To not know what a Bigot is.

[topcat2014]

Now, I have a rough idea:

A bigot is for example: racist, homophobic..

But - is this a fluid concept according to the thinking of the day?

What else counts as a bigot?

I genuinely do not know..

awaits bollocking from MN

To me a bigot is someone who hates a group of people for no other reason than one characteristic of that group (ie religion, race, sexuality, gender)

Having grown up in the west of Scotland the word bigot is very relevant to Protestant/Catholic divides which sadly haven’t moved on since god was a boy.

To me, you are a bigot if you have a fixed opinion about something which isn't going to be changed by reasoned argument or evidence to the contrary.

It's often used in the context of race or religion, but it could be anything.

Lessworried, you do know Charlie Hebdo isn't a person, don't you?

@driveinsaturday yes do. I should have written the journalists working at Charlie Hebdo. Does that invalidate my point ?

Notreallyarsed see that would have been my old view. But 'hatred' hasn't been required for a long time, has it? I mean racism was inferred a couple of days ago racism? in what appears to be a misunderstanding. And in both UK and US bakers and wedding planners have been convicted for refusing to bake wedding cakes for gay couples.

I don't allow the children to use 'I hate' about people because of the (metaphorical) violence of the language. I'm not sure I'd call either of those examples hatred. But they are generally held to be bigotry in our progressed and enlightened society.

I think that society seems to be full of intolerance and prejudices. Made all the easier by the anonymity of the internet and by it sadly being peddled by world leaders. This thread has really made me think to be honest. The first thing that springs to my own mind when I hear bigot is an Orangeman with a bowler hat and sash, but that’s because of my own experiences. I guess it’s all relative to our own experiences in the end isn’t it?

It is a French surname- one branch of my distant family have that as a surname. Pronounced differently. Very grateful to them though for all the genealogy they have carried out- fascinating and it could fill more than one episode of Who Do You Think You Are.