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EDITORIAL NOTEBOOK: Zero Tolerance for 'Tolerance'

I hate tolerance.

Wait! Come back! I'm not going to be offensive. It's not the concept I hate--it's the word.

Before we all got into this new terminology, before we all joined the Buzzword of the Month Club, tolerance meant something.

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Regardless of the dictionary definition, the word "tolerance" commonly connotes putting up with something.

You figure it out. Racial tolerance. Ethnic tolerance. Tolerance of different sexual orientations.

Thanks so much for putting up with me.

Who picks these words anyway? What genius paired "racial" and "tolerance" and decided together they could be a political catchphrase?

Nationally syndicated columnist Dave Barry has his Mr. Language Person. Well, at this very moment I am pleased to announce the arrival of the Gender-Neutral Honorific Buzzword Arbiter (GNHBA). Yes, folks, right here on The Crimson's Editorial page. Ask away.

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