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How Stringent If-Then Statements Breed Intolerance
And how a more individualistic outlook prevents stereotyping
Introduction: A Divided World
I have recently begun writing ideological pieces designed to convey social messages about which I feel passionate. These essays will likely not find a wide audience, they will definitely not become mainstream. But I feel it is important to be true to oneself and use one’s platform, no matter how negligible, to spark discourse about critical issues. With that in mind, today I want to discuss intolerance and stereotyping.
Hate speech is on the rise worldwide. In India alone there was a 45% increase in hate speech in 2023. Hate speech is the expression of intolerance and in this article I want to address the root thought pattern behind intolerance. First a bit of background: in computer programming, if-then statements are when a programmer asks the program to return a particular response if a particular condition is fulfilled.
For instance, in the case of a simple BMI calculator, which is the extent of my programming knowledge, the user enters their height and weight and the program calculates their BMI. If the value is greater than a certain number the program displays the user is overweight. If the value is under that number, they are…
