Tolerance

[Hartwin Gebhardt]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Murthy Yenamandra [mailto:yenamand at cs.umn.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 1999 4:22 PM
> To: pynchon-l at W.A.S.T.E.
> Subject: Re: Tolerance
> 
> 
> Hartwin Gebhardt wrote seemingly a long time ago:
> > [..] Criticizing or challenging another's group identity, whether by
> > painting a black dung madonna or in conversation, is perfectly fine,
> > provided the power relations are (more or less) between 
> equals. Otherwise
> > its an act of terrorism. 
> 
> Interesting formulation. But the catch is to establish unambiguously
> when the power relation is equal and when it is not, don't you think?

Not at all. That's why I said "(more or less)". The nonsense happening in
New York is a clear example. It's not particularly difficult seeing the
difference between some well-fed first world artist challenging the
establishment, or the cosy ideas of other well-fed first worlders, and the
IMF coming down like a ton of bricks on a small African community. To demand
'unambiguity' here is usually an excuse to talk and do nothing.

> Even when it is unequal, usually both sides will claim that they are
> the defensive party and that the other side is terrorizing them...
> Whether you call it terrorism or a challenge between equals, the
> conflict and its consequences are still there and the real problem is
> what you do about the conflict - "tolerate" it or "resolve" it. Either
> way we could end up in places we don't want to, but the hard 
> thing is to
> figure out which one is preferable in a given situation?
> 
> > The word tolerance does not feature - it is merely
> > a liberal buzzword used to legitimize the hegemony of the 
> Western middle
> > class world view.
> 
> One could say that, but as long as the inherent inequalities of power
> persist, it may be vastly preferable to some of the alternative
> scenarios, such as the stronger party brutally asserting its power and
> terrorizing the weaker.

I am trying to say that tolerance is one of the terms the West uses and has
used in "brutally asserting its power and terrorizing the weaker", in
Somalia, Bosnia-Herzegovina or East Timor. Tolerance is what the West asks
for towards the Mobutos, Saddams and Suhartos of the world, if it is
profitable to do so, or towards the Coca Colas of the world.... It is a term
so loaded and corrupted, I'd rather not use it lightly. I suspect that we
could easily come to an agreement re. different conceptions, or definitions,
of 'tolerance', though. 

hag