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If tolerance is to ever be a reality people will have to learn to accept that other people have different beliefs to them and that they express these beliefs in a different manner.

For the most part a festival to express what you believe is not going to be something that is designed to disparage or attack another group. If we constantly make people feel bad about wanting to express what they hold to be true, and let those who wish to censor feel that they have won some kind of moral victory then we are going to build a neurotically over-sensitive culture where difference is something that becomes unacceptable.

Of course if you are talking about the beliefs of certain hate-groups being allowed then that is a different matter. This is not going to be acceptable and there should be an easy way to determine whether said festival or group are going to be problematic - their focus will not be about celebrating themselves or their beliefs but about denigrating and attacking others.

When children can't have a Santa come to their school because it might offend someone, something is wrong. We should design the world so that every experience is seen as something that is enriching and interesting - this may sound idealistic but it is not unrealistic, it is not impractical, and it is not hard to put into effect.

Learn more about this author, Paul Grimsley.
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