The Paradox of Tolerance

Tolerance has become lost today and it is something that must be reopened and applied.

A while back, as a derivative of my sorted past, I released a chapbook of poetry. A chapbook is a small book containing poetry or stories. Chapbooks date back to the 16th century in Europe. They were sold by peddlers and contained popular literature, folk tales or political propaganda.

This chapbook was titled, Morning Sex and Pancakes. On the cover there was a stack of pancakes and a bottle of Aunt Jemima syrup. I placed the syrup bottle on the cover in defiance of Aunt Jemima losing her place in history and getting kicked off the bottle.

Aunt Jemima was an American breakfast brand for pancake mix and table syrup. The original version of the pancake mix was developed in 1888 by the Pearl Milling Company. It was advertised as the first ready-mix cooking product.

In June 2021, amidst heightened racial unrest in the United States, the Aunt Jemima brand name was discontinued by its current owner, PepsiCo. All the Aunt Jemima products were rebranded to Pearl Milling Company, which was the name of the company that produced the original pancake and syrup mix products.

Aunt Jemima aka, Nancy Green, 1834 –1923, was a former slave, nanny, cook and activist who originated the role with an apron and headscarf in 1893. She was the first of many African American models hired to promote a corporate trademark as "Aunt Jemima". She became the advertising world's first living trademark.

Nancy Green portrayed the Aunt Jemima character at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. She was one of the first Black corporate models in the United States. She launched Aunt Jemima to legendary status.

In 1925, Lillian Richard was hired by the Quaker Oats Company to portray Aunt Jemima. Lillian was one of several African American actresses who portrayed “Aunt Jemima” and served as regional ambassadors for Quaker Oats.

Aunt Jemima traveled the country wearing an apron and bandana. Critics argue that Aunt Jemima portrays the white, romanticized notion of a “mammy,” detached from the cruel reality of enslavement during the late 19th century.

PepsiCo collapsed under public pressure following the Black Lives Matter protests. A demonstration, which sparked widespread discussions about racism and corporate responsibility. PepsiCo rebranded Aunt Jemima as Pearl Milling Company because the brand's origins were seen as being rooted in a racial stereotype.

PepsiCo didn’t consult the Richard family before announcing their decision to rebrand. Aunt Jemima represents a part of history for their family and the town of Hawkins, Texas. The descendants believe erasing Lillian Richard would erase a part of history.

Some members of the family sought $2 billion in compensation, as well as a cut of sales revenue from PepsiCo. They alleged Harrington’s likeness was improperly used as its logo and that she helped develop the iconic self-rising pancake mix A Chicago judge eventually threw out the suit after a five-year legal battle.

“Aunt Jemima was not a real person or based on one individual,” the company said. “During the first few decades of the 20th Century, in support of the already-existing brand, there were women hired to represent Aunt Jemima at public events and in marketing materials.”

Because of a senseless lack of common sense, perception and normal intelligence, the branding of a syrup that was a tribute to this woman’s gifts and talents, is gone. Now future generations will not even know this woman existed.

This whole Aunt Jemima fiasco is just an unrealistically magnified example of the absurdity that has become ramped, not only in the United States, but the world. As much as humanly possible, I try not to judge or compare and be tolerant.

Even from the safety of rural Wyoming I see intolerance migrating in, but seemingly not ever leaving. Seeing and hearing the acts of intolerance has become so common that we have become numb to it.

We hear the definition and assertion of this word multiple times a day. Pointing out intolerance is generally recognized as acts of condescending judgment. We disapprove of what others do, so we call their actions irresponsible to reflect our disbelief and disgust.

In the 1940s, an Austrian British philosopher, Sir Karl Popper, 1902-1994, unveiled what he called, “The Paradox of Tolerance.” If everyone is tolerant of every idea, then intolerant ideas will emerge. Tolerant people will tolerate this intolerance, and the intolerant people will not tolerate the tolerant people.

Another perspective is that intolerance is driven by a primal fear response. This fear originates in the limbic system of the brain. This is where the amygdala, which is primarily related to emotional processing, particularly fear and threat detection and its influence on fight, flight or freeze response, is positioned.

The less a person has tried to add experiences to their own minds, the less open they are to other ways of doing or seeing things. This act of restraint is called being closed minded.

I am someone desperately trying to find tolerance for the intolerant. With what is being done, we must still maintain the willingness to allow the existence of opinions that one does not necessarily agree with. Individually, we must respect the opinions, values and different ways of life that are contrary to our own.

Tolerance has become lost today and it is something that must be reopened and applied. True tolerance is the willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own. It’s a fair objective and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion and nationality that may differ from one's own. It's important to be tolerant of others shortcomings as it frees you from bigotry.

The lack of empathy in intolerant people can cause serious social problems. They need to correct, dominate and always impose their point of view. This makes it so they surround themselves with passive people or people of low self-esteem.

The paradox of tolerance is that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually seized or destroyed by the intolerant. As Karl Popper described the ironic idea, “In order to maintain a tolerant society, the society must be intolerant of intolerance.”

We must be tolerant, but also, we must be suspicious of all those who employ the term "we" or "us.” This is another form of clandestine recruitment designed to suggest that "we" are all agreed on "our" interests and identity. Always ask who this "we" is. Often as not, this is an attempt to smuggle customs and beliefs through enlistment.

We are told to be tolerant, and we must conform to the ideas of another, even when conformity is the compliance of social standards and practices. Being tolerant however does not mean you have to discard your intellect. It’s kind of like getting a lower gastrointestinal exam. Some accept it for what it is, while others feel awkward, uncomfortable and violated. The only reward for conformity is that you think everyone accepts and likes you. Everyone but yourself. So says the man that can’t and won’t fit in. - dbA

You can find more of the unfiltered insight and the Art of Dan Abernathy at www.contributechaos.com.