We are not obligated to tolerate liars, bigots, or con artists.
Michelle Wolf did the nation a service. She cut through the daily normalizing small talk and told the truth. She pointed to every unacknowledged elephant in the room and gave it a name. Her attack was withering and her targets deserved every joule of her vitriolic heat.
I am reminded of Karl Popper on the paradox of tolerance:
“Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them. — In this formulation, I do not imply, for instance, that we should always suppress the utterance of intolerant philosophies; as long as we can counter them by rational argument and keep them in check by public opinion, suppression would certainly be unwise. But we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but begin by denouncing all argument; they may forbid their followers to listen to rational argument, because it is deceptive, and teach them to answer arguments by the use of their fists or pistols. We should therefore claim, in the name of tolerance, the right not to tolerate the intolerant.”
We have humor, art, talent, and wisdom on our side. They have only hate speech and platitudes. Never let right wing extremists demand the courtesy of tolerance.
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