>
> I think that if people were merely tolerant, this would be a
> much better place. I personally do not see why anybody would
> also *require* and/or expect acceptance. Perhaps i am missing
> what external actions the tolerant and/or accepting person
> is expected to take...
I guess what I meant was, in any intercourse there is risk involved.
There is the risk that you will be changed by the thing, person you
interact with.
I'm not saying that by interacting with black lesbians you will become
one. I am saying that any conversation or idea or meme has the potential
to alter the (your) status quo.
Mere toleration keeps the "other" meme alive and healthy. The people you
"tolerate" will always be "them" and they will be tolerated until...
what? Until you can't tolerate them?
Acceptance is a different thing all together.
Perhaps I pushed a button when I quoted Queer Nation. Yes, that slogan
implies that acceptance is required and expected. But it sounds whiny or
demanding when it is taken out of its context. That context being many
many years of bashing and abuse. Queer Nation is angry and loud and
sometimes downright obnoxious, but theyre pushing back against louder,
more obnoxious meme makers like Buchanan.
You said that it would be a better place if people merely tolerated. I
say it would be a better place if people tolerate and "recognize" that
they are merely tolerating.
The OTHER is a strong force in the imagination. But it is also
completely constructed.
Life (and this draws from Reed's recent post) is about negotiating
duality. You cannot learn from anything if you tolerate it.
I tolerated math and now look at me. I'm a theatre artist who's
forgotten how to do long division.
Duality is there for a purpose. Our inability to control ourselves in
anger, lust, addiction, love-- all there for a purpose. Why? COnsult
several thousand years of art, poetry and scripture for the provisional
answer.
This is where I differ in belief from the transhumanists among us.
I don't think we can solve it. There may be a singular truth, and I hope
I don't meet it until after I'm dead. Because if it existed my work
would be done.
-Having too much fun doing the chaotic dance of life.
-- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "We are all here on earth to help each other, but what the others are here for, God only knows."- W.H. Auden ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ken Pantheists http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/2446 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~