Globalization processes of the last hundred years have led to mass migrations and the emergence of heterogeneous societies, where representatives of different, sometimes completely incomprehensible cultures coexist side by side. All these processes in our time are increasingly leading to a discussion of the concept of "tolerance". What is it - good or bad? As a rule, the political forces of the racist andappeal to this concept
nationalist, calling for the expulsion of foreign elements from the country and the establishment of a mono-cultural and mono-ethnic society.
Tolerance. What is it 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 habituation. In relation to, for example, immunology, this meant a state of the body in which, for some reason, it cannot reproduce antibodies to certain antigens. Usually such inability is negative and literally means the body's inability to resist foreign elements. However, tolerance is sometimes necessary. For example, during the development of the fetus, it does not cause rejection in the mother's body. Ecologists call tolerance the abilityorganisms to adapt and survive in a very wide range of conditions. Also a very useful property.
Tolerance. What is it for society?
The above problems in building multicultural societies gave rise to an understanding of social tolerance as exclusively tolerance for foreigners. However, there are other types of it: for example, gender, political, educational, interclass, tolerance towards the disabled, 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 it good or bad?
This is the most discussed type of tolerance in today's society. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is already openly talking about the failure of the policy of multiculturalism, frankly nationalistic 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 of the ultra-right forces strongly and deliberately distort the concept
tolerance, presenting it not as a willingness to accept something new, but as a blind and resigned obedience to the negative trends associated with migration. Turning it into a vice and a laughing stock. However, in reality, tolerancedifferent skin color or acceptable cultural traditions does not at all imply tolerance for inappropriate acts of national minorities (like lezginka in public places), defiant behavior shown by them, or cultural manifestations that are inconsistent with local law and norms (like the introduction of Sharia norms). Another tool of the far right is the exploitation of the image of the Jews as the source of all troubles. However, a thoughtful look at the historical process dispels this myth, which aims 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, the Museum of Tolerance was opened in Moscow a year ago.
An important argument against the arguments of the racists are the studies of modern scientific authorities in the field of studying the phenomena of the nation and nationalism: Anthony Smith, Eric Hobsbawm, 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 interethnic problems is not racial differences at all, but ideological and social contradictions.
Muslim national minorities in France, Germany, Russia are at the stage of social development, when identification is extremely important, which pushes them to its widespread demonstration and fierce defense. While Western Europeans have already had two hundred years to play with the concept of the nation and move on to another stage of development (which is characterized by the transfer of power from national governmentsto 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 locking up societies (globalization is inevitable anyway), but in drawing the lagging behind into the processes of quality education, economic and social development.
