# Liberal Tolerance on parade at a local middle school... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 13, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547 "2008-11-13T16:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/141 "2008-11-13T19:17:15Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Nope. > > Does a child being kicked off a school bus for chanting about “President Obama” (after the election) cancel it out? If not, could you start a RO thread about that, too, please? I’m busy. > > -Joe Sorry, I only have time for one a day. But I might do it tomorrow if you can cite that he wouldn’t have been thrown off the bus if McCain had won and he had been chanting “President McCain.” ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/142 "2008-11-13T19:20:24Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > You keep just saying the word tolerance, like it’s magical and all-encompassing. Have liberals ever preached _universal, all-encompassing_ tolerance? Have liberals as a whole ever claimed that we should silently let political viewpoints we find abhorrent go unchallenged, for fear that those that hold them will not feel sufficiently tolerated? So voting for McCain is so abhorrent that it cannot be tolerated? Or are you asserting that insults and assaults do not constitute “intolerance”? > [@](#): > > My point is that the liberal message of tolerance has nothing to do with tolerating different political positions, and never has. Boy, you can say that again. > [@](#): > > What we do not have to be tolerant of is those who wish to oppress blacks, women, and gays. Or if you vote the wrong way, or think the wrong thoughts. Liberals are tolerant of anything except disagreement. How proud you must be! ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/143 "2008-11-13T19:22:50Z")
Well, how about [this](http://www.2news.tv/news/local/34274374.html)? Does a school bus full of children chanting “Assasinate Obama” merit any discussion about “conservative values”? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/144 "2008-11-13T19:23:08Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > And there’s a big difference between trying to persuade someone to change their mind and telling them they are evil for holding a perfectly reasonable political position. Yes, there certainly is. Let’s hold both sides accountable to this standard. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/145 "2008-11-13T19:23:36Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > But you don’t see us claiming that we only meant that for causes we favored, either. Neither do you see liberals claiming they only want tolerance for their views, whilst everyone else can fuck right off. The clarion calls for free speech tend not to have a waiver at the end banning all pro-conservative books or media. I’ve seen a lot of liberals decry Phelps and his kin, but quite often that comes with a “I wouldn’t want to see what they do made illegal”, and the ACLU has defended them. Those who campaign for gay marriage don’t tag on a refutation of all Klan marriages. Liberals hardly claim that we only want good things for all those causes we favour, either. > [@](#): > > Sure. Come here, ya big lug! (No humping though, okay?) Hey, i’m bi, that doesn’t mean I don’t have good taste. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/146 "2008-11-13T19:28:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > It’s so simple that any child could easily grasp the concept. > > We desire a world in which people are not discriminated against for the way they are born, and for things that have absolutely no effect on the rest of us. Be tolerant of blacks, because they don’t deserve to be held back based on the color of their skin. Be tolerant of women, because they deserve the basic rights of any human. Be tolerant of gays, because what they do behind closed doors harms me in no way. What we do not have to be tolerant of is those who wish to oppress blacks, women, and gays. > > Is that really that difficult to understand? See, here’s a classic example of liberalism in action. One can’t simply disagree with you without being labled an ‘oppressor’. There are many reasons why a person might hold a conservative viewpoint. They may favor a stronger military; they may be opposed to tax increases and a nanny-state government; etc., etc., ad infinitum. They may also feel there are better ways to achieve goals of equality than the throw-the-baby-out-with-the-bathwater methods so wholly embraced by the left and which have resulted in so many of the negative aspects of life in this country today. But no, to you guys the only reason a person might be conservative is because they want to be mean to people. And then we have the rather sweet and benign way in which you state liberal goals. This in itself seems to imply a broadness of intent when it comes to tolerance, a sort of wish that we should all just come together in a sense of brotherhood and sing Kumbayah…and then you (liberalism that is, not you personally) turn around and call people bigoted assholes if they don’t agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/147 "2008-11-13T19:29:10Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > And there’s a big difference between trying to persuade someone to change their mind and telling them they are evil for holding a perfectly reasonable political position. There’s also a big difference between kids being cruel and an actual discussion with liberals and conservatives. One of them is relevant to this argument, and one of them is not. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/148 "2008-11-13T19:30:22Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > Nope. > > Does a child being kicked off a school bus for chanting about “President Obama” (after the election) cancel it out? If not, could you start a RO thread about that, too, please? I’m busy. > > -Joe Are kids generally allowed to ‘chant’ on school buses? I would think that a kid ‘chanting’ for McCain would probably not be allowed either. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/149 "2008-11-13T19:32:19Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > Sorry, I only have time for one a day. But I might do it tomorrow if you can cite that he wouldn’t have been thrown off the bus if McCain had won and he had been chanting “President McCain.” Spend a couple days in Mississippi, sweetheart. Although you’d probably fit right in. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/150 "2008-11-13T19:32:31Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Or if you vote the wrong way, or think the wrong thoughts. > > Liberals are tolerant of anything except disagreement. How proud you must be! Please link to where I claimed that. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/151 "2008-11-13T19:34:50Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Well, how about [this](http://www.2news.tv/news/local/34274374.html)? Does a school bus full of children chanting “Assasinate Obama” merit any discussion about “conservative values”? Here, I’ll quote what I wrote earlier: > [@](#): > > I’ll tell you what I would think if I saw such an article, though…I would think that the conservative kids were learning something at home about people who are different from them that they probably shouldn’t. And I think the same thing here. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/152 "2008-11-13T19:36:06Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Yes, there certainly is. Let’s hold both sides accountable to this standard. Of course. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/153 "2008-11-13T19:36:34Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Are kids generally allowed to ‘chant’ on school buses? I would think that a kid ‘chanting’ for McCain would probably not be allowed either. Talk about moving the goal posts. Kids picking on another kid with a McCain t-shirt is a problem with liberals being hypocritical meanies, but kids chanting “Assassinate Obama” is a problem with chanting. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/154 "2008-11-13T19:37:30Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > But you don’t see us claiming that we only meant that for causes we favored, either. Which is why conservatives are such stalwarts supporters of government non-involvement on issues like abortion and gay rights, and are so adamantly opposed to corporate welfare. Oh, wait… Looks kinda like conservatives also pick and choose which causes they apply their values too. > [@](#): > > See, here’s a classic example of liberalism in action. One can’t simply disagree with you without being labled an ‘oppressor’. And here’s a classic example of **Starving Artist** ’s rampaging persecution complex. **tdn** is explaining what the liberal concept of tolerance really means, as opposed to your strawman version of it. You’re the one who extrapolated that to mean, “Conservatives are all bigots!” There’s absolutely nothing in **tdn** ’s post to suggest that interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/155 "2008-11-13T19:37:47Z")
The 14 year-olds of today become the 18 year-olds at the next election…let’s hope they can convey their thoughts a little more maturely by then…that is if the apathy doesn’t kick in by then…don’t really care what side of the fence they’re on. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/156 "2008-11-13T19:39:55Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Talk about moving the goal posts. > > Kids picking on another kid with a McCain t-shirt is a problem with liberals being hypocritical meanies, but kids chanting “Assassinate Obama” is a problem with chanting. He was responding to **Merijeek’s** post that said that a kid was thrown off a bus for chanting “President Obama.” Both **Starving Artist** and I are questioning whether he was thrown off the bus for chanting that particular thing, or just for chanting in general. ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/157 "2008-11-13T19:41:17Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > And I only voted for him because my dad owned a Mustang and I thought Gerald Ford owned the company or something. Are you… me? Seriously, that is unbelievably eerie, I did exactly the same thing at the same time, and for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/158 "2008-11-13T19:43:45Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > He was responding to **Merijeek’s** post that said that a kid was thrown off a bus for chanting “President Obama.” Both **Starving Artist** and I are questioning whether he was thrown off the bus for chanting that particular thing, or just for chanting in general. SOP is to discipline them with a referral, not to ditch the kid anywhere other than their destination. But what do I know, I’m just married to one of the teachers at the school. I probably don’t know nearly as much about the school procedures as you do. But, really, this is all about some girl trolling and two other trolls throwing a fit. I should know better than to feed one, especially one who doesn’t even pretend otherwise anymore. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/159 "2008-11-13T19:43:56Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > Well, how about [this](http://www.2news.tv/news/local/34274374.html)? Does a school bus full of children chanting “Assasinate Obama” merit any discussion about “conservative values”? Given the hypothesis of the OP, I don’t see why not. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547/160 "2008-11-13T19:45:43Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > Neither do you see liberals claiming they only want tolerance for their views, whilst everyone else can fuck right off. Well yeah, you pretty much do…in this very thread as a matter of fact. 😃 > [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > The clarion calls for free speech tend not to have a waiver at the end banning all pro-conservative books or media. I’ve seen a lot of liberals decry Phelps and his kin, but quite often that comes with a “I wouldn’t want to see what they do made illegal”, and the ACLU has defended them. Those who campaign for gay marriage don’t tag on a refutation of all Klan marriages. Perhaps you’re unfamilar with the “Fairness Doctrine”, which, despite its having virtually all of the new and entertainment media plus much of the nation’s educational system in its pocket, the left has used to try to minimize or eliminate effective right-wing broadcasts. > [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > Hey, i’m bi, that doesn’t mean I don’t have good taste. 😉 Didn’t know you were bi or I probably wouldn’t have said that. (I am after all a compassionate conservative and wouldn’t have wanted to offend you. Seriously. Plus you’re a good guy.) But, having said that: 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-tolerance-on-parade-at-a-local-middle-school/472547.md?page=9)