by Frank Paynter on June 22, 2024
by Frank Paynter on June 22, 2024
“To be tolerant and respectful of all
people, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, health,
creed, spiritual belief and economic background provided that, through
their practices, they do not harm other people or groups.â€
Enough with the tolerance. Pfehh to the respect. The above is from Habonim Dror, remembered and quoted with fondness by Tamar Jacobson. While I cherish my online friend Tamar’s breadth of experience and the depth of her feeling and commitment to principles that make the whole world a better place for all of us, I have to dig in and take exception to this principle.
First, who am I "to be tolerant?" How much better than someone do I have to feel to "tolerate" their condition? And as for "respect…" if your name’s not Aretha, don’t be looking for respect from me. Nah, that’s not true. There are plenty of people whom I respect. In fact I generally start out with a full measure of respect for everyone I meet. At least I try to live that way, hampered though I be by my nature and my upbringing. But what do we mean by respect? Must all criticism be measured and polite or might one indulge in bitter, scathing invective when dealing with schmucks like Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, Dick Cheney, or the horse he rode in on? How about name calling? Name calling is metaphor. Metaphors are poetic. So it’s really poetry to call Bolton a horse’s ass.
Everybody deserves more than tolerance and there are plenty of people who deserve little respect. So I would re-write this principle. I think that it should read,
“To encounter all
people with a full measure of love for their humanity, no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, health,
creed, spiritual belief and economic background.â€
If I can encounter them with love, I do not need the qualifier about their practices. And who is to say it won’t be what they call "tough love." Except for Bolton. He’s so butch. No tough love for Bolton, no matter how he begs for it.
