Intolerance facts for kids

Intolerance means not accepting or respecting people who are different from you. It can also mean when your body has a bad reaction to certain foods or substances. This article will explain both meanings in a simple way.

What is Social Intolerance?

Social intolerance is when someone does not accept or respect the beliefs, practices, or differences of others. It means being unwilling to let others have their own ideas or ways of life. This can happen when people have strong feelings against those who are different from them.

Why Does Intolerance Happen?

Intolerance often comes from a lack of understanding or fear of things that are new or unfamiliar. People might feel uncomfortable with differences in culture, religion, appearance, or opinions. Sometimes, people learn intolerant ideas from others around them.

How Intolerance Affects People

When people are intolerant, it can lead to unfair treatment and discrimination. This means treating someone badly because of who they are. For example, it could be making fun of someone for their accent or excluding them because of their beliefs. Intolerance can make people feel sad, angry, or left out. It can also cause conflicts between groups of people.

Being Tolerant Instead

The opposite of intolerance is tolerance. Being tolerant means accepting and respecting others, even if they are different from you. It means understanding that everyone has a right to their own beliefs and ways of life. Learning about different cultures and ideas can help us become more tolerant. Being tolerant helps create a more peaceful and fair world for everyone.

What is Medical Intolerance?

Medical intolerance is different from social intolerance. It happens when your body has trouble handling certain foods or substances. It's not an allergic reaction, but it can still make you feel unwell.

Food Intolerance

One common type is food intolerance. This is when your body has difficulty digesting a specific food. For example, some people have lactose intolerance. This means their body cannot properly break down lactose, a sugar found in milk. If they eat dairy products, they might get stomachaches, gas, or bloating.

Symptoms of Medical Intolerance

Symptoms of medical intolerance can include:

• Stomach pain or cramps
• Bloating and gas
• Diarrhea
• Headaches
• Skin rashes

These symptoms usually appear a few hours after eating the problem food. It's important to know that medical intolerance is not the same as a food allergy. Allergies involve the immune system and can be very serious, even life-threatening. Intolerance is usually less severe.

Intolerance in Film

The word "Intolerance" has also been used as the title for a famous movie.

• Intolerance is a silent film from 1916. It was directed by D. W. Griffith. The movie tells four different stories from different time periods, all showing how intolerance has affected people throughout history. It was a very long and expensive film for its time.

See also

• Tolerance (disambiguation)