Tolerance, the notion of live and let live, is a word we hear a lot these days So, let’s define it. Tolerance is the ability to live with people whose opinions and behavior you don’t agree with. You might be for the death penalty, and your cousin might be against it. You might be against a $15 minimum wage, and your co-worker might be for it. Your dad might have voted for Trump, your mom might have voted for Clinton, and your brother may not have voted at all. Whatever differences we have, tolerating others’ opinions required to a functioning and free society.
What built America
America itself was built on a foundation of tolerance. The Declaration of Independence guarantees us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But there’s an implicit contract there: To have your life, your liberty, and your pursuit of happiness; we have to be tolerant of somebody else’s. This contract, though, seems to be breaking down.
What America is becoming
If you listen to the mainstream media, only one side is living up to this deal: the left. The right, according to the media, is intolerant of everyone. Well everyone except those darned white, heterosexual, Christian males. There’s only one problem. It’s just not true.
Incredibly, the left isn’t even tolerant of the very people they say they’re tolerant of. Think about it; if you’re gay, or black, or an immigrant you better be right in line. If you’re not in lockstep with current leftist orthodoxy, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re in trouble.
If you believe we should judge people on the content of their character and not the color of their skin, the left calls you racist. When you believe that America is a nation of immigrants, but that our country should also protect its borders, the left calls you a xenophobe. If you believe that men and women are equal but fundamentally different, the left calls you sexist.
Who’s who
Here’s the thing: those who only tolerate people they agree with or like…aren’t actually tolerant. So, who is tolerant? Is it the organizers of the Women’s March? They had to apologize for the hurt and confusion they caused when they invited a man, leftist icon Bernie Sanders, to speak at their convention.
Is it the Antifa supporters? They caused UC Berkeley to spend $600,000 on security when mainstream conservative Ben Shapiro showed up to give a talk. How about democratic congresswoman Maxine Waters? She scolded Kanye West for talking out of turn when he dared suggest that blacks should think for themselves.
These aren’t isolated examples. Have you silenced yourself because you don’t want to suffer the wrath of the outrage mob? So, let me ask the question again: Who is tolerant? Well, here’s the surprise: It’s actually those “scary” right-wingers that the media and the universities demonize every day.
What about you?
You are probably like me and consider yourself a freedom loving liberal. It’s our duty as liberals to say what we think. Wouldn’t you rather stand for what you believe and be hated than bow down and be loved?
Sadly, the left has become utterly intolerant of anyone with whom they disagree. Why? Because they believe that they know how you should live and how you should think. Any deviation, any non-conformity, is dangerous to that goal. Believe it or not, the right, these days, actually welcomes diversity of thought.
Conclusion
Conservatives tend to be tolerant and open-minded. Don’t take my word for it. Test it out for yourself. Go talk to some. They do exist, and they do things like watch movies, travel, eat ethnic food and all the regular people things. The right, much more than the left, believes in tolerance the notion of live and let live. And that is the true definition of tolerance.