Question of the Day (Non-Rhetorical)

Although intolerance is generally regarded as anathema to most liberals, and we continue to talk about making our tent bigger and ever more inclusive. (See recent discussions regarding national pro-life Democratic candidates, for example.)

However, there are some ideas that are just patently absurd--abstinence-only sex education, for example. Often, we tell each other to be tolerant of such views because we must be inclusive of the devoutly religious, but my contempt for abstinence-only sex education is that it just doesn’t work.

There is a distinct difference between being intolerant of people, and being intolerant of their ideas. That seems to me the very kind of nuance we Lefties love, yet many among our ranks insist on a continued move to the right in an attempt to accommodate ideas and policies that aren’t worth our attention. So, here’s my question. Isn’t it time that liberals started learning to embrace a little selective intolerance?

Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.

blog comments powered by Disqus