What in your opinion is true narrow-mindedness?

Let’s say a person knows a person for some time and they like them enough and think they’re great and the friendship is good. Then they find out their friend is gay and despite all else they know about a person, they stop being friends with them because they simply can not get over this ‘issue’ – that’s true narrow-mindedness.

Thinking that an answer in General that is “humorous” is therefore illegitimate, and modding accordingly.

I know a nice young lady whose interests span golf, televised sports, shopping, and how much she wants to move back to California. Conversation lags.

Racism is a good example. These people that stay in one town for their whole life and do not attempt to learn anything about the outside world, just assuming everyone is the same and will never change.

I feel sorry for them because it was taught to them, they do not know any better or refuse to try to learn when they get older.

It’s truly narrow-minded to make generalizations about political, social, cultural, racial or religious groups.
Ditto to believe one’s God is the one true God.
Ditto to believe science and religion are incompatible.

Why are people narrow-minded. Lots of reasons, but one that comes instant to mind is that some people feel safe holding tightlyy to what they were taught by parents, teachers, rabbis, ministers, etc.

@Austinlad The bit about God actually comes down to conviction, not narrow-mindedness. Not believing that one’s God is the one true God is like not believing that you’re the one true Austinlad.

Political liberalism.

Basically, I believe having a strong opinion about anything one has not tried or experienced themselfs, especially when saying “I don’t need to try it, I just know”, is being narrow minded.
My exapmle is this one evening my uncle had started arguing about a certain healing technique my grandmother has been undergoing for a long time: my grandmother is a healer herself and has been helping many other people for many years and undegoing healing sessions, sometimes from afar, for years. I also have a healer who sometimes when necessary helps me from afar. We both know the true value of these sessions for which we are, by the way, not being charged any money. We are also two very intelligent people.

My so smart, strictly scientiffic uncle was all about “these people are cheating you for money, this can’t be true or real, I don’t believe it can be real, there is no scientific evidence this can be”
I actually know that there is scientific evidence for many unexplicable healing methods and other energetic events. I also know my uncle has not examined every scientific evidence or research that was ever made in this world, let alone in this subject.
However in that moment he had preferred to see two people he ususally appreciates, as complete fools under the influence of charlatans, rather than just be surprised and say “oh really? I didn’t know that was possible”
In my eyes, this is True narrow mindness

I “butchered” him right there for it…and was pretty proud of myself :)

@Austinlad GA! loved the part about feeling safe! agreed!

I would think that the epitome of narrow mindedness would be feeling so superior over others that one could not fathom anyone else having any idea of belief that could possibly be more intelligent or well thought out than their own. They are in essence, finished products and they would rather believe this to be true than to risk finding out they are wrong.

When you do not want to learn something new or accept facts because it goes against what you believe. Many religious people are in this category. It doe not matter how much evidence that is shown for evolution, the Big Bang or a much older than 6000 year old universe because it goes against their literal interpretation of the bible. That is true narrow-mindedness to me.

It does not necessarily have to be limited to religious people. Anyone who has their own agenda to not fully investigate something because they do not want to believe it would fall in this category to me as well.