It seems difficult to be tolerant these days, especially in Belgium. According to a study by the youthresearchplatform it seems that 20% of Flemish youngsters find that Muslims shouldn’t be allowed to practice their beliefs. And another (or maybe they are the same) 20% of Flemish youngsters even consider Muslims to be criminals. This is not a one way street of course, since it seems that half of Muslim youth in Belgium agrees with the idea that gay marriage should be forbidden - worse even, 25% feels that they have the right to physically harm people of the gay community!
These are all dark, and we think, real scary ideas which have no place among modern societies. Don’t we have enough economical and social problems to deal with instead of focusing on racism towards other people? Because basically, that’s what we are: people. Maybe with other beliefs, skin colour, sexuality,... but human beings nonetheless. If we really are the superspecies we all pretend to be, why isn’t it possible for us to co-exist peacefully together? During this time of globalization and unity, it seems we are only focused on the survival of the group we belong to -and all the others are wrong, to be hated and ridiculed.
And even though the mastermind behind this research, professor Mark Elchardus, believes that the idea of “everyone coming together as one is just some romantic bullshit”, we think that the bullshit lies entirely in his camp and we won’t give up. It’s our time to change the future. So how about we show the world that most young people aren’t as bad as they are described in this research project? Shock with kindness and awe with compassion, we say!
