"Tolerance zero" , by Erik Pevernagie, oil on canvas, 100 x 80 cm

As a result of the « slippery-slope-syndrome,» tolerance of slight cases of misbehavior or erratic conduct, has lead to more tolerance for more deviating cases of delinquency.

In the past decades, tolerance has been softened or hardened based on the nature of social incidents. Some say that "political correctness" can be used as a pretense or an argument to claim tolerance for questionable forms of misconduct.

Voltaire has defended tolerance and freedom of speech assiduously, and that is why he declares that he might not always agree with what people say, but wants to defend, nevertheless, to the death, their right to say it."

One of the crucial points about tolerance is, whether there should be tolerance for intolerance, whether everything should be 'sayable' ( in the name of freedom of expression), whether blasphemy needs a specific chapter in the book of tolerance. When do slander and libel begin, and what are the precise limits? When should Tolerance Zero be implemented? Questionable forms of bad language may also lead to disturbance and might find its place under the page of intolerance.

As to the vulgar speech, it seems that foulmouthed individuals have, more and more, their neuron systems replaced by colon structures, given that their terminology profusely consists of "sh*t and f*ck".

Phenomenon: Tolerance