LETTER: Being intolerant of intolerance

To the Editor:

I had a sort of awakening the other day, I was knocked off my feet (literally) by what was diagnosed as heat exhaustion, then the awakening was reinforced by a letter I read, by Dan Hansen of the St. Croix County Democrats (New Richmond News 7-19-12).

I started thinking as I was laying on a table in the local ER, (an experience that really does connect a person with their mortality). That I really should be kinder and more understanding of other people’s view of how the world should be.

I have been one of those who chided our neighbor Ed Knops in recent letters to the editor, about his intolerance of other views. Fact is that I have been guilty of the same intolerance, just on the flip side of the issues.

I must thank Dan Hansen for helping me see this, and I must beg the forgiveness of Mr. Knops for my unfairness. There was no malice intended. In the future I intend to stick to the issues.

I think what I’m having a huge problem with is my own intolerance of intolerance. What I mean by that is a lot of people, not just the talking heads on the cable channels, are showing their ignorance or intolerance by using race-baiting buzz words and phrases like “welfare” and “food stamps” or “if you want free stuff vote for the other guy” or some use the President’s middle name “Hussein” to emphasize his “otherness,” as if to say he’s not one of us.

Things like this seem to me to be just thinly veiled racism, and Islamaphobia, and are testing my tolerance, as they should be testing everyone’s. I’m going to try real hard in the future to be less personal and more tolerant, and I hope those who disagree with me will do the same.

We all have more in common than you might think. We just have different paths to get to where we need to be.

George Richard

New Richmond

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion