A Tolerant Society?

"But we should try to find a way to bring balance to this hate and leave a good impression on someone else." - Givemorelove, Musiq Soulchild

On Tuesday, I was at work chatting with my friend, an associate from an adjacent store. Sharing some brief updates in his life, including his amazing floor seats and clear obsession with Lady Gaga, it was clear that surrounding customers were eavesdropping on our convo (he is not a quiet talker, by any means). He's a very energetic (understatement) young man, and probably one of the kindest people I've met in a long time, so it's always refreshing to catch up every now and then. When he left, this was the conversation between me and an eavesdropper:

Jerk: Is that your coworker?
Me: No, but he does work at an adjacent store.
Jerk: Oh, he's very...different.
Me: Yeah, he's a nice guy. He's very friendly (I'm totally oblivious to his clear attempt to bait me)
Jerk: You know...our society is very...tolerant these days.
Me: What exactly do you mean by that, sir? (I knew exactly what he meant by that)
Jerk: Well, you know.
Me: No, I don't.
Jerk: He's just very...odd. It's just interesting that our society tolerates people like...that.
Me: He's a kind and considerate person, who is very competent at his job. I hope our society tolerates people like that. (Then I walked away, because I would like to keep my job).


Jerk was clearly referring to my friend's sexual orientation. Aside from feeling very uncomfortable with this mild confrontation, I had to do some impromptu soul searching. Way back in 2003, I was known by my intimate circle of friends for being homophobic. My entire upbringing perpetuated the negative connotations of homosexuality, be it messages from the pulpit or sensory cues in the media(kinda like how some people in rural communities learn everything they "know" about black people from the 6pm news). It wasn't that I didn't like homosexuals, because I never personally knew anyone who was gay; all I knew was that it was different, and it didn't make logical sense to me. As a lover of fine men, I could never understand why any woman wouldn't want to bask in the sweet aroma of expensive cologne emanating from a tall, dark, and handsome mass of masculine goodness. But over the years, I have grown and learned people love who they love (regardless of race, colour, creed, or gender), because love transcends all things. As long as they're in a healthy, fulfilling relationship, I support it. Now, I do not subscribe to society's taboo anti-homosexuality doctrines, but I'm not professing to be perfect either (you know that Boom Bye Bye will always be a classic (Free Buju!)...c'mon son, you also know your non-black friends drop the N-word when they listen to hip hop. This is a No Judging Zone).

I was just standing up for my friend (that goes without question), but "tolerant"? Jerk was implying that there was actually something WRONG with him for society to be "tolerant". Is our society REALLY "tolerant"? Yes, Jerk, society is extremely "tolerant" for putting up with arrogant fools like yourself with archaic views of a modern world. *sigh* One day, Dr. King...one day, we will all be judged by the content of our character.

...And Jerk didn't honestly expect me to agree with him, did he??? 40 years ago, people were saying the same about Black people!!!

Boogie