I am a bit late to post on this, but I’ve been amazed by the hatred surrounding the death of Dr. Jerry Falwell. Take, for example, the comments that are appearing on an article on Foxnews.com.
A couple of the quotes are:
Farwell [sic] will be remembered as the pompous, arrogant person that he was. — Paul (Grand Rapids, MI)
He will be remembered only in the short term. His legacy will be one of intolerance and bigotry. — MM
In wondering what these people were talking about I looked up a couple of definitions:
ar·ro·gant (ār’ə-gənt)
adj.
- Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
- Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one’s superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.
arrogant. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/arrogant (accessed: May 17, 2007).
in·tol·er·ant (ĭn-tŏl’ər-ənt)
adj. Not tolerant, especially:
- a. Unwilling to tolerate differences in opinions, practices, or beliefs, especially religious beliefs.
intolerant. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/intolerant (accessed: May 17, 2007).
Isn’t it ironic that those who accuse others of being either arrogant or intolerant express those traits themselves?