Ignorance of Intolerance

Yesterday, my husband caught up with an old schoolmate online. When the woman found out he had worked in the Bush administration, she cut him off with "We have nothing in common. Since you don't share my opinions, I have no reason to talk to you."

"How do you know?" Job asked her. "You have no idea what I think."

She responded with a list of all the hot-button issues and her stance on each of them. She then basically said that if he didn't agree with her straight down the line, they had nothing to talk about. The irony was her inconsistency. For instance, she's for animal rights, but she enjoys eating meat. (Job informed her that he's for people's rights, but he doesn't eat much meat and I'm a vegetarian.)

The clincher, of course, is that she can't stand conservatives because we're intolerant.

You know, refusing to talk to people who hold different views is like thinking you have nothing more to learn after you graduate from high school. It's like visiting another country but insisting on staying at American resorts, eating American food and hanging out only with Americans (who share your opinions, of course). It's like reading only one book, singing one song and wearing the same outfit every day for the rest of your life.

It is a lonely life devoid of adventure and intellectual growth. It is the ignorance of intolerance.

If you would like to join the e-mail list for this blog, please send a request to mari.serebrov@yahoo.com.