I saw this posted on a FaceBook conversation earlier today.

Made me start to think.

You see, the word bigotry sure has had a unique turn around.

Sometimes now, it is those yelling “intolerance” who have become the bigots.  Ironically, they themselves have become intolerant and even vitriolic towards those with respectful yet differing opinions.

Poor form has become the mainstay of most conversations that involve a differing of opinions.

It is like the argument du jour.

What I am seeing more and more is that no one really likes to have respectful dialog or healthy disagreement without a little jab or two. (Hence making it no longer a healthy nor respectful conversation after all, does it?) Then to make matters worse, they pull out all the stops and accuse each other of bigotry, intolerance, a**-wipeness, a**-holeness, a**-hatness, narrow-mindedness, ad nauseam.

Here’s the thing….

Robust conversation is mature, as is robust disagreement and a differing of opinions. But pulling out the ‘bigotry’ card and the ‘intolerance’ card has become a tired and worn out form of disagreement. (Unless of course someone is ACTUALLY intolerant or bigoted. Then by all means point it out!)

What I see, too often though, is that the definition of  intolerance and bigotry and the labeling of said offenders – is conveniently fluid in the hands of the ones wielding it.

Just thinking out loud……