On "Tolerance"

There's a curious rhetorical argument coming from the right wing defenses of Phil Robertson, the Duck Dynasty guy.

I wrote about him yesterday.  And there's something I should have added.  Apart from the Bible-based anti-gay remarks, he also said some amazingly ignorant things regarding the history of America's treatment of African-Americans:

"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field.... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people'--not a word!... Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."

Ah, yes. All those happy farm workers, singing in the fields!  If only the NAACP didn't ruin everything!

But back to the "tolerance" demanded from the right.

Here's an example from WND:

Of course, this isn’t a violation of Robertson’s First Amendment rights, because the censorial actions emanated not from the government, but from a private company, which is not constitutionally barred from doing what it did.

Constitutional issues aside, we are witnessing a profound display of leftist intolerance, and they need to be called on it. Some in the gay activist community demanded Robertson’s head because of his “hate.”

GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz said, “What’s clear is that such hateful anti-gay comments are unacceptable to fans, viewers and networks alike.” Robertson’s removal “has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value.”

And:

The American left – actually, it’s a global phenomenon – is increasingly intolerant of opposing viewpoints, while holding itself out as the exemplar of tolerance.

You'll note the subtle redefinition of "tolerance" here.  The right, by demanding this new definition has shifted the rhetoric into what they hope is an inescapable trap for the left.  And what's the "tolerance" they're demanding?  Here it is: You can never disagree with anything we say, no matter how ignorant or repugnant you think it is - or else you're the bigot.

Look around, you'll notice some form of this argument/threat popping up all over the place when the conservative right criticizes the progressive left.