Wha? Did I just stumble through some sort of portal into an alternate universe? Tree-hugging, cardigan-wearing, biodegradeable and inoffesively centre-left paper the Guardian has just published an Op-Ed on why China is
insufficiently intolerant.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/01/intolerance-virtue
QuoteFor centuries Great Britain has served as a safe haven for refugees from political persecution. The reason Britain has been so attractive is its long tradition of political tolerance. This is history Britain ought to be proud of, even if it has been abused by people such as Karl Marx.
What made Britain unique was that the British public was tolerant of larger issues such as politics and religion while remaining decidedly intolerant of petty issues. The curtain-twitching disapproval of "alternative lifestyles" remained strong in Britain until the 60s generation rebelled against such moral sternness. While Britain in the 50s was a repressive society in many ways that many could not accept, just because Britain has a proud tradition of tolerance, it does not mean that intolerance does not have its own advantages.
To see what a society looks like when tolerance goes wild, observers only have to look at southern Europe or much of the third world. China shows what a socially tolerant society looks like. While China is not tolerant of political differences, the people are generally tolerant of behaviours that would not be acceptable in Britain. In China, smoking, talking loudly, using mobile phones in theatres or restaurants is perfectly normal behaviour. This is extended to a nearly complete indifference to public spaces and to other people that comes as a surprise to any newly arrived visitor to the People's Republic. Driving in China is usually a shock even to those used to third world traffic as other drivers simply ignore anything not a direct danger to themselves.
Breaking news: China is the height of tolerance. Also, the 1960s is responsible for litter, and why MPs are dicks.
Wild guess: someone's still pissed about getting road - raged in China.