Agreeing to Disagree

However well we get on with someone, sometimes we just don’t agree. Whether working with colleagues or having a conflict in our personal lives, these tips may help to respectfully manage differences with a tolerant and understanding approach.

British Values – Mutual Respect and Tolerance

The Fundamental British Values underpin what it means to be a citizen in a modern and diverse United Kingdom. These values include:

Acceptance of other people’s opinions
Have understanding, empathy and compassion
Freedom of speech – we are allowed to express our opinions freely

The Equality Act – Protected Characteristics

The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Under the Equality Act, there are the nine protected characteristics:

Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Race
Religion or belief

Marriage or civil partnership
Sex
Sexual orientation
Pregnancy and maternity

What is Tolerance?

Tolerance implies respect for others and their opinions and beliefs, which may differ from one’s own. It is appreciation of varying backgrounds of others without any hostilities or prejudices. Tolerance is the foundation for fundamental freedoms and universal human rights enjoyed by people. It is also a tool for fostering peace and recognising that harmony can exist despite dissimilarities amongst people.

What is Intolerance?

Intolerance is the unwillingness to accept views, beliefs or behaviour that is different from one’s own. It implies a disregard for the diversity and pluralism present in society. It can assume various forms, such as discrimination, marginalisation and stereotyping of minority groups.

Intolerance is at its most dangerous when it is used for political purposes. Intolerance can arise from the desire to assert superiority over communities which are different from one’s own. It can also originate from a fight between communities over scarce resources. The resultant effect can be extreme hatred and conflict within such communities.

Competing ideologies built on the fear of ‘the other’ which blame groups of people for social, economic and political problems, have been at the root of many internal as well as cross-border conflicts across the world.

How Can Tolerance be Fostered?

Education – Ignorance about cultural, religious and ethnic diversity present around us can lead to insecurity. With education, there can be a better understanding of different traditions and beliefs and greater acceptance of them.

Legal framework – Strong and robust laws which punish acts of intolerance such as hate crimes and racial discrimination and which ensure equal access to law enforcement authorities and judiciary by all communities can ensure speedy justice for the victims.

Dismissing stereotypes – Stereotyping communities or having pre-set notions about them is often due to misinformation and fosters prejudices against different groups.