I am writing about the conflict over Carol Adams' May 23 Xpress letter, “Is Tolerance One Way?” Maybe part of the problem is semantics.
Intolerance can be cruel and hateful, as witnessed by Hitler's extreme example. It can also be strong and non-combative. See Richard Attenborough's movie, Ghandi, about Indian intolerance of British rule. It can even be compassionate. Martin Luther King Jr. resisting ugly discrimination against blacks, put it this way: “We will take our brothers' hatred and answer it with love.”
This is the only kind of reaction that changes the world, because it transforms the whole situation, elevates both sides and helps end revenge thinking.
And, by some token, a call for tolerance does not necessarily imply a satisfaction with the status quo.
— Anne Bevilacqua
Waynesville
