Intolerance

There is also a movie called Intolerance. See Intolerance (movie).

Intolerance is the lack of ability or willingness to tolerate something.

In a medical sense, intolerance refers to the inability to ingest medications or foodstuffs without harmful allergic (or other) reactions.

In a social or political sense, it is the absence of tolerance toward others of differing viewpoints. As a social construct, it is very much open to subjective interpretation.

For example, one of its current meanings in the American political sphere is "an expressed attitude of disagreement with another's views", with no direct action taken to squelch the opposing views or silence those who hold them. This definition is highly rhetorical, as it would imply a definition of its contrast, tolerance, as "an attitude of agreement". The irony is that tolerance can mean "disagreeing peaceably".

In its most extreme forms, intolerance can lead to violence which escalates to murder, sexual assault, and genocide. Possibly the most famous example in Western culture is the Holocaust.

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prevents the federal government from silencing hate speech, which can be defined as expression of intolerance without criminal action.

Common forms of intolerance include racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism and religious intolerance.

See also

• Discrimination
• Prejudice