The Intolerance Multiplier

If prejudice divides and weakens the working class, then capital owners can impose more inequality without fearing unified resistance. Frustrated workers turn on each other as scapegoats, blaming their economic hardship on diversity (in terms of race, religion, ethnicity, immigration status, age, gender, education, sexual preference, and so on). If a demagogue shifts the intolerance curve upward, a multiplier process ensues: intolerance causes inequality, and inequality causes intolerance. Religious nationalism, right-wing control of the media, or a facade of democracy will shift the resistance curve rightward. Under fascism, hate speech is reinforced by police power, so both curves shift. Liberal arts education and exposure to cultural diversity may counter these shifts.