For whatever one random person in the world’s opinion is worth, I really don’t think most people are like this. In my experience, most people most of the time are kind and curious when meeting strangers and like to learn new things.
The problem is it doesn’t take anywhere near majority of people in an area to cause chaos, and when things get chaotic those natural tendencies towards kindness and curiosity get replaced by resentment and fear really quickly.
It’s not so much customs or religion at this point, just as the Troubles in Ireland weren’t really about religious belief. Rather, the religious identities mark distinct social groups, which have a history of discrimination, oppression, and terror against one another.
It’s not “You don’t believe in my God so I have to kill you” so much as “Your daddy killed my daddy, so my uncle killed your uncle, so now you and I have to try to kill each other too.”
Hatred toward those who don’t share your customs is unfortunately common.
For whatever one random person in the world’s opinion is worth, I really don’t think most people are like this. In my experience, most people most of the time are kind and curious when meeting strangers and like to learn new things.
The problem is it doesn’t take anywhere near majority of people in an area to cause chaos, and when things get chaotic those natural tendencies towards kindness and curiosity get replaced by resentment and fear really quickly.
It’s not so much customs or religion at this point, just as the Troubles in Ireland weren’t really about religious belief. Rather, the religious identities mark distinct social groups, which have a history of discrimination, oppression, and terror against one another.
It’s not “You don’t believe in my God so I have to kill you” so much as “Your daddy killed my daddy, so my uncle killed your uncle, so now you and I have to try to kill each other too.”