To tolerate is the same as to abide, put up with, endure, accept, stomach, and allow. I have a difficult time abiding the word “tolerate.” The words, “put up with”, says to me “I am going to tolerate this person or this situation.” Notice I have differentiated between the word “tolerate” and the words “put up with.”
Of course this has been brought to the forefront by the proposed building of a mosque and Islamic cultural center near the World Trade Center property in NYC.
What’s the difference in the words I use? If I have to tolerate people who are intolerant it makes me ill. Here is the problem. You are different from me in beliefs, appearance, and language. You say things that I find offensive. In my heart I know what is the right thing to do. Therefore I will “put up with” your non-sense in the name of tolerance.
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