Tolerance is Not Enough

I asked the high school students I am working for to do a writing exercise. We started by writing directions to something that we do regularly, then I asked them to think if it could be a metaphor for something else and to adjust their writing accordingly. I started by writing about the process of paying bills, then made it a metaphor for tolerance. People misuse the notion of tolerance the way folks glaze over diversity. Tolerance for many is about putting up with something they don't like in a PC way to not be perceived as jerks, rather than truly accepting difference and embracing others. Here is my poem for them.

How to be a Tolerant A**hole
By Turiya

Toss all frustration into a huge pile
and leave for weeks unattended.
Once your ignorance is pouring over
the edges of your surroundings,
threatening to take over,
go through your "isms" one by one.

Tear open your past and dismiss the content.
Attempt half-heartedly to analyze your preconceptions.
Groan as you realize your debt to society
is more than you'll ever be able to repay.
Write an I.O.U. for less than you owe.

Complain about how miserable it is
to share a country with those less worthy.
Choose who won't get respect this month.
Shred every piece of evidence
that points to the problem being yours.
Add the issues you don't want to acknowledge
to the growing stack marked
"things to deal with 11 days after never."

Pat yourself on the back
as if you've accomplished something monumental.
Avoid growth at all costs!
Mumble about how change is overrated.
Smile, assuming you really are right after all and
continue making the rest of us miserable.