If they pull a gun on you and you happen to be packing (and a quick shot) and shoot em dead, that does NOT bring you down to their level.
What if they start by shouting “He’s got a gun!” and then pulling a gun and firing at you? And then what happens if the news media reports the killing as “Brave hero defends neighborhood against armed criminal” while encouraging other people to behave in a similar fashion? And then what happens if the people shouting “He’s got a gun!” and shooting, as an excuse to engage in a kind of localized ethnic cleansing or social repression, are members of and friends with the local police department?
How do you resolve the paradox of tolerance when you aren’t in a position physical, social, or political of dominance?
What if they start by shouting “He’s got a gun!” and then pulling a gun and firing at you? And then what happens if the news media reports the killing as “Brave hero defends neighborhood against armed criminal” while encouraging other people to behave in a similar fashion? And then what happens if the people shouting “He’s got a gun!” and shooting, as an excuse to engage in a kind of localized ethnic cleansing or social repression, are members of and friends with the local police department?
How do you resolve the paradox of tolerance when you aren’t in a position physical, social, or political of dominance?