Governor Rick Perry of Texas has come out (heh, heh) and said that the Boy Scouts of America ought to keep their policy of no gays allowed, either in the ranks or among the leadership. He is right to encourage such a stance, and the Boy Scouts would be right to honor their association with traditional American values.
There is a culture war going on right now in the United States. That war is centered, presumably, on the ideals of tolerance and diversity. Yet there is a problem with basing a war on such elements. It fails to answer certain questions. It fails to answer: what is tolerable, or, what is diverse?
The answers to those questions are actually quite easy and obvious. To the second we ask, to those who oppose the Scouts' current position, if you really and truly want diversity, how much more diverse can you get except to accept us? If it's diversity you want, how much more diverse can you get when you have polar opposites? If diversity is what we want, then this should be the Holy Grail of diversity. As such, there is no reason to ask the Boy Scouts to change.
So, too, tolerance. If you want tolerance, and by your shrill voice, liberals, we are left with nothing to presume except that you want tolerance of all things at all times, can you have tolerance without a tolerance of things you find disagreeable, up to and including tolerance of things you hate?
Oh; you don't want that? So, then, may we call into question your devotion to tolerance?
Of course we can. If we invoke their rules. And we should, you know, because invoking their rules displays for all men at all times the inconsistency of their position. They say they want tolerance. Our response should then be, okay, tolerate us.
Call them out. Demand that they defend themselves, logically and coherently, based on what they espouse. Call them out. Demand they tolerate us and accept what we contribute to the world of diversity.
Yet you may be sure that they will not accept us. They will not tolerate us. To that we ought respond: by what paradigm should we tolerate you?
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