They are a menace

They must be dangerous if they are not us. This little rant against tolerance rests on a cynical premise: any form of difference in belief or practice must involve a dominance relationship, involving the strong deciding whether to tolerate the weak. Tolerance is not reserved for the society that dominates the tolerated; rather, it may be freely offered to those that do not threaten.

There is a gem of wisdom here, which is why it’s worth noting: “If you do not fear a group of people, you can tolerate their differences.” This is the same meme hiding in a very different source. I think the man in the Yeti suit and Michael Moore differ only on whether the fear of difference so prevalent in American culture today is a sign of weakness or strength.

I posted this in November 2003 during week 1550.

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