I'm fixated on tolerance today

"Tolerance" is a very low bar when you're talking about an attitude to The Other--"tolerating" gays, "tolerating" people of color, "tolerating" Jews--hell "tolerating" the heat when the a/c's broken.

"Toleration" is the bottom of the barrel when it comes to living with people who are different from us. We "put up" with them. We don't like them, necessarily, and we certainly don't invite them into our lives. We're not happy when they join our kids' classes at school, but we "tolerate" it because it would be just too much trouble to complain--and we might come out looking like a racist. Which we definitely *are NOT*

To announce that we have ZERO TOLERANCE for a group of people is pretty breath-taking. We can't even TOLERATE these little babies and young children being left with their parents? Zero tolerance.

"Tolerate" is such a pathetic, piddling little excuse for refusing to put up with things that annoy us, things we'll subject ourselves to *if we have to* but we won't like it. I can't tolerate it when someone leaves the toilet seat up, but I'll lower it rather than sit in toilet water.

I have never felt so ashamed of being an American, never felt so impotent, never felt like crying so hard for people I don't know. I don't think I can tolerate this.