I'm more ____ than you!

Saw something that reminded me of a post I made elsewhere on moderates. Basically, a moderate is someone who agrees with you, an extremist is one who has a view that you won't tolerate. It doesn't really matter what your views are, that's the way our society defines those terms.

I was poking around online and saw someone describe themselves as being raised Southern Baptist but "more open-minded" than what they claim their family wanted. This falls into the same realm as 'moderate'. I've met about as many people who were more open-minded than I am as I have people who were less so. The primary difference seems to be what they are open-minded about, which doesn't actually make them open-minded, just of different opinions.

Most of the people I know who would feel comfortable marching in a gay rights parade would go spastic if Southern Baptists held a prayer vigil in a city park. The person I know who most advocates against religious persecution wants the Catholic church outlawed. Very few people are more tolerant, they just tolerate different things.

Goe, doesn't tolerate bigots or the french.