"Tolerance" is a one way street...

In the twisted thinking of the discriminating liberal, somehow superficial diversity is the greatest thing and will save us all, but diversity of thought or political position is terrible and should be squashed without regard for the fallout. I've been in environments like this for the past 8 years (colleges and social service agencies), and I can sadly attest to some of these observations firsthand. Once I heard a professor say--at the end of a lecture on diversity and its importance, mind you--that conservative individuals could not be good mental health professionals. If that's not discrimination, I don't know what is. You definitely feel very isolated and ostracized sometimes--not a good feeling, especially over a long period of time. Sometimes I start to feel a little physically ill when a group of liberal people bring up politics and I have to be a part of the discussion. You also feel a pressure to "moderate" what you say, because the people who are discriminatory oftentimes have power over your grade, opportunities you get, etc. It sounds like a sellout on my part, but it can be a real threat. It's the toughest to be in these environments around election times for sure, or whenever the liberals hate (or love?) any aspect of the political atmosphere and can't stop talking about their views. I reference a previous post--
huntingindiana.proboards52.com/index.cgi?board=politics&action=display&thread=22607&page=1#184402

95% of Black voters voted to Obama; image what the 5% went through.

Update: The latest sentiment from an individual in the "party of tolerance"...apparently we conservatives are now "backward hicks" for not supporting Obama. Sick, sick, sick and very disappointing. Some people can be so prejudiced and ignorant.

Ironsights--excellent and very well-reasoned/well-written blog post! Thank you for sharing that. I agree with you and your observations about cultural/sociological trends in rural areas. Maybe that's why I respect and enjoy rural people so much. I have largely gravitated away from my urban childhood friends (now with left-wing young adult urban attitudes apparently), one of whom made the upsetting "backward hicks" statement. And they like to say that the right is un-humanitarian... The urban left seems to stand up for all cultures that forward their agenda while ignoring--and putting down, as the quote shows--those cultures that are more invisible and less politically "appealing" to them yet so important to life in America. We need the values of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility desperately modeled and encouraged in society today, and those characteristics are and have always been embraced by most rural folks. (Another observation that is not political regarding urban consideration of "rural" folks--all the young urbanites I'm in contact with around here always complain when the FFA convention comes to Indy, and I seem to be the only one who would love to jump out of the car in rush-hour traffic, run up to the FFA kids, and tell them how happy I am that they are doing what they are doing and that they are here. It's kind of frustrating, I must admit.)

Thanks Greyhound/Chico. I've posted articles there on & off (mostly off) for a while.

I'm trying to keep up a steady Saturday Morning Byline this time. That was my second post since the name change.

FWIW, I have been published. I just haven't been regular enough in output to warrant a paid gig. If I can stay consistent with a weekly Screed, maybe I can do somthing with it.





My Avatar is actually my picture... taken at South Park on a visit to Colorado. A kid named Kyle took it just before I attended a Bar Mitzvah for the son of a Denver Rabbi I know... I was told that there is a large magnetic field in/around South Park that distorts Digital Images, so the pictures come out kind of odd.

Compare:



The more "normal" photo was taken a couple years earlier before my camera got screwed up by the magnetic field in South Park. FWIW, I actually am that bald now... ;D