Intolerance Is Wrong

I got into a bit of a dustup on Twitter today. Somebody I follow tweeted that she had to block somebody she liked because the individual disclosed that he (or she) believed there were only two genders. I asked the original tweeter why it was necessary to block somebody she liked because they had a different belief about this.

And … well … things didn’t go well. She replied that she will block anybody who has a belief that will harm other people. I suggested that beliefs don’t harm people, actions do. She replied that beliefs give people the means to harm people. (By the way, I’m paraphrasing a lot of this at this point because we have now blocked each other so a lot of the dialogue is invisible to me.)

In some ways, I agree with her point about beliefs potentially leading to harm, but when it comes to individual interactions, I’m gonna look more at actions and less at what they believe. The individual she blocked may believe there are only two genders (and one of the reasons I got into this is that historically over centuries and millennia, the definition of gender has referred solely to male and female), but if in their actions they are respectful of other people and are not letting that belief interfere with how they treat people who may think and act differently, why would I care about their beliefs. It’s like with Christians — I don’t care about whether or not they believe in God. I do care, however, when through their actions they demand that I live my life according to their belief (which is kind of what the progressive left is doing in a lot of ways).

Anyway, the upshot of this is that she represents the intolerance of the progressive left, which to me is just as bad as the intolerance of the right-wing and, in particular, the intolerance of the American Evangelical Christian right-wing. As I said to her at one point, her actions and thoughts creates a justification for right-wing Christians to dismiss me because I don’t believe in God.

Surely, we can be better than this. Can’t we?

I’ll admit that I’ve struggled dealing with friends who are Trumpers. A friend I’ve known for almost 30 years … we didn’t talk for years after 2016 when I learned he was. a Trumper. But … it wasn’t that he was a Trumper that this happened. It was how he expressed himself on the topic and how he attacked my wife when she shared something on FB. Another friend I’ve had for 20 years … we simply don’t talk politics because of how angry he gets on these topics. One night, we were out for dinner with a bunch of friends and he and I started talking about things and he said that he absolutely hated Obama … and there was such venom his eyes and … it was pointless. But both of these friends are really good and decent people, regardless of whether they support Trump. (By the way, the first one mentioned above has recognized the error in his ways and has become a Democrat!!)

And here’s the other piece to this puzzle. I left the Democratic Party around six or seven years ago. Why? Because identity politics was overwhelming the party in a way that I wanted nothing to do with. And because it was leading to a level of intolerance that I found to be beyond distasteful.

I have said for years that I would vote for Barack Obama every four years for the rest of my life if given the opportunity. But … in the final years of his administration, he gave too much to the progressive left and moved things too far, too fast.

Let’s go back into history and review a few things. For decades and more, gay people in America were one of the most discriminated groups around. Over the last few decades that began to change. Slowly and steadily as gay people began to leave the shadows Americans realized that they were our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers. And that they were not the evil people we had been led to believe they were.

This ultimately led to the legalization of same sex marriage and a significant increase in tolerance and acceptance of gay people as human beings just like the rest of us. But it took time. It took decades. And I get it, why does it have to take so long. Because change is not an immediate thing.

Unfortunately, as soon as same sex marriage became legal and acceptable, there was an immediate move by the progressive left towards transgender rights of all kinds. And there was a demand that it all had to happen now!!! There was no patience, no understanding that changing people’s belief systems, addressing their long-seated biases, might take some time. And I get it … why care about their biases, their hate. Well, if you want to achieve success in your objective, you might want to think about that.

One of the biggest reasons for the continued strength of the right-wing is their sense that things that they don’t like are being forced down their throats. Instead of building a base for the things the left believes, we have turned into a group that demands tolerance, acceptance, and whatever else it is that we want.

I guess my point is this.

Intolerance is wrong. Instead of blocking and shutting down people with different beliefs, instead of demanding compliance with what we believe, we should be talking to each other and finding common ground and ways to move forward. I prefer to live in a world where we are patient with each other, where we recognize that change takes time and understanding, and where we recognize each other’s humanity.

I am so tired of the constant war between the extremes in this country. A war that drowns out everything else. (Yes, A Dead Horse.)