Tolerance
Yes that word. What is your measure of tolerance? What is too much for you? Do you get to set that measure for others?
I saw one of my favorite follows on Instagram earlier respond to a DM message she got (1910.craftsman.on.burns). She gets lots of them.
“You support the party of”acceptance and tolerance” yet you are not very accepting and tolerant of those in your comment section. Why limit the comments? Unless most of them are cooking you guys haha.”
Just for point of reference her comments section, 48.6k likes, 4,199 comments. Not sure what “limit” means in this case. And she gets a lot of DM’s. And this one is tame, but what’s the point?
I think too often, those who use the word tolerance or throw it around like this are just abusers or damaged by abuse. They are rarely interested in conversation, discussion or honest factual debate. They are in it for the hit and run, the gotcha.
Decency is no longer a value. As Sherilyn Ifill has said, the requirements of decency have been lifted.
Meta revised its hateful conduct policy to remove the term hate speech. And of course fact checking isn’t needed any more. Somehow it feels like Meta has lumped hate speech and free expression together completely putting civility on a back burner or a pointless aspect of society today.
What I find interesting is that often ones trying to call out tolerance, do it with demeaning language, vitriol and hate. Not sure why we can’t include all levels of any hate speech should not be tolerated and should be expunged, blocked, hidden, what ever.
What purpose does this approach serve? I have some weird idea right now that some are accustomed to and desensitized by and to abuse. So they have adopted that as their way to accomplish their goals. I mean, after all does that not now seem like the direction we are moving?
How often does an abuser, physical or verbal change their spots? When they say the 5th, 10th, 60th time they won’t do it again or send flowers, does that erase and completely reset and this will be the time of change?
I see the world in a different light. The abuser and the abused needs help. Help to stop the cycle. The cycle that has us here today that I also feel will not shift back in my lifetime.
I see that within each of us is basic goodness. Yet abuse in one form or another has the potential to overwhelm and disassociate one from any form of goodness for themselves or those around them. Not all who are or have been abused become abusers, but I know it happens. I think you do too.
I am okay. I worry that some of you will not be okay. I do not find the path of the current administration to date, a total of six days to have any redeeming qualities or in any way acceptable to serve the country. In my measure of tolerance, it is off the charts, beyond unacceptable. It won’t just be the “radical liberals” who this will impact. It will be those of you who voted for him.