Quote:
Originally Posted by starlequin  tol·er·ance
/ˈtɒlərəns/
–noun . . .
That's pretty much how I see it. |
I don't disagree with your use of that word. I imagined that that was your viewpoint, the definition supplied, of the noun. And, it really looks straightforward, but I find that it isn't.
It's not an excuse, but your post caught me on a bad day. I certainly did a crap job of explaining where I came from. I'll invoke the "I should know better than to switch denotation and connotation when I mean the other" card.
Here's how my post should read, without swift bravado typing:
Quote:
|
I don't like to recommend the word tolerance in social discourse. I'm not using the denotation it should possess, which would be ideal; variably, it can be contorted into an ugly concept that hinges on the transitive verb being mistaken for the same virtue associated with the noun, that oft mishandled form of it doesn't go far enough to change human behavior.
|
I think my gregariousness and frustration with the word stems from difficulties I've run into, from a social justice standpoint. It seems that, sometimes, you run into people that claim to espouse tolerance.
I changed the form of the root word, in my example, to show the mishandling in some errant logic. The verb isn't simply always an intuitive conversion to respecting the foreign ideas, opinions, practices, of others in a fair, objective, and permissive manner, the way it can be wielded.
The verb also has the usage of merely being able to bear; put up with; endure. I think that is where the shortcoming lies, especially when it comes to veiled bigotry. Acceptance can be recognized as a universal ideal, but, there isn't much between being passive and acting out on bigotry for the people that could answer in a poll that they practice tolerance, save for a thin line of civility holding them back.
The whole of my two cents is semantics. I actually agree with you. What I just spent extra time backtracking was why my preference isn't to use it when I discuss the same concept. That was a lot to throw at you, and it was misplaced, especially when I don't disagree with your premise.
I'm just really jaded and not with you, starlequin, I'm sorry it came off as a quick off-handed objection.