[Basic] Disadvantage of the Week: Intolerance

[Dalillama]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

"Willfully ignorant" sounds vague, and very easily abused. Who decides what's so obvious as to require someone who doesn't understand to be doing it "willfully"?

Try imagining that with any concept now, and you're going to get arguments. The only issue I can think of that nearly all of us can agree fits is the flat Earth "theory".

Antivaxxers spring immediately to mind.

[RogerBW]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think its about attitude rather than about any particular question. I think its about people who won't engage in a debate about an issue but won't take your word for it either.

Thing is, though, if you are a flat-earther and you talk to me about it, I'm neither going to engage in a debate nor take your word for it. :)

An Intolerance for people like me in this situation could well be valid, but I don't think I'd write it down as "wilfully ignorant" even if that's how you might think of it yourself.

It's also tricky because with most Intolerances you can tell if someone's a target without interacting with them - they're aristos, Native Americans, Germans, Catholics, women. If you have to come to me and do your sales pitch, and then dislike me if I don't listen… it's stretching the definition a bit.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

"Willfully ignorant" sounds vague, and very easily abused.

Do you think I'm a GURPS character? All properly balanced and point accounted?

;)

Originally Posted by ericthered

I think its about attitude rather than about any particular question.

It is... but it's more about an intense dislike for people who refuse to learn how to do something properly, that would prefer to keep just screwing it up knowing someone else will come along and fix it for them.

[Pursuivant]

Intolerance is the defining disad for many villains. It's also an unfortunate aspect of many realistic historical characters, even otherwise extremely sympathetic people (e.g., St. Francis of Assisi had a serious blind spot when it came to non-Christians).

I've always assumed that Intolerance is defined by the character's other traits.

A basically good person with Intolerance is willing to live and let live but gets distinctly uncomfortable when having to deal with people of the hated group. This leads to social exclusion and willingness to believe the worst about a particular group. Realistically, many people in dominant social groups have this sort of Intolerance, even if they don't realize it. "I've got nothing against X people, I just don't feel comfortable having them in my neighborhood/ business/ kid's school/hospital/ family."

Someone with additional antisocial disads is the stereotypical villainous bigot who goes out of his way to bully or harm members of the hated group. Add Bully, Callous, Odious Personal Habit, and/or Sadism to create a monster.

From a game mechanical point of view, there are three problems with Intolerance.

First, it should be a leveled trait. Add "Mild Intolerance" which gives a -1 penalty to reactions for -5 points.

Second, Intolerance should use the Rare, Uncommon, Common, etc. mechanics per disads such as Phobia or Vulnerability if you just hate a particular group of people.

Rare or Very Rare Group: -1
Uncommon Group: -3
Common Group: -5
Everyone: -10

Halve costs for Mild Intolerance, down to a minimum of -1 point.

Third, Intolerance doesn't take further social consequences into account.

Special Enhancements
Dangerous: The group(s) you hate can easily and effectively retaliate against you - either directly or indirectly. For example, you might be a poor revolutionary who openly hates the upper classes, a frail civilian who openly expresses his contempt for members of the military, or a member of a subjugated species who openly defies his alien overlords. Add +25% if members of the group are easily capable of retaliating via non-violent or indirect means, +50% if they are willing to use physical violence, or +100% if they are likely to use effective lethal force against you.

Socially Unacceptable: Most other members of your society don't share your Intolerance and react badly when they learn of your beliefs, just as if they were members of the group you hate. This is an enhancement worth +25% if many people who observe your Intolerance react badly, or +50% if everyone who observes your behavior reacts in a negative fashion. However, as long as you don't indulge your Intolerance people outside the hated group don't react badly. If your Intolerance is recognized and condemned even when you're not in the presence of the hated group, you have a separate bad Reputation for Intolerance.. Base the size of the group on the number of people in your society who oppose your Intolerance, and Frequency of Recognition based on how notorious you are for your beliefs.

Special Limitations
Defenseless: Reduce the cost of Intolerance by -25% if the group you hate has limited ability to retaliate or defend themselves (e.g., a rich and powerful person who hates members of a poor and socially ostracized group), -50% if the group you hate is usually defenseless against your intolerance, or by -80% if they have no way to strike back (e.g., you're a god or superhero who hates some group of ordinary people.)

Socially Acceptable: Most, if not all, members of your society share your Intolerance. This gives you more opportunities to express your Intolerance, provides you with allies to attack members of the hated group, and, most importantly, makes it harder for members of the hated group to retaliate. Reduce the cost of your Intolerance by -25% if the majority of people in your society share your beliefs, or -50% if almost everyone in your society shares your views.

Arguably, Intolerance might take a variation of the Resistible limitation if you are capable of making a Self-Control roll to resist your behavior. This limitation would be handy for "recovering" or unintentional bigots.

Finally, it might make sense to add the Linked enhancement to certain disadvantages, so that when you're affected by one disad others are automatically triggered.

For example, if you're normally a nice person but always turn into a Bully when confronted by people you hate, buy Bully with Accessibility: Only against X people, -80%, Linked: Intolerance, +10% and no self-control roll to resist (x2.5 cost) [8 points]

[jason taylor]

Paul Johnson in History of Christianity noted that late Renaissance Intolerance could be quirky. So that for instance one Churchman might believe there was a witch around every corner in league with the devil, but Jews were just neighbors. Another Churchman by contrast would absolutely hate Jews but think witches were just ridiculous folklore that could hardly be proved in any given instance and Such Things Don't Happen Now anyway.

[David Johnston2]

One of my variant breeds of elf, the "Fair Folk" are intolerant of ugliness which means they react negatively to Average Appearance or less...unless the person in question is a skilled artist who makes beautiful things.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Pursuivant

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Special Enhancements
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Special Limitations
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I don't know. Your descriptions make a lot of sense. OTOH, I have always preferred using existing Advantages/Disadvantages in a modular way, rather than reworking them so extensively. It's not a preference for the RAW for its own sake, but rather my preoccupation that I might inadvertently unbalance things.

In the cases above, I'm under the impression that much of what you propose might be handled, though not as finely, through existing Traits.
For instance, if a behavior is socially unacceptable, then that's just an Odious Personal Habit you should add to the character sheet. If a group you despise is capable and willing to react against you in practice, that's an Enemy. If your Intolerance is socially acceptable, then probably it's just that the group you hate has Social Stigma or Bad Reputation. And so on.