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Amsterdam has the reputation, if not the reality, of being the most tolerant large city. San Francisco and Berlin too, probably. Several other cities I would put on a par behind that... depending upon the neighbourhood, Toronto, London, NYC, LA, Vancouver, Sydney, and Melbourne.
Paris, maybe, if you keep your diversity off the street and out of sight. I see more tolerance in Ottawa.
The only Asian cities I can think of would be Bangkok and Manila. I have no knowledge of them to make a definite statement, but that would be my guess.
In Africa, I'd probably add Cape Town.
For the Middle East, it's easily Tel Aviv. I've heard positive things about Amman being relatively tolerant in comparison to the region as a whole. But still, I'm sure it's nothing like Tel Aviv and definitely nothing like a Western city.
Beirut is probably still the second most tolerant city in the Middle East despite all that's happened in the last decades with the sectarian war between Shias and Sunnis (it was what Tel Aviv is now back in the 50s, 60s and early 70s). I mean, it's been tolerant to the point of letting in hundreds of Palestinian (in the 60s) and Syrian (in the last few years; their number equals roughly one third of what used to be Lebanon's population pre-Syrian War) refugees and still having a religious and ethnically diverse country (although coexistent isn't always peaceful). After decades of war and conservativeness, the city is opening its arms again as the government has passed several laws to end bans on homosexuality and established the right to change gender, hopefully that's the first step to bring Beirut back to what it was
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Originally Posted by Gentoo
I'm not sure if ethnic and racial diversity is a good indicator. Some cities are VERY diverse in these areas but tensions between the groups runs very high. This is the case with Los Angeles.
When someone talk about "tolerance", San Francisco and Amsterdam are the two first cities which come to my mind.
Those are big cliches
San Francisco is one of the most segregated classist cities you'll ever encounter. It's a highly segregated by income and ethnicity city, so expensive you won't be able to afford it if you're not a middle class person with money saved up. Basically SFO is liberal in theory.... champagne liberals, that drink champagne, do yoga, are vegans and think everyone deserves an opportunity but would never go live next to a poor family, and look down on anyone who doesn't like the middle class things they like!
Amsterdam is known for its tolerance, but that is because of the tourists who go there and mostly hang around the red light district and other touristy areas like Rembrandt Square, and never really venture into the real Amsterdam, getting impression of this very free city.... Very few tourists venture outside the Disney land part of Amsterdam and into the REAL CITY where Amsterdammers live.... If you get out of the touristy part you'll notice the city quickly turns into this dull place with pretty much nothing to do. Usually very segregated, with the ethnic Dutch absent from ethnic enclaves and living in suburbias mostly separate from the migrants, not really an inclusive environment.
Last edited by shashesqwanna; 04-17-2016 at 04:01 AM..
San Francisco is one of the most segregated classist cities you'll ever encounter. It's a highly segregated by income and ethnicity city, so expensive you won't be able to afford it if you're not a middle class person with money saved up. Basically SFO is liberal in theory.... champagne liberals, that drink champagne, do yoga, are vegans and think everyone deserves an opportunity but would never go live next to a poor family, and look down on anyone who doesn't like the middle class things they like!
Amsterdam is known for its tolerance, but that is because of the tourists who go there and mostly hang around the red light district and other touristy areas like Rembrandt Square, and never really venture into the real Amsterdam, getting impression of this very free city.... Very few tourists venture outside the Disney land part of Amsterdam and into the REAL CITY where Amsterdammers live.... If you get out of the touristy part you'll notice the city quickly turns into this dull place with pretty much nothing to do. Usually very segregated, with the ethnic Dutch absent from ethnic enclaves and living in suburbias mostly separate from the migrants, not really an inclusive environment.
This map seems to confirm your impression of Amsterdam:
Immigrants or people of foreign descent seem to mostly live in neighbourhoods such as Osdorp, Slotermer, Bijlmer, Kolenkitburt, Overtoomseveld, Amsterdam Oost, Nieuwendaam, Ijplein, Buikslot, Buikslotermer. The map is either red (around 50-60%) or blue (0-15%). Dordrecht, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Nijmegen and Arnhem are the most balanced cities
This map seems to confirm your impression of Amsterdam:
Immigrants or people of foreign descent seem to mostly live in neighbourhoods such as Osdorp, Slotermer, Bijlmer, Kolenkitburt, Overtoomseveld, Amsterdam Oost, Nieuwendaam, Ijplein, Buikslot, Buikslotermer. The map is either red (around 50-60%) or blue (0-15%). Dordrecht, Eindhoven, Amersfoort, Nijmegen and Arnhem are the most balanced cities
Yeah I don't know why people can't see beyond Amsterdam red light district!
About San Francisco. America is too racially obsessed, too money obsessed to ever be tolerant! Americans are racial and money focused, they are just politically correct! No where in America is the most tolerant place in the world! San Francisco might look really tolerant to people from Texas, Mississippi, Kansas, etc. etc. and if you come from those places then the city is like hippie land, but the reality is that even in San Francisco people still see the world according to race, college degrees, income etc. etc. (America is such a robotic soulless place. Honestly I don't think I can live there)
"Tolerance" has to be defined. Tolerant of what, for example? If you think the U.S. (and San Francisco) are intolerant, well, please enlighten us. What are the countries and cities that you find to be so much more tolerant?
The cities that have been listed so far are well-known "touristy" global cities, sure, but they're ones where you're likely to find such things as non-traditional families (gay marriages, etc.); a large percentage of women with paid employment; tolerance of political activism; large percentages of diverse immigrant/ethnic communities (how segregated they live is certainly relevant, and integration differs from place to place); intentional communities such as communal coops, squats, etc.; a lot of diverse educational opportunities such as primary/secondary schools with alternative curriculums, plus universities and research institutes; and so on...
Yes, they're affluent Western cities with a lot of yuppies and even extremely wealthy residents, but that doesn't make them intolerant.
Mind you, you don't have to be in an enormous city with a global reputation to find tolerance either. There are less populous areas like some rural parts of the U.S. and Canada, where you'll find tons of hippie communities. Which isn't necessarily a sign of diversity or tolerance, when everyone in the area is of the exact same mind-set. They also tend to be very university-educated and white, so therefore quite homogenous.
Ottawa (population 1.3 million) is quite tolerant... very middle class, but otherwise diverse; well integrated ethnically; lots of opportunity for socio-economic mixing and for educational and career advancement. Lots of women and visible minorities are in positions of power and influence. There are many services and accommodations for people with disabilities. Tolerance of political activism has a long history. Transgender, non-binary and genderqueer residents are quite "out" and are employed in public-facing jobs.
"Tolerance" has to be defined. Tolerant of what, for example? If you think the U.S. (and San Francisco) are intolerant, well, please enlighten us. What are the countries and cities that you find to be so much more tolerant?
The cities that have been listed so far are well-known "touristy" global cities, sure, but they're ones where you're likely to find such things as non-traditional families (gay marriages, etc.); a large percentage of women with paid employment; tolerance of political activism; large percentages of diverse immigrant/ethnic communities (how segregated they live is certainly relevant, and integration differs from place to place); intentional communities such as communal coops, squats, etc.; a lot of diverse educational opportunities such as primary/secondary schools with alternative curriculums, plus universities and research institutes; and so on...
Yes, they're affluent Western cities with a lot of yuppies and even extremely wealthy residents, but that doesn't make them intolerant.
Mind you, you don't have to be in an enormous city with a global reputation to find tolerance either. There are less populous areas like some rural parts of the U.S. and Canada, where you'll find tons of hippie communities. Which isn't necessarily a sign of diversity or tolerance, when everyone in the area is of the exact same mind-set. They also tend to be very university-educated and white, so therefore quite homogenous.
Ottawa (population 1.3 million) is quite tolerant... very middle class, but otherwise diverse; well integrated ethnically; lots of opportunity for socio-economic mixing and for educational and career advancement. Lots of women and visible minorities are in positions of power and influence. There are many services and accommodations for people with disabilities. Tolerance of political activism has a long history. Transgender, non-binary and genderqueer residents are quite "out" and are employed in public-facing jobs.
What other cities would you list?
tolerance is not just racial, nor having a bunch of pretensious champagne liberals who often just live in their middle class bubbles!!
Tolerance towards the poor (Something america lacks often) is an example of tolerance not really found in america. Notice how american cities get gentrified and the poor are sent out flying! SFO is not tolerant (for America yes, for the world... no)
I find mexico city to be much more tolerant than any city in north America.
Buenos aires is also very tolerant
in Europe I find Madrid, Brussels (though its changing), Berlin, Cologne to be extremely tolerant.
tolerance is not just racial, nor having a bunch of pretensious champagne liberals who often just live in their middle class bubbles!!
Tolerance towards the poor (Something america lacks often) is an example of tolerance not really found in america. Notice how american cities get gentrified and the poor are sent out flying! SFO is not tolerant (for America yes, for the world... no)
I find mexico city to be much more tolerant than any city in north America.
Buenos aires is also very tolerant
in Europe I find Madrid, Brussels (though its changing), Berlin, Cologne to be extremely tolerant.
Tolerance of the poor is something that's not easy to find in the U.S. (or even Canada) due to the importance of promoting social opportunity, IMO. Upward mobility is still quite good in Canada, so anyone poor is discouraged from staying "stuck" in their circumstances. Rightly or wrongly. OTOH the poor aren't shunned... Ottawa almost has a glut of social services for the homeless, addicts, etc. in one spot downtown.
Also, the public housing isn't isolated in Ottawa, nor in any other Canadian city. It's deliberately sprinkled throughout the city, so the public housing residents are right beside affluent neighbourhoods full of professionals. Kids in public housing attend the same schools as the children of public servants. Even in the city core. The universities are full of immigrant kids, so people arrive with nothing, and their children are the next generation of public servants. White, black, brown, doesn't matter.
Tolerance of the poor, or a more relaxed attitude towards deprivation, might exist in places where the poverty is widespread and entrenched. Depends... in societies with strict social caste systems, "tolerance" of poverty is due to maintaining the caste system in place.
Tolerance of the poor is something that's not easy to find in the U.S. (or even Canada) due to the importance of promoting social opportunity, IMO. Upward mobility is still quite good in Canada, so anyone poor is discouraged from staying "stuck" in their circumstances. Rightly or wrongly. OTOH the poor aren't shunned... Ottawa almost has a glut of social services for the homeless, addicts, etc. in one spot downtown.
Tolerance of the poor, or a more relaxed attitude towards deprivation, might exist in places where the poverty is widespread and entrenched. Depends... in societies with strict social caste systems, "tolerance" of poverty is due to maintaining the caste system in place.
I don't think so, tolerance towards poverty exists anywhere there are large welfare systems who try to get people in difficult situations a chance to witness upward mobility. Canada and USA lack welfare and are steeped in liberism who tends to neglect the requests of the low and working classes
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