Opinion

Tolerance Crusaders Are Dirty Liars

You have the right to oppose other people's decisions

By Ian Marquis

Posted on Nov. 03, 2005, at 12:00 a.m.

Remember the episode of South Park where the kids are sent to the Concentration Camp of Tolerance to learn how to become socially acceptable human beings? Funny episode. Remember what Mr. Garrison said at the end, after parading into the room riding Mr. Slave like a toy pony? Tolerance and acceptance are not the same thing. You can tolerate something and still dislike it. Some people don’t seem to understand this.

See, it goes like this: You do something because you want to. Good or bad, it’s your call what you do, until it starts to infringe on someone else’s rights. With human rights being a common concern among most of the populous for some peculiar reason, I’m not allowed to kill you or maim you or raze your entire hometown because I don’t approve of what you do. I need to tolerate your behavior. I can’t just take you out into the woods and shoot you because you like Nelly. That doesn’t mean I need to like it.

People now are so intent on being politically correct that they’re trying to rob us of our freedom to disapprove of the actions of another. “What right do you have to disapprove of what I do? It’s my life. Don’t judge me.” Yes, yes, I’ve heard it a thousand times. Honestly, I don’t care. Do whatever you want with your life. Seriously. If you want to drive your car over the edge of a cliff while shooting heroin into your eyeballs, go ahead and do it. Just know that I reserve the right to dislike you for your behavior (yea, unto the depths of Sheol). My opinion of you as a person is colored by the things you do. I know it’s a strange concept, but hear me out for a minute.

I pick and choose the people with whom I associate. I form opinions of the people I meet based on the things they do and say. I judge others by their behavior and expect them to give me the same courtesy. To say you accept everyone is to admit you’re a liar. People only accept the things that society demands them to. It’s called the “social desirability factor.” No one wants to be seen as running against the grain. No one wants to seen as a bigot, racist, sexist or what-have-you. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be accepting of everyone. I refuse to relinquish my right to disapprove. If I don’t approve of your lifestyle, I’m probably not going to associate with you. Call me prejudiced if you like. I just won’t be around to hear your defamations.

Lately, it seems that people are attempting to eradicate the concept of ‘the norm.’ Everything is relative. There is no absolute morality. Do whatever seems right to you. I’m sorry, but that just doesn’t cut it. Not in my book anyway. In order for society to properly function, there must be clear lines drawn as to what is and is not permissable. That’s the whole purpose of disapproval: If society doesn’t condone a certain form of behavior, it is suppressed. I’m not saying that this is always a good thing, but it certainly can have its benefits. When society as a whole shifts to condoning every behavior, we turn into a bunch of animals.

“But humans are just animals anyway. What makes you think that?” Shut up. We need standards of conduct. Think you’re accepting of everything? You aren’t very accepting of my lack of acceptance of your acceptance, are you? I thought so.

Ian Marquis lives on a ranch with a stoner, three goths, two hippies and a polygamist family.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2005, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.