POOR WORDING

[Gomez da Killah]

i was watching public televison last night and i noticed quite a few public service announcements referring to "racial tolerance" and something about them was bothering me.
dont get me wrong, i am the product of an inter-racial marriage and have been an advocate of civil rights and equality ever since i began thinking and doing for myself. but the the thing about the PSA's that bothered me wasn't the message, it was the wording, specifically the use of the word "tolerance" instead of say, "unity."

tolerance (as described by my trusty pocket dictionary), means: 1 : capacity to endure pain or hardship, 2 a : sympathy or indulgence for beliefs conflicting with one's own b : the act of allowing something, 3 a : relative capacity of an organism to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor.

is this really how we should be describing our relationships with our neighbors? i have always felt that toleration was a term used to describe how we deal with: the blazing heat of a long summer day, mosquitos while camping, or, an aching tooth while waiting in the dentist office; not, our relations with our fellow countrymen or members of our own species.
why not use terms like "racial unity" or simply "acceptance" that they carry a more world positive connotation and put forth the mindset of "common ground", than "tolerance" which seems to allude to our differences. like i said though, the message is positive in its spirit of progression, but, it could be stated a bit more tactfully.