"Tolerance is the word used most often when this kind of coexistence succeeds, but

tolerance is a vanilla-pudding word, standing for little more than the allowance of letting
others live unremarked and unmolested. Pride seems excessive, given the American
willingness to endlessly complain about them, them being whoever is new, different,
unknown, or currently under suspicion. But patriotism is partly taking pride in this
unlikely ability to throw all of us together in a country that across its length and breadth
is as different as a dozen countries, and still be able to call it by one name. When
photographs of the faces of all those who died in the World Trade Center destruction are
assembled in one place, it will be possible to trace in the skin color, the shape of the eyes
and the noses, the texture of the hair, a map of the world. These are the representatives of
a mongrel nation that somehow, at times like this, has one spirit. Like many improbable
ideas, when it actually works, it's a wonder."
Note the phrase Quindlen uses to describe tolerance. What context clues in this could help you determine the meaning of the phrase? What viewpoint does Quindlen suggest by using this description in connection with successful coexistence.
>Please help me I've been racking my brain for an hour I don't understand it. The article is A Quilt of A Country, by the way, if you need the full argument. Thanks in advance!

3 answers

Tolerance, as this man puts it, means that it is a weak way of trying to describe coexistence. He means to say it's too weak to describe the feeling of union. You can see this as he says that tolerance is a "Vanilla pudding word." But he also says that "Pride seems excessive." The viewpoint seems to be one of contemplation and of, well, wonder.

It's a woman Mahiru.

The disrespect