On Tolerance
Over 500 years ago on planet Earth, there were numerous different civilizations with their different ethnicities, beliefs, and cultures. And while there have always been wars and violent expansions, there was also trade, human interactions, and the transfer knowledge, beliefs and social mores. In the Gold for Salt trade between East and West Africa (7th to the 14th Century), while Europe was also undergoing its Medieval times, merchants would travel back and forth, not only exchanging goods, but getting to know different ways of life, different peoples, different languages. During this same period in much of Asia, despite the bloody conquests of the Mongol and other expansionist endeavors, the spread of Confucianism, Taoism, and of course Buddhism led to cultural exchanges stretching thousands of kilometers. Similarly in what is now Latin America despite civil war in the Incan Andean region or Roman like tendencies of the Aztecs towards the Mayans and other peoples of the area, there was still trade that spread far north and south, east and west across the whole continent allowing people to mingle. These were eras where our current colonial derived ethnic classifications did not exist nor all of the social biased that comes along with it.
Back in history regular folk in regions XYZ might have considered themselves better than peoples in regions ABC. Just like in today’s world, when Cariocas believe they are better than Paulistas. New Yorkers look down at their Californian counterparts, or Amsterdamians think they are really cool compared to their Rotterdam compatriots (who in turn seem to complain that in Amsterdam people don’t really work). In the past, when institutionalized conflicts came, of course people would pillage, rape, and destroy. But, despite conflicts, because of trade interests or simple power lust, most people would not consider others inherently subhuman to the point of justifying mass genocide — a generational effort to, not only destroy civilizations, but to enslave survivors and their children in a truly subhuman way.
This subjugation and dehumanization not only erases the cultural identity of the other, but allows the oppressor to reap the riches that come by having an entire cultural/ethnic group work for them for free (or nearly so). Yes, I am referring to the deeds of Europeans and that melting pot of Europeans that would then constitute the initial stages of the United States of America.
To many humans living in today’s society, these past 500 years can seem almost irrelevant. Our tunnel vision keeps us entertained with what we consider to be relevant according to what we narrowly see in the present. However, when we follow the breadcrumbs from our past and quickly jump to our 21st century we will find that there are still many survivors from the Civil Rights Movement in the US. And actually, there are hundreds of thousands of survivors that were alive during segregation in the US or Apartheid in South Africa. Original and native populations in the US are still fighting for their rights in reservations, fighting for their territory in Brazil, discriminated against in Guatemala, and continued to be abused and segregated in Australia.
It seems like colonialism happened long ago — the constant pillaging, enslaving, exploitation, and generational murder; however, this era truly was not that long ago and it is not that difficult to understand why we still have all of the civic issues we still have. Whole families, as well as societies with their varied ethnicities were ruthlessly exploited, enslaved, and robbed of their cultures. Their histories, and traditions were usurped by institutionalized violence for generations until by massive struggle from the disenfranchised, we arrive at the world we know today. The past is not so distant after all.
Out of this whole mess comes a term that fills the need, by those in the dominant economic power position, to try to ameliorate their own interactions with what is the majority of people on the planet who are not Caucasian: Tolerance.
The word is old. It has existed for hundreds of years and its meaning for most of the time has been that to endure, to tolerate. A mild form which is more recent is to tolerate that which we disapprove of. Merriam-Webster has probably the softer secondary meaning: “sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one’s own”. It seems to have a bit of a condescending note to it. Sort of when you hear the term “ethnic” or “world” music referring to non-American music genres. As if these musical styles enjoyed by vast swaths of the global population were the exceptions from the “official” ones.
The term tolerance has always struck me, at best, as bizarre. Because somehow, we are made to believe that those who are different will inherently push hate and rejection buttons, supposedly buried deep inside us all. There are even current theories that point to an inherent bias towards that which is different. However, these inherent and violent biases have been practiced the most by our European brothers and sisters who have come to write the rules and shape a good part of what we now deem to be “human nature” and socially acceptable. These for discussion at a further time.
Aspects of curiosity, like personal ones I witnessed, when I remember my five year old brother approaching a total stranger black kid, wanting to play with him at a beach in Rio de Janeiro. Or the curiosity of a women that looks at a well-built male foreigner, no matter where he is from, with interest in some small town. These and many other examples of day-to-day experiences are ignored by the status-quo. The black or Indian family in the US that is curious about visiting Mexico: — “let’s not pay attention to that” or “let’s consider it the exception to the rule”. The liberal stance is that we should and must tolerate differences. It is taught to us, and it has become almost hegemonic that our natural state is to reject, to want to destroy that which is different.
I believe that the insistence broadcast in all mediums for us to “tolerate” one another comes out of the engrained colonial hate and ignorance about “the other”. We have all, across the planet, inherited this from our European backstabbing great-grandparent conquistadors and their descendant families who urgently needed a justification for all the horrors that were caused around the world. In the West (Americas, Western and Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand) where societies have become, to various degrees, mixed in culture and/or ethnicity, understanding people’s differences has become paramount for the continuation of society. In the Americas, the stage where colonization began and set the tone for centuries to come, it is of course, even more the case.
Despite the white supremacist belief, in the US, Europe, and other regions, that backstabbing those who welcomed you to then kill them, genocide them (as seen in most of European expansion), is a sign of superiority, and that Caucasians are to remain isolated and “pure”, most humans and biological forms of life, for that matter, mix. With humans, the process of mixture creates new cultures and variations of ethnicities that help societies thrive and face new challenges. In the American continent specifically, this mixing violently or not, has created challenges that although understood by European countries where immigration from old colonies presents similar situations; this is rarely understood elsewhere.
If we trace the historical trajectory that brings us to our present and evaluate the terminology developed, “to tolerate” your neighbor sounds insultingly condescending to say the least. After all, aren’t these people those who built the infrastructure where you live and work? Aren’t these people also those who share your social struggle, who share your ambition for a better life? For a vacation, for a night out with friends and family? It is just a plain stupid term that does not fit the importance of your neighbor, your society nor the dynamics of the world.
There are better terms and verbs such as to welcome, to learn, to be curious. Tolerance is for the empowered who are afraid. Curiosity and welcoming are for those who share the struggle and vision of a better future for themselves and their families.
I have always been struck by the general attitude of those who live in favelas in Rio de Janeiro. If someone from a distant region (Africa, an Arab country, another Latin American country, Europe, Asia, Eastern Europe or wherever) ends up in a favela, being a neighbor, they will most likely get the invite to a churrasco (a BBQ) during the weekend: — “Hey, come to the roda de samba this Saturday”. An invite to dine, to party together. It is a common denominator that, generally, if you live in a favela that you are well, not in the best economic circumstance. And, people’s behavior is not one of “tolerance” and yes, one of invitation, of curiosity: “How do you say this in your language?” Most likely a kinky term or a bad word of course. We all yearn for a good laugh, for connection.
It is important, even a priority, to understand that our current mental state as a society comes from centuries of participating, willingly or not, in a worldwide exploitation system that has served its own needs and shaped our twisted historical view, our societal view, and that of each other as human beings.
I find it extremely primitive yet very imaginative of the Homo-Sapiens species to judge others by the pigment of their skin. The ones wearing the light-pink color sweaters believe they are better than those wearing other color sweaters: — “Hey, my sweater is better than yours and it gives me some special imaginary power at the playground”. But, this is the world we now inhabit and we need to be aware of how it came about and change it. To continue to use terms such as tolerance and the mentality that comes along with it, is to treat only the symptoms of lack of respect and a dubious view of life and society that centuries of ill will have created. It is unlikely to have positive long-lasting effects.
I am not romanticizing. I am also a deep believer in Homo-Sapiens’ lack of ability to see the obvious. Humans will try to get work for free, steal from each other, ignore what is in front of their faces, and insist in clinging to childhood behaviors that think that big, shiny, and not sharing are best. These simplistic triggers seem to have formed most of our current world mess. However, it is important to acknowledge that more and more, if you grow up with these children-like views, in our contemporary world, in the west at least, you will have fewer dates, fewer sex. If you keep to this childhood mentality, you will most likely not travel to other places, you will not be exposed to different cultures and points of view, and therefore, you will probably have greater difficulty in activating your pre-frontal cortex or into becoming more mentally aware and creative.
Being aware of our past, how it contributes to our present, and the terminology that gets used in our human interactions is a choice we actively need to make as a society and more actively so as individuals. Being critical takes mental energy and effort. The outcome can be rewarding and the realization that being curious about who is different or looks different and being kind is not that difficult after all.
Do you know that annoying old uncle/aunt or even grandparent that makes really ignorant and stupid comments at family gatherings? The one that makes ludicrous comments about science, history, and loves pushing conspiracy theories? The one that says that the holocaust was fabricated and probably believes Sinterklass and his “helper” Zwarte Piet exists? The one that probably believes Pinocchio became a real boy. Well, as the current younger generations inhabiting this planet, we can look at two options:
1) Keep rooting for these bizarre uncles/aunts, their beliefs, and world views.
2) Create a better future by being conscious of our history, taking into a hard-felt and actionable consideration what needs to be done to improve our future and damage control our past.
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Tolerance has become a mainstream term. Terms and words have power, and they reflect underlying beliefs. Historical trajectories are highly instrumental in the vocabulary that gets developed and used. Tolerance is a term that might serve the world view of those who continue to be in power and how they view the world their ancestors forged with violence. Instead of using “to tolerate” those that are different so that we can be at peace, I favor more positive and long-lasting terms: respect, curiosity, welcoming, equality, acknowledgement, awareness, respect (yes, I am repeating it), and engagement. These to be applied by all for all.
Generally people tolerate those who they respect. But, seldom do they respect those who they only tolerate.
