lenyberry:

leofgyth:

froborr:

tinsnip:

Don’t assume malice. Assume ignorance. Life is easier, the world is kinder, and you can educate. Actual malice is pretty rare, I find. 

Always remember Hanlon’s Razor–”Never assume malice when incompetence will suffice as an explanation.”

That’s said, never forget Fred Clark’s Law, either: “Sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.” There’s a certain point at which ignorance becomes malice–at which there is simply no way to become that ignorant except deliberately and maliciously.

This second one. Ignorance, once brought to the attention of the ignorant, becomes malice when they refuse to change. Ignorance is okay but willful ignorance is not.

There’s also the thing where some people who might be entirely decent in one environment can get utterly nasty in others, because they just kind of “follow the crowd”. 

Which, sure, that’s not an ideal way to live one’s life, and it leaves one susceptible to easily falling in with bigots, asshats, and general negative nellies… but it’s A Thing. 

And people who are Like That can often be reached, and encouraged to behave better, by just existing in their sphere while being generally decent. And sometimes by explaining how certain attitudes and behaviors are hurting people around them. Which also works well on the genuinely ignorant.