Tolerance

I’m in a mood to shake things up a bit. Much of what I post on this blog could well qualify me as a liberal. I understand that. I criticize the Iraq war, the Bush administration, and the Christian Right. One of my posts about Alito, which was actually somewhat supportive, ended up in a roundup under the category of liberal points of view.

But my views are not so easily categorized. One of the things I really hate about liberal ideology is the tolerance movement. First of all, what is tolerance? I know the dictionary meaning. But when I think of tolerating something, I think of putting up with something you don’t really like, usually with the expectation that it will eventually go away. Think of having a difficult poop. You haven’t had your fiber for a few days and are having a hard time. It’s painful, but you put up with the pain and discomfort knowing that in time it will come out and the pain and discomfort will go away. That’s tolerance. So, the liberal view is, “When you see a black man, think of poop.” Great moral standard, that.

More seriously, what does it actually mean? The dictionary meaning is, “The capacity for or the practice of recognizing and respecting the beliefs or practices of others.” But do the so-called tolerant people actually respect the beliefs of others? Not really. Look at my recent slew of postings about liberals justifying racist language and actions against a Republican black man running for governor and an Asian woman expressing conservative views. Justifying racism and using racial epithets is “respecting the beliefs of others?” Uh, no.

I’m reminded of something Jesus said. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.” (Luke 6:32-33) Even Klansmen tolerate those who agree with them. What is the value of only respecting those who agree with you? That is not tolerance. I conclude that the so-called tolerant people are only tolerant of those who agree with them. Again, great moral standard.

This leads to totally absurd contradictions. Liberals hate racism but then use it against blacks who are deemed disloyal to their race, echoing the notions and even language of white supremacy. Liberals respect the beliefs of others, unless an Asian woman holds views contrary to liberal orthodoxy, in which case she must be a mindless whore manipulated by her husband.

When I was in college, I took a class I called the –ism class, studying racism, sexism, etc. The theme of the class was, basically, I am a white, Christian, male: I am the root of all evil. No, it was actually a good class. It was tough, but there’s nothing wrong with being challenged. But I still remember the most surreal conversation in one class on racism. The question was whether or not a student many of us knew counted as a black man. His skin was darker than most black men and women I’ve ever known, but he didn’t act “black” so it wasn’t clear if we were allowed to consider him as such. I went to college in Maryland, where Lt. Governor Steele is having a similar problem justifying his claim to be black. All in the name of tolerance.

I will make a bold prediction. If a black person or a woman is to become President in the near future, it will be a Republican, not a Democrat. A black Democrat is totally beholden to the civil rights wing of the Democratic Party. Cross them and you’ll get the Steele treatment. But those views are stuck in the 1960’s and out of step with mainstream America. A Democratic woman is beholden to the feminist wing of the party, whose views again are out of step with mainstream America. Republicans, on the other hand, do not demand that skin color or gender dictate one’s views. One is free to think for one’s self. (Hillary could prove me wrong in just a couple of years, I know, so I will add a qualification. I am assuming the black or female Democrat faces a respectable opponent, not a Dole or Kerry caliber candidate. Put a Dole or Kerry up, and all bets are off.)