[Vision2020] Two ways to prepare for 2014

[Rosemary Huskey]

Tolerating Intolerance: Deconstructing The
<http://archives.politicususa.com/2011/11/09/tolerating-intolerance-bigotry.
html> ‘Right’ To Bigotry

Nov 09 2011 Published by John Henry
<http://archives.politicususa.com/author/lowgenius>  under Uncategorized 

In a recent conversation about homosexuals serving in the military I ran
into someone who really pulled out every cliché you can think of to support
banning gays from military service.

Paraphrasing one core point, the argument went something like this:

I don’t have a problem with gays, but some people do.  That’s just the real
world.  It’s all well and good to talk about tolerance, but some people
don’t like that and if they don’t want to serve with gays they shouldn’t be
forced to.  It’s just reality, some people are uncomfortable serving with
gays.  Sure, all that peace and love stuff sounds good, but this is the real
world.  I don’t like it any more than you do, but I recognize that’s how
things are, and you have to preserve the morale of the unit.

This is a favorite line of reasoning among those who wish to preserve and
defend institutionalized discrimination of any kind.  You can swap out any
minority and any social interaction throughout the above paragraph, and it’s
a certainty that someone has said it:

“I don’t have a problem with Jews, but some people do.  It’s all well and
good to talk about tolerance, but some people don’t like that, and if they
don’t want to eat with blacks then they shouldn’t be forced to.  It’s just
reality, some people are uncomfortable working for a woman. “

All of these arguments then attempt to invert the offense:

Those people have a right to not like (x), and forcing them to (interact
with x) is a violation of their rights.  Who are you to judge them for what
they believe in?  YOU are the one who’s a bigot!

I know many reading have dealt with these lines of argument before, and I
imagine some have even used them, and in both cases you’ve been struck with
a sense that this makes no sense at all, but you couldn’t quite say why.

So let’s break it down, shall we?

I Got A Right

This is the core idea at the heart of much of the above argumentation.
“I’ve got a right” to be a bigot, “I’ve got a right” to not work for a
woman, “I’ve got a right” to not rent my apartment to a homosexual.

In the purest sense of the phrase, you actually do have a right to all of
these things.  You have the right to not work for a woman – you can stay
home.  You have the right to not rent property to a homosexual – you can not
rent property to anyone at all.  You have the right to not hire a black
person – you can not operate a business.

But in the more practical sense, you don’t have those rights –  Not if you
want to work, or be a landlord, or be an employer.  Not only don’t you have
them, you shouldn’t have them – they are in fact not rights at all, but
impositions of privilege.

The classic argument goes, “Your right to swing your arm ends where my nose
begins.”  This is a nice, plain-language way of saying that no human being
has the right to cause harm to another.

Refusing to work for a female boss creates an excuse to not have women as
bosses – that creates harm against women, both individually and as a class.
Refusing to hire a Muslim because they are Muslim creates harm against that
person – direct financial harm, emotional harm, and the broader social harm
of reinforcing stereotypes of bigotry.

Refusing to tolerate bigotry, however, is not a limitation of rights but a
consequence of actions.  Bigotry is a choice, a behavior, a deliberate
decision to impose your prerogatives on others without their consent.

And you say, “But you’re doing the same thing!”  It’s not the same thing.
Opposing bigotry is decent, humane, loving, productive, and a positive and
preservative step for the species.  Being a bigot isn’t.  There is no
argument in favor of bigotry that doesn’t rely on lies or dishonest
interpretation of facts.

Passive-Aggressive Intolerance

My friend the eminently quotable Pope Snarky said it best:

“Tolerating intolerance is not, in fact, tolerance.  It is merely the
passive-aggressive enabling of intolerance.”

In other words, it’s what people do who really agree with bigotry and
discrimination, but they don’t want to admit it, to themselves or other
people.

That attitude is the same as the kid who stands in the crowd watching
bullies beat up on the ugly kid with bad teeth, thinking you’re better than
the bullies because you aren’t throwing punches. Oh, sure, you’ll hang out
with the ugly kid with bad teeth when there’s nobody around
but when the
rest of your baseball team starts calling “horse-face,” you fade into the
background. YOU accept that the ugly bad-teeth kid might be a good catcher,
but if defending him hurts the morale of the team then that’s just how it
is. Sorry, nothing you can do. It can’t be helped – it’s what the people
want.

That attitude is the same as the millions of Europeans who looked the other
way as the holocaust happened, thinking you’re just doing the pragmatic
thing – no sense in fighting against the majority. YOU accept that the Jews
may have very good products and prices, but if it affects the performance of
the community then that’s just how it is. Your hands are tied.

That attitude is the same as the white southerner who keeps on eating at the
whites-only lunch counter
YOU aren’t a bigot, but they’ve got good
sandwiches and all your friends are there. YOU accept that the blacks are
fine people and do no harm by eating at that lunch counter, but if it’s
going to affect the morale of your co-workers to eat somewhere else then
that’s just how it is. You’re powerless to do anything about it.

That attitude is the same as the guy who laughs with his friends at the
“n****r” and “f****t” jokes, telling yourself that you’re not really like
that but you’re just trying not to hurt your friends’ feelings. You accept
that the blacks and homosexuals don’t deserve to be made fun of, but if
confronting the people making the jokes will hurt the morale of your social
circle, then that’s just how it is.

“I got nothing against the Negros, I just wouldn’t want my daughter to marry
one.”

Or:

“I have no problem with the Jews, but if I do business with them my Aryan
friends won’t do business with ME
so I have to, you see. It’s not MY fault.
I can’t make waves
it will hurt morale and the economy will suffer. I won’t
be able to get groceries for my family.”

There’s a word for that.

That word is not “honor.”

That word is “coward.”

http://archives.politicususa.com/2011/11/09/tolerating-intolerance-bigotry.h
tml

Sadly, we must go from n insightful essay to ugly ranting right here in
Moscow.  To illustrate the point read below:

7 Thoughts On Becoming a Better Hater
<http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/seven-thoughts-on-becoming-a-be
tter-hater.html> 

Posted on Wednesday, January 1, 2014
<http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/seven-thoughts-on-becoming-a-be
tter-hater.html>  by Douglas Wilson <http://dougwils.com/author/admin>  • 59
comments
<http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/seven-thoughts-on-becoming-a-be
tter-hater.html#comments>  

My resolution for the new year to become a better hater. But I suppose this
requires at least some explanation before itemizing the ways I propose for
improving on our hatreds .. . . .

4. Learn to hate every form of egalitarianism, feminism, metrosexuality and
associated swisheries, pomosexuality, and androgyny. In the image of God He
created them, male and female (Gen. 1:27
<http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Gen.%201.27> ).”

Words fail me when I read a New Year’s Day blog by (a self-ordained pastor)
urging hate as a positive attribute.  How does this jackassery fit into our
community?

Rose Huskey

 

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