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    Tolerance is NOT a Virtue.
    Tolerance is NOT a Virtue.
    Tolerance is NOT a Virtue.
    Ebook73 pages55 minutes

    Tolerance is NOT a Virtue.

    By Richard Thomas

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    About this ebook

    Our Facebook and Twitter generation has spread all kinds of nonsense with its cod philosophies and meaningless 'likes'. It promotes a dangerous kind of sloppy thinking that needs to be challenged. And ideas about 'tolerance' are right at the top of the list.
    In this short book, the first in a series called 'Bloody Nonsense' designed to debunk some of these stupidities, the author sets out the truth about our over valued ideas of 'tolerance'. At best, tolerance is a useless ideal. At worst, it's a vice. Tolerance of bad religion has resulted in death and alienation. Lazy thinking about tolerance has led to confusion about racism, genetics, and gay marriage. Political 'tolerance' is often another word for 'cowardice'.
    Reaction against this kind of 'tolerance' has led to 'Zero Tolerance', which is just another way of describing secular fundamentalism.
    We shouldn't tolerate bad thinking, bad religion, or bad politics. Good things should be celebrated, not merely 'tolerated'. And there's no point in 'tolerating' simple differences. They need to be celebrated as part of life's rich tapestry. Celebrated generously.
    In fact, today's 'tolerance' has become a vice that creates hypocrisy, lazy thinking, and fear of challenging wrong. It's not a virtue. It's a very British vice.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichard Thomas
    Release dateJan 7, 2015
    ISBN9781311692023
    Tolerance is NOT a Virtue.
    Author

    Richard Thomas

    Richard Thomas is the award-winning author of seven books—Disintegration and Breaker (Penguin Random House Alibi), Transubstantiate, Staring into the Abyss, Herniated Roots, Tribulations, and The Soul Standard (Dzanc Books). His over 150 stories in print include The Best Horror of the Year (Volume Eleven), Cemetery Dance (twice), Behold!: Oddities, Curiosities and Undefinable Wonders (Bram Stoker winner), PANK, storySouth, Gargoyle, Weird Fiction Review, Midwestern Gothic, Shallow Creek, The Seven Deadliest, Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories, Qualia Nous, Chiral Mad (numbers 2-4), PRISMS, Pantheon, and Shivers VI. He was also the editor of four anthologies: The New Black and Exigencies (Dark House Press), The Lineup: 20 Provocative Women Writers (Black Lawrence Press) and Burnt Tongues (Medallion Press) with Chuck Palahniuk. He has been nominated for the Bram Stoker, Shirley Jackson, and Thriller awards. In his spare time he is a columnist at Lit Reactor. He was the Editor-in-Chief at Dark House Press and Gamut Magazine, and lives in Mundelein, Illinois. For more information visit www.whatdoesnotkillme.com or contact Paula Munier at Talcott Notch.

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      Book preview

      Tolerance is NOT a Virtue. - Richard Thomas

      Tolerance is not a Virtue

      by Richard Thomas

      The Naked Truth about one of the West's most valued ideals.

      Text copyright © 2013 Richard Thomas

      All Rights Reserved

      Published by Spider Communication Limited

      Registered in England no: 5676656

      71B St Thomas Street, Wells, Somerset BA5 2UY, United Kingdom

      About this book

      Our Facebook and Twitter generation has stifled clear thinking with its cod philosophy and meaningless 'likes'. It promotes the kind of bloody nonsense that needs to be challenged. And its love of 'tolerance' is at the top of the list.

      The author sets out the truth about our over valued 'tolerance'. At best, tolerance is a useless idea. At worst, it's a vice. We shouldn't tolerate bad thinking, bad religion, or bad politics. Good things should be celebrated, not merely 'tolerated'. And there's no point in 'tolerating' simple differences. The generous celebration of difference is the answer here.

      In fact, 'tolerance' has become a vice that creates hypocrisy, lazy thinking, and fear of challenging wrong. It's not a virtue. It's a vice.

      ISBN

      9781311692023

      Follow on Twitter

      @BloodyNsense

      Contents

      About this book

      Contents

      Introduction

      Words Matter

      Words change their meaning over time

      It's all semantics

      What is Tolerance?

      Intolerant of Intolerance?

      Tolerance is no longer a virtue

      Tolerance - a definition

      Tolerance - under the microscope

      But let's not be so negative

      What SHOULD we be tolerating?

      Turning Tolerance on its head

      The Cheshire Cat

      Tolerance as laziness

      Grudging disapproval?

      What about sausages?

      Religious Tolerance

      Bad religion

      Tolerance as a Vice

      Tolerance makes us fearful

      Tolerance makes us dishonest

      Tolerance makes us lazy

      Tolerance and Racism

      Getting rid of tolerance

      Zero Tolerance

      Fundamentalism or Forgiveness?

      Review Request

      About the Author

      Other books by this author

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      Introduction

      Actually, the original quote may not have originated with Churchill, but with an anonymous wartime Civil Servant. No one really knows for sure. But it's the kind of thing Churchill may have said if he'd seen some of the nonsense promoted on Facebook.

      Because the age of social media has spawned steaming piles of bloody nonsense. Dangerous stupidities are banded about on Facebook and Twitter as if they were sacred texts. Sadly, very few brain cells seem to have been even mildly disturbed, let alone exercised, in creating them.

      To be fair, some of these stupidities have been hanging around for ages, so you can't blame Facebook entirely.

      But it's social media in general, and Facebook in particular, that's making things worse. Some of the changes that Facebook is introducing into our language are neutral in their effect. But

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