Confederacy, Nugent, Ice Skating, Hockey and the Dalai Lama

Very interesting news this morning:  Georgia has issued a new license plate “celebrating” the sons of the confederacy complete with a confederate flag.  Yep, controversy.  Ted Nugent is campaigning for Greg Abbott, a Texas Republican gubernatorial candidate.  Yep, controversy.  Women’s ice skating concluded yesterday with the gold going to a Russian.  South Koreans and Americans believe the judging was either rigged or biased.  Yep, controversy.  Women’s hockey lost to Canada in overtime, partly due to a referee call.  Yep, controversy.  And China has warned President Obama not to meet with the Dali Lama or it will seriously impair US - Chinese relations.  Yep, controversy.

I see the same pattern in all these issues.  The end of tolerance and the my-way-or-the-highway mentality.

Should the sons of the confederacy be able to celebrate their historical role as promoting slavery and state’s rights and losing to the north?  Sure, if they want to.  If I were the son, or grandson, etc. of a confederate soldier I would not join such a group anymore than I would join a sons of the Nazis group.  Both ideologies included no tolerance for diversity and the assumption that some races are superior to another.  That is an assumption I reject.  However, if such groups wish to exist in the land of the free and the home of the brave then I believe they have the right to exist and even proselytize.  I would not wage war on such groups.  I would, however, make clear judgments about a state that issues license plates honoring such a group and citizens of that state who opt to display such a plate.  I think they are fools.  But, in the US of A people have the right to be fools, even if it offends someone else.  Those offended by such decisions should accept the fact that it is the promoters of the philosophy who are in error, supporting a lost cause.  Were I a citizen of Georgia I would politically engage an effort to cease and desist the production of this license plate.  I am not.  So I sit safely in Texas where much of the same sentiment exists and watch a national debate on a topic that cannot be controlled.  Tolerate diversity.  Even fools.

Ted Nugent is a rock star from Detroit.  He is campaigning with and for Texas gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott.  His remarks regarding the second amendment (no limits to gun ownership) and Obama (labeled a subhuman mongrel) have stirred controversy chiefly because a candidate for governor seemingly not only endorsees such comments, but recruits support from the man who makes them.  Again, the end of tolerance and the my-way-or-the-highway mentality.  Nugent has no credentials as a constitutional expert or a political analyst.  He is a northern boy who has made money as a rock and roll performer.  Why anyone would listen to him in this arena is beyond me.  However, I do believe it is very indicative of the level of thinking of one of our possible, even likely governors.  So sad.  However, if Abbott wants Ted Nugentisms as part of his campaign then that reflects on Abbott.  If Abbott wants Lady Gaga that is a reflection on Abbott.  It should come as no surprise to anyone in Texas that Greg Abbott is a very conservative politician.  Nugent’s presence confirms that in oh so many ways.  Let Abbott pal around with anyone he wants to.  This is America.  Learn from who he chooses to pal around with and, hopefully conclude that Abbott is not a man who should be governor.  But even if you do vote for him, I absolutely support your right to vote for whomever you choose.  Tolerate diversity.  Even fools.

Ah, the Sochi Olympics, the thrill of victory the agony of defeat.  We support our kids in these games.  We want to win.  We pour out our hearts to those who lose and grow protective if one of our athletes is pressed by media at a time of sorrow.  Yes, these are our kids.  When our kids lose we accept it.  If our kids claim the loss is unfair, or rigged, or biased we grow incensed.  How dare they?  Don’t they know that the Olympics should be fair?  That the best man or woman or team should win?  That the bias of judging should not determine outcomes, only performance?  Well, those ideals have never been met because human beings are judging human beings.  It is one thing to judge an event by a stop watch.  No real controversy there, just thrills and heartbreak.   But when winners are chosen by humans using subjective criteria there is always room for criticism by the losers, real or not.  American female ice skaters and Korean female ice skaters feel that it was unfair for a Russian to win the gold.  The American female hockey team feels that their loss to the Canadians was unfair due to the judgment call of a referee in overtime.  I hate that our gals lost.  But, in every Olympic competition only one person wins the gold.  Challenges to the subjective decision making of judges in every competitive activity always come from those who lose.  Praise the winners, support the losers.  The losers are not really losers after all as they made it to the Olympics!  Tolerate human imperfection, human errors, and human diversity.  Even the diversity of fools.

President Obama announces plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.  China sees the Dalai Lama as a fomenter of unrest in the Chinese area of Tibet.  The Dalai denies such accusations.  Once more, the Chinese lack a tolerance for diversity, and insist on a world view that is their own, in other words, my-way-or-the-highway.  Is it reasonable for a sovereign nation to dictate to another sovereign nation the people that are acceptable to meet?  Should Obama not meet with our allies regarding Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc. because any of those nations oppose such a meeting?  No, that is ludicrous.  Again, this complaint by the Chinese is more a reflection of the Chinese mentality than it is anything else.  Are we surprised to learn that China does not support diversity, does not support freedom of speech or freedom of the press or freedom of religion?  Nope.  If you doubted it before, here is more evidence.  The world cannot live in peace if the prevailing view is opposition to people different from me and it is my-way-or-the-highway.  That thinking has led to countless wars and devastating loss of life, liberty and happiness. 

I accept diversity because I love freedom, even if the diverse perspective offends me deeply and I see it as foolish.  I accept that I am a flawed human being so the rules do not have to be my way or the highway.  Winning is not my triumph over others.  Winning is mutual growth, respect, and improvement of the human condition. 

I am an educator because I support that kind of winning for a highly diverse student body.  Wish our legislators would stop acting like Ted Nugent and the Chinese while admitting that Olympic type scoring in schools does not even work always in the Olympics! They should promote a culture of real learning in the schools based on something other than my way or the highway.  Yet, I must tolerate those fools as well.

Do you support freedom?  If so, I would argue that you must by definition support the reality that humans are diverse in their physical attributes, their values and their beliefs.  There is no way to insist that we all view the world as you do and claim to support freedom.  However, we must tolerate those who do not get that.