Tolerance

I work with people who are xenophobic. Fortunately they are so superficial that they have trouble perceiving the differences beneath the surface unless those differences are called to their attention.

Their ignorance and bigotry often troubles me, but I continue to work with them in spite of that, because they happen to be an important and necessary force for some good things, even as their personal political beliefs make them into the kind of citizens who would have gone along with Hitler because he was oppressing people they didn't like. They are too spineless to go out and start a confrontation, but they're only too happy to see someone else fight the battle for them. In that vein, they support the war in Iraq, but would never send an immediate family member.

It's hard not to make them sound despicable. In many ways they are contemptible exemplars of political flotsam, pushed by strong currents without ever taking their own helm. And yet, as I said, they accidentally stumbled into activities that help the environment and community health and fitness. By most measures of interest and income they should be liberals. I even refer to them as the communist Republicans, because they do not exploit their employees.

We all earn pretty close to the same amount. No one drives home in a luxury car. No one owns waterfront. We're all depressingly close to being among the working poor. So their voting habits seem incongruous. Their political choices are driven by xenophobia and generational habit. While declaring that they don't want some big-government Democrat to tell them what to think, they sit down like a little RCA Victor dog whenever a Republican tells them what to think. It's sad and frustrating. But it's a powerful lesson in cooperation. We work together on the good aims of our business while we argue bitterly about our political differences. If we didn't offer each other something of value we would have parted long ago.

I won't change them. They won't change me. But if we can coexist and accomplish beneficial things without killing each other, that proves America can work. They're bipartisan in spite of themselves. Just don't tell them. It would freak them right out. And they're such a mess when they're freaked out.