# "In Praise of Intolerance" (Slate article) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 9, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538 "2018-02-09T19:23:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/21 "2018-02-13T13:31:53Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, it’s reasonable-person-speak for trying to shout them down, and prevent them from speaking at all thru threats and disruption, as happened at Middlebury and Berkeley and Georgetown. > > As I have said elsewhere, the Left had better be careful what they wish for - they are likely to [get it back](http://reason.com/blog/2017/10/16/whittier-college-speakers-trump-shutdown) twice as hard. “Get it back twice as hard” is butthurt-conservative-snowflake-speak for “When liberals heckle speakers it’s an intolerable infringement of free speech rights but when conservatives heckle speakers it’s just simple justice.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/22 "2018-02-13T16:40:49Z")
No, they are both infringements. You don’t speak Conservative very well, which is not surprising - it doesn’t have nearly as much whining as Liberal-ese. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/23 "2018-02-13T16:57:27Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > You don’t speak Conservative very well, which is not surprising - it doesn’t have nearly as much whining as Liberal-ese. True. Mostly guttural grunts, howls and the occasional Bronx cheer. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/24 "2018-02-13T18:17:16Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t see how this is going to make any difference in how the left operates. Before, it was ‘we can tolerate anything but hate speech, and hate speech is anything with which we disagree on race, gender, or politics, so we will try to shout you down.’ > > After, it will be ‘we are committed to the truth, and anything with which we disagree on race, gender, or politics isn’t the truth, so we will try to shout you down.’ > > It would work out better if the left actually had a monopoly on the truth, but they don’t. I do not go in for, “But the other side does this too!” arguments very much but in this case I will make an exception. If you think this is only a liberal characteristic and not a conservative one you are in for a surprise. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/25 "2018-02-13T18:59:48Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I do not go in for, “But the other side does this too!” arguments very much but in this case I will make an exception. > > If you think this is only a liberal characteristic and not a conservative one you are in for a surprise. It’s not just a liberal characteristic, which is why I cited the incident I did and didn’t bother with cites for Middlebury and Berkeley (and [UW-Madison](https://www.watchdog.org/issues/speech/left-rage-attempts-to-trump-free-speech-at-uw-madison/article_b7d22e37-505d-5c66-9407-83d19ebc20e8.html) and the College of William and Mary and heaven knows where else). Because > [@Joe Biden](#): > > Don’t give the Trumps of the world the ability to compare you to the Nazis or you to the racists because you’re doing the same thing. You’re silencing. If the message to be sent is “Trump and the Nazis are terrible, and we are just as bad”, then trying to silence your opponents, and saying “we have the Truth so you can’t speak” is the way to go. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538/26 "2018-02-15T01:21:44Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > No, they are both infringements. > You don’t speak Conservative very well, which is not surprising - it doesn’t have nearly as much whining as Liberal-ese. I tried. But while I was able to understand Conservatives, when I spoke in an ordinary voice I sounded pompous and faggy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-intolerance-slate-article/808538.md?page=1)