It's Time for the Tolerant Left to be Intolerant

Can we stamp out Trumpism and MAGA by being tolerant of their behavior and actions? Unfortunately, I don’t think we can.

In the wake of the election, I’m seeing rhetoric in regard to division and unity from those on the left dialed up in two ways.  There are those calling for unity, bridge building, and encouraging discourse with the other side to understand how we got here.  Then there are others who are done being tolerant to people in their lives that voted for Trump for various reasons.

I am one of the people who have felt more compelled lately to not necessarily cut ties, but to definitely pay attention to, and be more selective of who is allowed near or around my child. This contemplation is based on what I view as a difference in morals, values, and what type of behavior and people I am willing to let my child be around, experience, and be influenced by. I do not want to be tolerant of unacceptable behavior or condoning unacceptable behavior from adults in his life.

With that said, I’ve been going back and forth on whether it’s the right thing to do. Most of us have friends and family who have voted for Trump in past elections. So, why does it feel different this time? I had been pondering this for a few days after the election. When a friend shared a post about the paradox of tolerance, it finally hit me. It helped me put into words why I’m feeling this way and what I am going to do about it. 

Philosopher Karl Popper first discussed the paradox of tolerance in 1945 in his book, The Open Society and Its Enemies. Karl Popper states, “In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.” He explains that a tolerant society should not have unlimited tolerance, as it would allow the intolerant to thrive and ultimately destroy tolerance itself.

Popper believed intolerance should first be combatted with rational argument and civil, public discourse. If that ultimately fails, Popper states that intolerance can and should be silenced because doing nothing when hatred and intolerance is spewed could allow those harmful ideas to take hold. 

Philosopher John Rawls expanded on Popper’s idea. He explains that if intolerance would infringe on the liberties of other people, then the tolerant can refuse to tolerate the intolerant. Hence the paradox, or self-contradiction, of tolerance.

So, if we step away from philosophical theory and back to the reality at hand, I believe this is exactly what we are seeing today. Let’s look at an example. 

Schools across America have anti-bullying policies. The sentiment behind such policies is that schools are inclusive where all are welcome, but there is no tolerance for harassment. Students have a right to feel safe. Would anyone argue that anti-bullying policies are bad? Should kids be allowed to be bullied in school in the name of tolerance? I doubt you can find many who would make this argument.

Let’s apply this to politics. If a politician attacks a group of Americans by describing them as vermin and scum, or suggests someone who disagrees with him should face a firing squad, should we accept that? If they incite violence or even call for political violence, should we be tolerant of that in a democratic society?

Until recently, I believe most people would have said no. Which leads me to wonder, have we been tolerant of Donald Trump, his rhetoric, and his supporters for the past almost ten years to our own detriment? How have we gotten to a place where not only do folks not condone this type of behavior, but the majority vote for it? Have we seen Popper’s theory play out, and Trump and MAGA’s harmful ideas take hold?

This election and time in American politics feels different and that’s because it is. Folks can no longer say or pretend that they don’t know exactly the type of person Trump is or the types of things he represents.  In 2016, he was new on the scene, and even though I didn’t like it, I can understand how he won and why people would vote for him. In 2020, while I think his true colors showed throughout his Presidency, I can still understand that most people who don’t pay attention regularly could think he did a decent job prior to COVID, and vote for him then. 

Post 2020, we all know what’s happened. The list is enormous – denying the results of a free and fair election, never conceding or helping with any transition for the next administration, inciting a failed insurrection on January 6^th, stealing classified documents, his many many legal battles, and none of that even covers his campaign rhetoric this time around which was definitely more unhinged, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, etc. 

Which leads us to the here and now. Are people completely oblivious and truly living in a silo where they don’t have any information, or do folks know about at least some of these transgressions and voted for him anyway?  The majority of Americans decided that felonies, sexual assault convictions, and his threatening and hateful rhetoric were not deal breakers for someone seeking the highest office in the land, someone who is supposed to be a leader, and someone whose job it is to protect and fight for all Americans.

All that to say, people know this man has no morals and a complete lack of ethics. That’s what this comes down to this time and why it’s not just politics. A vote is an endorsement, and over 75 million people endorsed this behavior. What does it say about our country when we are not only tolerant to that type of behavior, but we willingly elevate it? 

I think Trump is still around and this MAGA movement hasn’t been crushed because we have tried to be tolerant of folks supporting and endorsing his behavior for the past ten years.  While we’ve spoken out against him, we haven’t all stood up to family or friends and told them his behavior is completely unacceptable, and therefore it is completely unacceptable for someone to support him and vote for him to be President.

While I would love nothing more than unity and everyone to get along, I think we must ask ourselves some hard questions. Should we be tolerant towards supporters of a President when that President asks to shoot protestors? Should we be tolerant towards supporters of a President when that President threatens the free press? Should we be tolerant towards supporters of a President when that President calls for retribution and violence against his political enemies?

Many of us have been tolerant of those that have been intolerant of others for the past ten years. Should we continue to be? Should we continue to be tolerant of those persecuting others? Can we stamp out Trumpism and MAGA by being tolerant of their behavior and actions? Unfortunately, I don’t think we can.

So, where does this leave us? Should we all dump our Trump supporting friends and family?  

No, I don’t think you should cut ties with all your family and friends that voted for Trump. While it may be tempting some days, we know we can’t heal division by doing so. What I believe we really must do is be intolerant of him and intolerant of any support those around you show to him. 

Will this be enough? Probably not. We’ll need to not only be intolerant when it’s brought up, but we also need to intentionally bring up his actions and explain why we won’t tolerate them, and why no one else should either, no matter their political beliefs or affiliations. 

You can start with the nomination for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, who is someone that has been accused of having sex with a minor and sought a pardon for sex trafficking minors. Bring up the topic next time you’re around Trump voters and hold your ground on why it’s unacceptable. Don’t let them cry “all politicians are the same” or “this is how politics is”.  These are excuses and justifications for your tolerance that we can no longer afford to accept.

We must stop those in our lives from making Donald Trump and his MAGA chums the new normal or we may end up living in a country where we’ve lost tolerance altogether.