Tolerance was a loser in this election

Our choices have been made and now we should look at ourselves to see where we stand in the name of tolerance.

It seems in our quest to participate and to be active in the political process we have fallen in the trap of accusing people of hatred and bigotry when their view hasn't matched our own.

When we lean out a car window or have our children lean out the car window to call a group of people bigots or racists, we should be sure we aren't being hypocritical or bigots in our own right.

It may be time for us to teach our children what democracy is, what tolerance is and is not, and what freedom of speech is, because from what I saw during the last three weeks of the election we as a community are confused.

We claim that we want a better world and a place where our children can be responsible and sensible adults, but that is not what we are teaching them. We certainly do not want to become the parent or adult who provides the example by saying "do as I say, but not as I do."

I have been left to think about the community of Agoura Hills and the things I saw people doing to each other during the election. Truth be told, I am dismayed by the hatred and the intolerance I was a witness to. Verbal abuse and physical intimidation is not tolerating someone's view. Stealing signs is intolerant. Throwing objects at people that have a different view from yours is called intolerance. I am left to wonder what we are teaching our children.

We shouldn't have to live in a community where we are scared to voice our view because it may not match our neighbors. Your neighbor may have a different opinion but it doesn't make your neighbor a racist, a bigot, or a hater.

We should be teaching our children how to make good and wholesome political choices, not showing them how to tear other people down.

We have time before the next political process to evaluate what we are doing in the name of tolerance. Denise Forston Agoura Hills