“Would you like to know how to get out of the trap?” I asked. They nodded. “Reject this distortion of tolerance and return to the classical view.” Then I wrote these two principles on the board:
Be egalitarian regarding persons.
Be elitist regarding ideas.
Egalitarian - think equal. Treat others as having equal value or worth. This first principle is at the heart of the classical view of tolerance. Treat people with equal respect. True tolerance applies to how we treat people, not how we treat ideas. We respect people who hold different beliefs from ours by treating them with courtesy, allowing them a place in the public conversation. Though we may strongly disagree with their ideas, tolerance requires us to be civil towards them in spite of our different convictions.
The modern definition of tolerance turns the classical formula topsy-turvy:
Be egalitarian regarding ideas.
Be elitist regarding persons.
If all ideas are equal, when you disagree with another’s ideas you are automatically accused of disrespecting the person (as the student did with Greg). On this new view, no idea or behavior can be opposed, even if done graciously, without inviting the charge of intolerance. Ironically, this results in the very elitism regarding persons relativists are trying to avoid. The “intolerant” one can be publicly humiliated, labeled as bigoted, disrespectful, ignorant, and indecent. Tolerance has thus gone topsy-turvy: Tolerate most beliefs, but don’t tolerate (i.e. show respect for) those who disagree with those beliefs. Different opinions are labeled as “imposing your view on others” and quickly silenced by calling the person “intolerant.”
True Tolerance Part 1
Greg Koukl
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The Intolerance of Tolerance