Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
1-10-2018
SSRN Discipline
Legal Scholarship Network; PRN Subject Matter eJournals; Philosophy Research Network; Law School Research Papers - Legal Studies; CSN Subject Matter eJournals; LSN Subject Matter eJournals; Cognitive Science Network; Humanities Network; Political Science Network
Abstract
Most Americans believe that we are by and large a highly tolerant nation that welcomes and tolerates a wide array of geniuses nonconformists eccentrics and crackpots This myth holds that this quality is a strong point of our liberal tradition because nonconformists often turn out to be geniuses who make major contributions to the arts science and other works of life Using examples drawn from a number of areas including a wall of portraits at a university museum Magic Realism this Essay shows that our tolerance for deviance is much more limited than we like to think instead the myth of forbearance allows us to enforce harsh limits on social deviance while believing ourselves entirely justified in doing so
Recommended Citation
Richard Delgado,
Nonconformity in American Law and Life: How Much Do We Really Value Diversity?,
(2018).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.ua.edu/fac_working_papers/448