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Leanna Smith
Professor Blackie
ENG 1010 CRN # 11656
25 March 2014
WP 3 Final
Word Count: 1547
Our Intolerant World
Three articles, while not related at first glance, all show an intolerant world in turmoil. The first
article, The Compassion Gap shows a society that hasnt quite gotten over the class system. The second
article, Elderly Womans Killing Lays Bare Myanmars Religious Divisions shows a different kind of
intolerance, men killing others for believing differently. The last article, Report exposes sexual abuse of
UK minorities sheds light on the sexual abuse of minority girls in the United Kingdom. Together, these
articles, through prejudice of race, religion, and economic standing, shed light on intolerance and hatred
in the world today.
In the first article, The Compassion Gap, Nicholas Kristof returns to a previous article he had
written. This article discussed a little boy from West Virginia who had speech and developmental
problems because of an undetected hearing problem. In the previous article, he showed a picture of this
little boy sitting with his mom, reading a book together. Instead of seeing a devoted mother and son,
many of the readers felt the need to judge how she was as a mother based on her weight and the fact she
had tattoos. One reader wrote, You show a photograph of a fat woman with tons of tattoos all over that
she paid for and then we boohoo- have to worry about the fact that her children arent cared for
properly? (Kristof, Par. 3). Kristof suggests, Such outrage at a doting mom based on her appearance
suggests the myopic tendency in our country to blame poverty on the poor, to confuse economic
difficulties with more failures, to muddle financial lapses with ethical ones (Kristof, Par. 6).
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Discrimination on the basis of race and gender are still an issue in present society, as is prejudice based on
income and social status. People who are well off tend to look down on or pity those who are down on
their luck or have made bad choices. Studies have shown the poor to be more generous than the wealthy.
Kristof then tells of another West Virginian, who generously shares her trailer with families in need. She
has plenty to learn from middle-class Americans about financial planning, but wealthy people have plenty
to learn from her about compassion (Kristof, Par. 12). Every circumstance is different; some have lost
jobs due to the economy, and some have gotten hooked on drugs, or lost their families. Everyone has a
story, but the children have not had the opportunity to make those decisions concerning his/her situation.
Those children have to deal with the cards they have been dealt. Perhaps showing a little more
compassion to those in need, no matter their circumstances, would help make the world a little better.
Myanmar, home to a religious upheaval between the Buddhist population and the smaller Muslim
community is the setting for Thomas Fullers article, Elderly Womans Killing Lays Myanmars
Religious Divisions. Fuller focuses on a small village, Thabyu Chaing on the coast of Myanmar. This
village was home to a mixture of Muslims and Buddhists living side by side, in harmony, until October 1,
2013. A mob of Buddhists, influenced by the radical group 969, attacked this village, armed with
machetes and knives. 969 had given a sermon in April, close to the village, advising flags to be put out in
the front of Buddhist houses. These flags allowed the mob to know which houses to spare during the
attack. One of the victims, a partially paralyzed 94-year-old Muslim woman was stabbed 6 times and died
along with 4 other Muslim villagers. Fuller explains, The media reported these deaths as casualties
without offering any details (Fuller, Par. 5). Despite Myanmar having a large military, when the villagers
had called police and military to ask for help after hearing of a mob on its way, only one vehicle arrived
to help. This vehicle left before the attack and killing of 5 occurred in midmorning. Officials have been
seen as unsympathetic and a rapporteur with the UN, Toms Ojea Quintana, has criticized the
government for the failure of security forces to intervene in the repeated bouts of violence against
Muslims (Fuller, Par. 17). The leader of the 969, Ashin Wirathu, is known for being anti-Muslim.
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Contradicting accounts of the incident from well-known members of the Buddhist community are still
coming up adding fire to the rivalry.
In the last article, Asian and Muslim girls in the UK are shown to be vulnerable to sexual
exploitation. The article, Report exposes sexual abuse of UK minorities breaks the stereotype that
sexual exploitation is solely a problem for white women. Gavin OToole argues: Asian and Muslim girls
may be the most vulnerable group in UK society. These girls are less likely to come forward with reports
of abuse because of complex cultural and social reasons (OToole, Par. 7). Predators in their family,
fathers and uncles, being the most common, tend to be the first attackers for many of these victims. From
there, these girls get blackmailed with shame and dishonor, in order to freely pass them around without
threat of being caught. Other instances may begin with an older man paying boys of similar ages, keeping
on the lookout for pretty, vulnerable girls. These girls are fed alcohol and drugs so they wont remember
what happened and, therefore, would be unable to report the incidents. These minorities are an easier
target explains head of strategy at NSPCC, Jon Brown:
Minority and ethnic communities dont access mainstream services as readily or as easily as other
communities, meaning that all these factors can compound the situation and make BME (black
and ethnic minority groups) children vulnerable to child sexual abuse and exploitation (qtd. in
OToole, Par. 19).
The NSPCC hopes more awareness and education for parents and families of the threats will bring this to
a stop.
Intolerance is hereditary. It is passed down from generation to generation. The world today is
more integrated than it has ever been before. We have people of all different financial, ethnic, religious
backgrounds living in the same areas. Yet, still there are murders over religion, girls targeted for their
ethnicity and vulnerability, and the rich blaming poverty on the poor (Kristof, Par. 6). What hope do
our children have? What kind of world are we going to leave them with? This is a global epidemic; no
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country is safe from the wrath of intolerance. These three articles, while dealing with different problems,
all stem from the same root of hatred. These articles show extreme examples of hate and intolerance.
Most people in our culture today dont have to worry about being killed for having a different religion or
being sexually abused by those that are supposed to love and support us. More commonly experienced is
judging others based on appearance, social status, finances, and education. Those who are successful are
respected, but those who have fallen on hard times are condemned. The children suffer the most; these
feelings are taught from an early age and carried with them throughout life.
The solution to this problem is to practice tolerance. Every individual has different feelings,
beliefs, and opinions. No two are alike, yet all should be equal. The judging needs to stop. No individual
can know anothers complete story. Its important to take a step back and try to see things from another
perspective. The restaurant industry is one example of where we can find prejudices in full force. As a
manager of a restaurant, everyday people from all walks of life come in. From the moment his or her foot
steps in the door, its guaranteed someone has judged this individual on whether or not he or she will be a
good customer purely based on how they look. This is a very mild example of prejudice, but one that is
very common. Kristof finishes his article saying:
The tattoos that readers saw on Truffles are mostly old ones, predating Johnny, and she is
passionate about helping him. Thats why she enrolled him in a Save the Children program that
provides books that she reads to him every day. In that trailer in Appalachia, I dont see a fat
woman with tattoos; I see a loving mom who encapsulates any parents dreams for a child
(Kristof, Par. 18).
Its imperative to think about the unknown story behind the person, before judging them.
Ultimately, through the examples shown of prejudice based on race, religion, and economic
standing, these articles shed light on an intolerant world in turmoil. Only by every person coming together
and trying to understand, or at the least tolerate each other will the hate stop. Its important to remember
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theres a story behind each face. Until that story is known, there is no right to judge. Perhaps shown a
little compassion, an individuals perception of others can be influenced or changed.

















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Works Cited
Fuller, Thomas. Elderly Womans Killing Lays Bare Myanmars Religious Divisions. The New York
Times, 9 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 March 2014.
Kristof, Nicholas. The Compassion Gap. The New York Times, 1 March 2014. Web. 17 March 2014.
OToole, Gavin. Report Exposes Sexual Abuse of UK Minorities. The Nation, 28 September 2013.
Web. 18 March 2014.