Tolerating tolerance?

I was re-reading the post about Moral (I know, I read my own blog. How sad.) and it reminded me of one of my major, major issues with the subject. One of the values that were pummeled into us was "Tolerance".

I absolutely hate the way the word "tolerance" is bandied about in society as something to be sought. I know hate is a strong word, but I really do feel strongly about it. Why should I "tolerate" cultures that are different from mine? Why should we teach our children to only "tolerate" others? Forgive me if I'm wrong, but to me, to tolerate is to bear with. To keep a smile on my face even when what I want to do is to punch the other guy in his. That can't be the right message to be sending out to our children, surely?

I think the word we're all looking for is acceptance. When we accept others, we no longer want to knock their teeth out. We now accept that even though they are different from us, they're still human, and it's okay to be different. We don't "tolerate" them because there's nothing for us to have to grin and bear with.

I'm glad I finally got that off my chest