Tolerance

The moment after people’s lives are lost in an act of terror, the media goes into a frenzy. Reporters fly out to the scene, stories float around on the internet and the comments section of any post burst with the opinions of people near and far, conservative and liberal. But something is inherently wrong with the message that many outlets are pushing: the word tolerance.

But what is wrong with that word which has littered mainstream culture? Rooted in structural oppression, the word contends that certain individuals only need to be “tolerated,” not appreciated. While a loud uncle at Thanksgiving dinner or even an obnoxious child running inside the metro can be “tolerated,” we should not just be “tolerating” the differences among us. Instead, there should be a celebration of what makes one unique. Asking us to only “tolerate” minorities and their voices within a community only serve to silence voices, allowing the majority to tune out of discussions because of the belief that it is just enough to “tolerate” others, not hear them out.

Tolerance is, to some extent, to be blamed for all the evils and the divisions that are rearing their ugly heads within the nation. Terrorists are successful in dividing this country because even from the most progressive among us, we ask for only “tolerance” of other people and ideas when in fact we should be asking for the celebration of other cultures and our divisions. Minorities are stripped of their cultural pride when they are told that the majority simply “puts up” with them, not valuing their experiences as a person of color and disregarding the struggles they face because of their race. “Tolerance” will never allow us as a society to evolve into the melting pot we hope to be someday. When we are asked to tolerate others, we are not giving the curiosity in us a chance to explore another person’s cultural identity and how it has shaped them as a person.  There is no other country on this planet that can boast of the diversity of minds and thoughts than this great country we call home can. The very notion of mere tolerance only serves to amplify the differences among us. If instead, we learn to embrace our differences and absorb the goodness in the various segments of our society, be it religious or racial, the synergy that can be achieved would bring a widespread feeling of unity.

These positive sentiments, however, are the notion of just “tolerating” minority voices enforces complacency within activism. The idea of tolerance indicates that the majority has carried out such a gracious and charitable act by simply acknowledging the existence of someone of a different race, gender, or sexual orientation. This negatively shifts the discussion from asking “how do we include minorities within mainstream discourse?” to “should minorities be tolerated in our discourse?” We will not see a need to raise our voices when we see discrimination and harassment based on someone’s personal identity, as we may be content that we have already done more than needed just by tolerating them.

The U.S. is by far one of the most progressive countries in the world, because of certain inalienable rights, such as the freedom of speech and the press. But these freedoms come with a type of responsibility, one to question the meaning of our rhetoric and the way we address the dichotomy of cultures. While the intent of our words is often in good spirit, words like tolerance only serve to undermine the level of respect that cultures deserve, and limit our potential to truly celebrate each other’s differences.