Why should I tolerate your intolerance?

I’ll tolerate him as soon as he sees to it that I can’t be sued or lose my job for answering a question about a kindergartener’s family picture with a neutral, “Yes, some families have a mom and a dad and some have two moms or two dads.”

You can believe whatever you like, but you cross the line when you insist that I pretend what you don’t like doesn’t exist or else lose my job.

I also dislike the fact that so many believe that religious foundations give legitimacy to noxious beliefs. Take your religion out of it. Does your belief preference respect others’ constitutional rights? Does it respect the guiding principles of allowing everyone the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of THEIR happiness? If not, then it doesn’t matter what your religion says and you need to leave that out of the conversation.

The special protection this country has given to religious beliefs and organizations has contributed greatly to our downfall. Worship how you want, but it’s time to stop expecting the state to legitimize and even promote those beliefs for you.

He wants teachers to direct a student’s question about why Susie has two dads to Susie. Because Suzie’s dads have probably already coached her and she should be ready. But of course. 

Good grief. I spent a ton of time coaching various Suzies about what to say when a classmate asked why she wore hearing aids. We practiced; we role played. Guess what? Susie often forgot and stammered when asked one-on-one, especially by the wrong kid or in the wrong tone.

If a teacher redirected the question to Susie in a group setting and 50 seven-year-old eyes turned to her, there was a good chance she would want to fall in a giant hole. And those are the kids who then take their hearing aids off and stuff them in their hoodie pocket.

Imagine feeling like you want to stuff your parents in your hoodie pocket. 

White Christian Nationalism -- that is why there is support for the Hungarian dictator and Putin -- their actions which are so OBVIOUSLY anti-Democratic do not phase all those reptilian Republicans who WANT White Christian Nationalism.

Did he read what he wrote himself? In what possible universe is it tenable for a teacher to refer to Johnny’s “mom and dad” but if Susie has two dads, to tell Johnny “why don’t you ask Susie if you have questions about her parents”? How is that administrable? In what world can that teacher assign books with heterosexual couples and parents, but not gay couples or parents, and that’s just us being tolerant of the intolerant? What about the kids?

These are not abstract questions for me like I think they seem to be for him. In fourteen years of having kids in elementary school (!!), I don’t know that I have ever had a kid in a classroom that didn’t have at least one same-sex set of parents. And I have gotten two kids through some or all of high school, knowing their friends since early elementary; a number of them have been gay or trans. Sorry that it sounds like this dude can’t “tolerate” literal children.

Starting at 2:10 is where I get my signature from

That was fun. I never watched West Wing. The only scene I’d ever watched prior to this one was the Butterball Turkey hotline scene. 

I guess I need to break down and watch the whole damn thing, don’t I?

Yes. Yes you do. 

Yes, you really do!

mollycoddle  When 1 finger is pointed out to someone or something, there are 3 fingers that are pointing back towards the finger-pointer.  Usually the thumb is keeping these 3 fingers together.  Just a thought.

Yes, I've been accused of "putting politics before family." And when I explain that it's not just politics to me, and that I'm not comfortable having friendly chats with people who think that women, minorities, LGBTQ are second-class citizens, or who support the violent overthrow of our government, I'm told that I'm being "too sensitive" and "overly emotional." Same thing they said when grandpa was found to be sexually abusing some of my cousins, BTW.

Nope, no family reunions for me.

It appears to be streaming on HBO Max, if you have that or want to get it.

Well this is creepy. I just read an article about why LDS white educated members are leaving the church. The same reasons were stated.

The non-religious, atheists, and agnostics all have a new "religion" of what seems to be progressive politics. Of course anyone who is no longer in the religion, have the same "beliefs" according to the article.

"Disaffected members critiquing our faith from within the framework of their new faith can be asked to show their cards, explain their own beliefs, and make an affirmative case for them if they want us to agree. We should stop accepting terms of debate where church members are required to justify their beliefs from within the framework of the contemporary progressive worldview, while those of the other faith can perpetually disclaim any burden of proof for theirs."

"This change in approach is hard. We have been playing defensively not because we don’t want to win but because the deck is stacked against us. But it’s possible: people can be—and have been—woken up to the fact of their unintended conversion. They must be if there is to be any reasonable hope that they will return."

Who the hell would want to return to that?

It’s typical Republican BS. They always do WTF they want but Democrats are supposed to take the high road. F them and their high horse. If they worked on acting like compassionate human beings they’d have less time to worry about the Democrats and their intolerance because that would be a full time job. 

The very thought of putting a young child on the spot like that makes me want to retch. These people are contemptible. They know dang well that in doing that, the in message is that there’s something wrong with Susie and her family - something too shameful for the teacher to discuss. And of course that’s exactly the message they want to send.