Suddenly, Trump Is Interested in Democracy

[keep_left]

4. The "Paradox of Tolerance".

One of the inherent weaknesses of Liberalism is that it is often ineffective at recognizing and taking definitive actions against threats from the right. The interest in "fair play" and "objectivity" will often get in the way of people calling a spade a spade. Liberals value free speech and so allow right wingers to lie and incite violence with their rhetoric, sometimes decrying it, but never coming out and saying that there is some speech which isn't worthy of protection. Speech that degrades people, speech that overtly lies and slanders opponents, and speech that incites hatred and violence. Right wingers will often say, "So much for the tolerant (insert left leaning group) " and say their "free speech" is being denied and that sends Liberals running to be better.

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Paradox_of_tolerance

Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them...we should claim the right to suppress them if necessary even by force; for it may easily turn out that they are not prepared to meet us on the level of rational argument, but...by the use of their fists or pistols.