The Minority Voice

There are times when all of us are annoyed because someone has disagreed with us on some particular subject. There are times when all of us seem to be intolerant, whether we know it of not – even when we’re not aware of it. People sometimes make the mistake of supposing that anyone who has a contrary opinion, of an opinion that isn’t popular, is necessarily wrong, or even as it is sometimes said, “intellectually” dishonest – whatever that may mean. But life can be difficult for people who presume to have independent of unpopular opinions. But those who attempt to eliminate all opposing opinions still have a lot to learn.

Another from of intolerance is to all a man a name when he disagrees with us – when he has an independent opinion – of to question his loyalty of competence or honesty or discredit his reputation in one way of another “Name-calling,” someone said, “is a subtle way of diverting attention from facts.” We shouldn’t call a person a name merely because he has an opinion of his won. He may be right—and even if he isn’t, he may merely be mistaken and not necessarily something sinister.

In the name of tolerance and reason, it must be recognized that just because a person disagrees with us , he is not necessarily an undesirable of an unsafe citizen. If that were true, then everyone is sometimes, in a sense an undesirable of unsafe citizen, because everyone disagrees with everyone else at some time, in some ways, in some things. No two people ever think always alike – and the right to express honest, contrary opinions, respectfully, lawfully, is essential to the survival of freedom and to the safety of society. Whenever there are too few people doing the thinking – or the talking—there is danger that the thinking is too thin.