San Francisco demonstrates tolerance, part 2

I wrote in an earlier post about how, too often, San Francisco’s legendary tolerance is forthcoming just so long as you’re not different. Last week a Christian youth group held a concert here in the city. Here is a local pol’s reaction:

[California State] Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, was quoted telling counterprotesters Friday that the gathering Christians were "loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting and they should get out of San Francisco." [...]

On Monday, however, Leno struck a more reasoned tone [...] he said the youth group was "welcome in San Francisco," even though he does worry that its religious rhetoric could "under a cloak of love" feed a "fearful world's appetite for hate."

Hmm. Different people, particularly those from out of town, are apparently disgusting to Mr. Leno. Seriously, he comes off like a redneck carrying a torch.

Accusing Christians of feeding hate under a rhetorical cloak of love? What then should we make of hiding bigotry in a rhetorical claim of tolerance?

Refreshingly, the Chronicle took the supes to task:

THE IRONY was obviously lost on the clueless San Francisco supervisors when they passed a resolution warning that a Christian youth gathering could "negatively influence the politics of America's most tolerant and progressive city." [...]

The supervisors' reaction to the evangelical Christians was so boorishly over the top that only one word could describe it:

Intolerant.

By all accounts, the group behaved just like any other concert audience. I am not a religious sort, and frankly don’t see much that would attract me to such an event. But I would like to think I represent the San Francisco that knows how to allow folks to explore their own beliefs.

Pardon my stating the obvious: real tolerance requires successfully co-existing with those with substantial differences. Simply believing oneself to be superior to some other group is the opposite of this.

Comments

[TwoHands88Keys]

Heh. I find it ironic (but not surprising) that by going backwards through the blog entries, I already commented on this in the next blog.