Wednesday, Nov. 16, was the International Day of Tolerance, a date set aside by the United Nations General Assembly in 1996 to promote mutual understanding among cultures and peoples and to encourage a peaceful resolution of ethnic and sectarian conflicts.
And yet, that day seems to have gone by unnoticed and disregarded by the vast majority of the world’s populations, starting — but not ending — with the United States, where vicious acts of racism and intolerance have dominated the headlines for the last week and a half.
The U.S. presidential elections are intended to unite the nation in a democratic process in which people cast their votes for the candidate of their choice and then, whether their party wins or loses, graciously accept the Electoral College results — in accordance with the U.S. Constitution — to come together to work towards a “more perfect union.”
Instead, the victory of the GOP’s contentious President-elect Donald J. Trump has led to mass protest marches (often violent) against the electoral process, spiteful racist attacks on minorities (high school students marching around with “White Power” signs and African-American churches desecrated with swastikas), and inexcusable and crass slurs by government officials.
It should be self-evident, but I will say it anyway: This is not how democracy is supposed to work, and it is a despoliation of American values.
One of the most offensive recent acts (although, alas, there are far too many to choose from) was a Facebook post earlier this week by a mayor of a small town in West Virginia applauding a tactless previous post by a local resident referring to First Lady Michelle Obama as “an ape in heels.”
There can be no excuse for such bigoted and malicious insults against any person, particularly someone who has so affably served her country for the last eight years.
Michelle Obama is the epitome of elegance, grace and decorum, and is a class act that will be hard for anyone to follow.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for the woman who posted the affront against the first lady, or for the West Virginia mayor who endorsed the insult (she has since resigned).
Equally disdainful was a sign that was waved by protesters in front of the new Trump Hotel in Washington D.C. on Thursday, Nov. 16, beseeching demonstrators to “Rape Melania,” referring to the president-elect’s wife.
But the point is, tolerance is in short supply in the United States today, where trading insults — and even slugs — has become an accepted norm of political expression.
Social media — which allows people to cruelly batter one another from the comfort of their own homes and, sometimes, with the added convenience of anonymity — has become a knock-down-drag-out superhighway for the expression of hatred and persecution.
Peaceful protests have turned into public brawls, with tempers raging on both sides and bellicose fists replacing pacifying dialogue.
If the United States is to advance and prosper, it must first start with conciliation, on both sides.
Accosting and trying to light on fire an African-American Queensborough Community College student in New York for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat is no more acceptable than 12-year-olds chanting “build that wall” to their Latino classmates in a Detroit middle school.
Parents have to set an example for their children by showing compassion and acceptance of others, not hatred and violence.
It is not too late to pay tribute to the UN International Day of Tolerance, which, by the way, was born out of the 1995 UN Year of Tolerance to mark the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.
It might be useful now to remember some of the teachings of the great Indian leader, who once said: “Anger and intolerance are the enemies of understanding … The future depends on what you do today.”
Thérèse Margolis can be reached at therese.margolis@gmail.com.