tribalism.

Basically, I believe that bigotry is an intense and/or institutionalised form of prejudice, and that prejudice is a fairly natural human ‘tribal’ emotion, like love, loyalty, territorialism etc. These are all feelings and responses that nature has provided to help us live within our own tribes and to ensure the protection of the tribe.

However, human survival equally depends on our interaction with other tribes as well. So we also have natural ‘inter-tribal’ emotions like compassion, empathy, a sense of fairness, wanderlust, curiosity etc that enable us to also reach beyond our tribes.

I don't think we can ever eradicate bigotry. The important thing is to keep getting our 'tribal' and 'inter-tribal' balance right. :)

(PS Sharkfin, I don’t agree with your point about 'natural sexual aggression' in males, but maybe that’s best left to another discussion.)

So, bigotry is eradicated from society, then what?

<< So, bigotry is eradicated from society, then what? >>

Then no more race-baiting troll threads from TRUTHNOW78.

Sancho

I will pay you on your sharpness even though your interpretation of things is atrocious. The fact that many self righteous humanist despise anything about Christ does not make Him or His followers a victim. The real victims are those who are to self righteous to bow their knee to the only One who can save them.

Yes, we can all make a difference.

I agree with Dvir Abramovich's gentle 10 commandments.

I'm sure that the various t-shirts that were worn at
Cronulla did not help matters on that particular day.
T-shirts with messages that read - "We grew here You
flew here", "Wog free zone," or "Ethnic cleansing unit."

As Eva Sallis points out in her article, "Australians All,"
published in the New York Times, Dec. 2005, updated Nov. 2006.

"...I would not have liked any Asian, Italian or Greek-looking
Australian to have been on Cronulla Beach on that Sunday..."

"In the last five years there has been documented and
anecdotal evidence of a massive increase in harassment,
vilification and violence towards Australians of Arab
appearance...Prejudice creates what it fears, because
through prejudice young people's prospects are curtailed.
Young Arab Australians in Sydney struggle to get an education
and jobs and are increasingly ghettoized in poorer suburbs.
Their own families often live defensively and are highly
prejudiced about Australians..."

"What happened on Cronulla Beach tells us clearly that
Australia's self-inflicted wounds are festering..."

We need more education, less fear mongering, and not least,
honesty about the culture of racism that is so damaging us.

Foxy wrote: "What happened on Cronulla Beach tells us clearly that Australia's self-inflicted wounds are festering...

We need more education, less fear mongering, and not least, honesty about the culture of racism that is so damaging us."

Rather than erasing "racism" (whatever that means these days) and creating tolerance, don't you find it strange that diversity seems to be in fact breeding more hatred and resentment?

I mean, who would have guessed that cramming together people from vastly different ethnic and cultural backgrounds creates animosity and tension? Animosity and tension that wouldn't have existed if these totally unrelated peoples weren't forced to live together within the same territory in the first place.

The harsh truth is that throughout history, conflict — not harmony — has been the rule wherever and whenever two or more well-defined ethnic groups have inhabited the same territory. Those who believe that Australia is somehow an exception to this rule are deluding themselves.