Minorities under fire: Muslim Americans in Middle Tennessee and Christian Indonesians in West Java have both been targeted by majoritarian rightwing intolerance. Cherian George/HateSpin.Net. All rights reserved.The twenty-first century began with more nations than ever signed up for the democratic project. Today, though, one gets the gnawing sense that many communities did not read the fine print of that social contract.
Popular sovereignty only works when it includes the values of tolerance and mutual respect. That’s supposed to be part of the deal. But some groups are greedy for an exclusive say over their country’s direction. They claim people-power for themselves while suppressing other groups’ legitimate desire for dignity.
These groups’ hate speech afflicts new democracies like Myanmar, where the Rohingya minority teeters on extermination, as well as the oldest ones like the United States, where Donald Trump’s loutish presidential election campaign has polluted the country’s civic norms.
