Hate crimes...

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Yes indeed, and have you noticed that the people who pride themselves most on being "open-minded" are often the same ones who can't abide anybody having a different opinion to them?

Extreme right wing and left wings are both ignorant, people who cannot objectively deal with facts because theyr afraid it might compromise their already-decided ideologies (for the right it's a radical form of Christianity and for the left it's a radical form of political correctness). Generally people are just too lazy minded to analyze situations themselves, and go for the "easy" and "convenient" opinion that is already made for them by whichever label they choose to follow. Basically all their opinions are made for them by "the tribe". Any evidence against it is "heresy" or "blasphemy". Logic is the enemy because it reveals the wholes in their ideologies. America is rife with bias issues and a blatant addiction to ignorance.
The right calls their ignorance "morality", the left calls their ignorance "open minded" or "progressive" or "free thinking". But in both cases they are anything but what they claim to be.

Honestly I think, sub-consciously, people are afraid of being alone or being alienated. Of coarse, being Aspergian this was not much of a big thing for me because I am alone and alienated either way, so I've had the luxury to stand on the outside looking in, and honestly I feel like Dr. Phil in a way, trying to call the shots in a dysfunctional society.

Of coarse being "open minded" doesn't mean excepting negative, hateful points of view. Does one have to be "open minded" to accept the Nazi point of view as valid?

No. But to debate it on its merits one probably does.

Well that being said, Hitler did improve Germany's economy greatly, but it still does not change the fact that he murdered over 7,000 people, persecuted scores of Jews, disabled, political dissidents, Czechs, Polish, etc, hell he used human beings for eugenics experiments. Rather his system was effective or not is beside the point.

Doesn't sound TOO bad. Only a few thousand dead?
And persecuting scores of people? Heh, Bush does
better than that.

I can think of five songs everyone should be listening to, and take note of the lyrics -

Melting Pot - Blue Mink 1970,
United We Stand - Brotherhood Of Man 1970,
Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel 1969,
Lay Down (Candles In The Rain) - Melanie 1970,
Imagine - John Lennon 1971.

These would have just as much meaning today as they had when they were released. Unfortunately, some of the meaning will be lost on the rednecks and fundamentalists who can't seem to think of anything other than their own ideals.

I suppose belonging to a minority group can make someone react in a way that it wouldn't look too much open-minded for some, feeling oneself rejected, alienated and insulted, can make one react in a certain way, you can see similar reactions here on the forum when it comes to a few posts considered mysoginists, I suppose that should be understandable, wouldn't it? at least knowing where this come from and why, that could make it more understandable. She has debated before, and it has been with good arguments.

As for me, I'm not sure where I am here, I wouldn't consider myself "open-minded" enough, I would like to, but maybe I am not capable enough, though I support tolerance, the hate crimes thing seems reasonable to me, I know it doesn't sound like that to others. Obviusly there is a little history between hadron and me, so that was more personal, I know I shouldn't have done that, but I wouldn't have talk like that to anyone I'm not familiar with just because supports other ideas.