Why are students perceived as open and tolerant?

Everybody is told, 'you'll be fine at uni, everybody is tolerant there and they'll love you for who you are.' - Pretty sure I've seen statements to that effect on this site multiple times, and probably been told it myself too.

However a quick perusal of this site shows at least a large minority dislike/discriminate against:

- Mentally ill people
- Fat people
- Jews
- Homosexuals
- Transsexuals
- Israelis
- Muslims
- Opposite genders

Obviously this varies from mild dislike to burning hatred.

So is this representative of students as a whole, or are students on tsr simply worse? Does university policy simply hide such discrimination without properly addressing it?

I don't think this is unique to TSR. As we all know, Audience + Anonymity + Contrary Opinion = Troll.

If you give a platform for people to express themselves in this way, it will be exploited. There's very little consequence for it. It's like playing Cards Against Humanity, with yourself - you get the consternation of the disgusted majority, but it's just meaningless words on a screen, and the "Coathanger Abortions" card, when teamed up with the right black card is still hilarious.

Normal society makes it socially unacceptable for people to express their vile opinions, but that doesn't stop them thinking about it, or worse, (un)consciously discriminating against people because of it. University students have just got a lot more to lose if they get called out as a bigot or a bully,

These opinions are probably far more prevalent than we'd like to admit.

Compared to most secondary schools, university is a lot more tolerant. It isn't a perfect utopia by any means but it is usually a much more accepting environment.

I also don't think it's unique to tsr. The point I'm trying to get at is bolded in your final line.

Often the result of such bigoted opinion can be catastrophic. I knew a girl [born a guy] at Cambridge who killed herself due to the hate, and if you look at this thread the poll indicates that fat people have been taught to hate themselves as some sort of vile disease.

Eating disorders, poor mental health, all indicative of this sort of attitude.

If attitudes are so prevalent, should we not be addressing them head on instead of brushing them under the carpet?

I absolutely agree, but how do you propose to address a hidden issue like this? Is it even possible to change people's opinions on some of these things? I've certainly never genuinely persuaded a homophobe to accept homosexuality.

It is, but that isn't necessarily due to people suddenly realising that their opinions were awful and intolerant. As samba pointed out, the environment seems more accepting, but only because people are strictly mandated to (appear to) accept and be tolerant because the university regulations are strict and the financial (and reputational) consequences of breaking those regulations are severe.

I don't know; I think some people do shed some of the ignorant views they only went along with because of peer pressure. Obviously there will still be some racists/sexists/homophobes at universities but I think some of the discrimination that takes place in a school environment is to seem "cool" & fit in. Away from people they've known since they were 11 or younger, people have a chance to look at their own views independently and reassess what they think. The hardcore racists/sexists/homophobes will still have their intolerant views but those who were more just swept up in the pressures of school can genuinely have a change of heart.

I think what Mad Vlad is saying is that there is actually more pressure at university, not only from peers (the social consequences of an adult being deemed intolerant are severe), but from society and, more importantly, the university. Students are essentially bullied into appearing tolerant so that they don't face the repercussions, thus universities are actually more about being pressured into appearing 'cool' and 'tolerant' than secondary school.

TSR is filled with students that don't get out much. The ones that don't like to party every waking minute and they quite clearly don't drink like the average student.

So you think there's causation between not getting out much and being more discriminatory, and those who are out more are more open and accepting?

- Mentally ill people
- Fat people
- Jews
- Homosexuals
- Transsexuals
- Israelis
- Muslims
- Opposite genders