I am not in the habit of posting politcal comments on this site, particularly with reference to an election in which I cannot participate, in a country that is not my home.
But Ann Coulter has driven me to make an exception.
Last night during the foregin policy debate between Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, Ann Coulter live-tweeted her reactions to the debate including her assessment that Romney had made a wise choice in taking a more passive approach in response to his opponent. Coulter expressed herself in a manner that, to my mind, is far beneath even the lowest standard of political discourse when she tweeted:
“I highly approve of Romney’s decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.” (Ann Coulter)
Ann Coulter is a fifty-year-old author, speaker, and political commentator in the US. She is a lawyer and obviously an educated woman.
No doubt Ms. Coulter’s primary goal in life is to get attention, in which case her strategy has worked admirably. Even I am now paying attention to this strident opponent of anything that she might even remotely perceive to be “liberal”. But the use of a term like “retard” to refer to anyone, let alone the President of the United States of America, is such a contemptible misuse of the notoriety granted to someone in Ms. Coulter’s position, that it is hard not to feel compelled to comment in whatever forum might be available.
Coulter’s comment was not an off-the-cuff, heat-of-the-moment throwaway line in conversaton. She itentionally typed the word “retard” in reference to Mr. Obama and then purposely sent it out to an audience of millions.
When the political process in a country has deteriorated to the point where it is thought to be a legitimate strategy to turn one’s opponent into an object that can be dismissed with a derisive abusive noun, that country is on the brink of serious trouble. If Ms. Coulter represents any sizeable constituency within the US who would approve of her comment, there needs to be serious questions asked about the health of the largest power in the “free” world.
I do not care if Ms. Coulter disagrees with Mr. Obama. It is fine with me if she wants to vigorously attack his policies. What I find despicable in her twitter tirade against the President is that she sees fit to express her disagreement with a word that has been used in the past as a slur against a vulnerable and marginalized constiuency of the human community.
When I was a child, a “retard” was someone who was beneath consideration because that person lacked certain abilities deemed essential to be considered fully human. A “retard” did not have to be taken seriously. A “retard” could be put away from the mainstream of the human community and was not worthy of receiving the privileges and freedoms taken for granted by the majority of the population.
A society that is unwilling to accord full respect to its most vulnerable members is set upon a course of violence and abuse that, one imagines, even Ms. Coulter would find obejctionable.
It is to be hoped that cultural commentators who have a wide public audience might use their influence to help create a more civil society rather than reducing political discourse to the lowest possible level.
8 comments
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October 23, 2012 at 10:17 am
Anita Huie
Anyone who still uses the word “retard”should be completely ignored, sent back to elementary school. That is about as stupid as the n word. Having a down syndrome granddaughter I would kindly request that she do her homework and learn that word us not acceptable. I will not give her one bit of respect or believe anything that comes from her mouth. She just made a fool of herself.
October 23, 2012 at 3:57 pm
Siskin
I think what Ms Coulter said about Mr Obama is beneath contempt. I also think that she has shown herself for what she is, a mean spirited bigot. I think it is good that people like her are allowed to air their views unedited, because they show their true colours for the world to see. All rational minds everywhere will undoubtedly recognise the rantings of the unenlightened mind.
October 23, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Dave
Christopher, you are, as always, very charitable toward those with whom you disagree. I refer to your assumption that Ann Coulter would indeed find such a “course of violence and abuse”….”objectionable”. I believe she has previously made remarks indicating that shooting those whose values she does not share would meet her approval. You may be giving her more credit than the evidence so far warrants.
October 23, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Tress
I agree with what you say and the way that you say it ,which you do without continuing the tone of her disagreement ,or by denigrating her character ,using terms that simply continue the unfortunate insulting form of denigration.
October 23, 2012 at 6:47 pm
John
Coulter is and has been for some time a bottom-of-the-barrel American commentator.
October 24, 2012 at 7:19 am
kimgye
I agree with John. She even exceeds Rush Limbaugh in the hate column. Although a name does not come to mind right now, I have heard some pretty low discourse from the left as well. What amazes me is that both sides (right and left) realize the other represents close to 50% of America and yet they continue the extremism as if that 50% will change their mind or go away. The disrespect that permeates the airwaves is far too loud for sensible commentators such as Mark Shields and David Brooks to counteract. Very sad for America.
October 24, 2012 at 6:18 pm
kimgye
Had to repost this letter for anyone who has not yet seen it:
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30-year-old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are — and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephen
October 24, 2012 at 10:43 pm
lindsay
John Franklin Stephen has my vote …