Having been a target of a frighteningly large number of people who held similarly militantly fundamentalist views for the majority of my time in high school, I can offer the following information:Ghost in the Shell wrote:I have personal experience in talking to people following some kind of fundamentalism (racism and anti-immigrant minded opinions). It was one of the worst experiences I have ever made, but it clearly showed me that it's nearly impossible to change their minds with things as punishment. You only give them the feeling to be some weird kind of martyrer and in their groups, they probably are.
1) Subsequent to inquiries about my particular beliefs, I attempted reasonable discourse with these individuals, but was not, in my estimation, truly heard. I was instead told that I was factually inaccurate, and doomed for being so. No amount of "proof" that I offered, or logical arguments that I attempted, in any way convinced them to change their minds or consider my opinion as either valid or at least a mistake I was entitled to make. Rather, they offered the argument that unless they could reform me, they too were doomed. This impasse continued until graduation. (As a note, I once considered myself a Christian, and to this day these individuals are why I will never call myself one again, despite a continued willingness to believe in Christ and his teachings).
2) I was made to fear physical violence from these individuals on more than one occasion. Additionally, several of the students made an effort to punish me in less physical ways. No amount of effort on my part to address this through the school was even remotely effective.
3) This was not limited to students, teachers also used intimidation tactics and bad logic to argue with me, particularly on the subject of 9/11. I was the only student in the school arguing the futility of a war on terror, and was literally ordered not to voice that opinion in one teacher's classroom, and had to sit in silence while the discussion continued lest I be punished. I did not take that well.
However... this does not mean that all people with fundamentalist views would behave similarly. This does not mean that all Christians are bad. It just means that I had bad experiences with a few hundred people who all fit a fairly tight grouping, and if I'm really honest I suppose that I gave them plenty of ammunition because I was just as determined not to back down on what I believed. It took time for me to realize that and to understand it, and even so I still feel genuine fear when I see small rural churches, or any overtly fundamentalist sentiment on a bumper sticker or something, or anyone wearing a cross.
It is much, much easier to believe bad of people than to believe good of them, probably because our tendency to classify started as a defense mechanism. I had enormous difficulty overcoming my fear of Christians even as much as I have, and I had the benefit of having been raised to value an open mind and to view and value people as individuals as much as possible (also, having been raised as at least a nominal part of the group I feared). But... what about all those individuals who weren't taught that, and were instead taught by words or example that a group of people is inferior, or not to be trusted, or dangerous? If there's already a teaching in place that a group of people are bad, it may take only one bad experience (if any) to prove that "true," while it might take countless examples to prove it isn't.
It is all well and good for us to say that we want to prevent bigotry and prejudice, but in doing so we must realize that we are passing a negative judgement on a group just as surely as any racist. Perhaps, rather than combatting bigotry or prejudice, we need to first focus on combating the tendency to ACT on such beliefs? That is the true source of the social problem, afterall... the interaction based on those beliefs. If there is a set standard for interaction despite the beliefs, and that standard is clearly defined and taught to us and enforced from childhood, then we might start seeing some social change even without actually preventing the classification that has been argued here as fundamental to human nature.
In fact, I think that even by something as simple as creating and enforcing rules for interaction in society (once called manners and taught without requirement), we can establish a remarkable shift in paradigm... one that teaches children to think in terms of, "You're entitled to believe anything you want, but your beliefs do not excuse you from treating your fellow man with courtesy and acceptance. Behaving in a courteous and accepting way is a requirement for participation in this society. You don't have to mean it, but you do have to do it because society depends on your good behavior to function." Imagine how drastically different this world would be if courtesy were once again valued above individual satisfaction?
^-^'
Edit: Oh hey, that new paradigm sounds remarkably familiar... maybe because it paraphrases the first rule on this board? ^-^'