Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Ann Coulter is a dangerous idiot -- Part Deux

The great Crooks and Liars has all the proof you need -- should you actually need any more -- that Ann Coulter is one of the more vile and reprehensible talking heads out there. The fact that she still gets invited to appear on major TV talk shows, the fact that her opinions are even taken seriously, the fact that she's still so incredibly popular among conservatives (especially among conservative folk) -- her very presence and popularity attest to the corrupt, dilapidated state of American culture and conservatism. News outlets that put her on TV clearly have no sense and no shame. Conservatives who love her are clearly either wicked or insane. There's simply no reason she should be treated as a credible commentator with anything important to say.

Ann Coulter is a talking obscenity.

And her latest obscenity is truly despicable. On NBC's Today Show, Matt Lauer read aloud some of her comments on the 9/11 widows:

  • "These self-obsessed women seem genuinely unaware that 9-11 was an attack on our nation and acted like as if the terrorist attack only happened to them. They believe the entire country was required to marinate in their exquisite personal agony. Apparently, denouncing Bush was part of the closure process."

and:

  • "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazies. I have never seen people enjoying their husband’s death so much."

Wow. Does it get any more insensitive than that? Not by much, if at all. But, then, what do you expect from Ann Coulter? As Human Voices reminds us, she hates decency, she hates America, and she hates Jesus.

Ann Coulter. It's easy to write her off as a card-carrying member of the loony right, but she's a dangerous idiot nonetheless. That's because a lot of people pay attention to her, a lot of people support her, and a lot of people love her.

Nice, huh?

(Oh, by the way, just for further clarification, Ann is a dangerous idiot, a bigot, and quite possibly a felon. And I'm sure she's a lot else besides.)

posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at 9:39 PM

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3 Comments:

  • My perspective is that Ann Coulter is actually not who you think she is. Yes, what she says is reprehensible. However, I believe that she puts on a show to make money off of the red/blue divide that is hyped up so often by big media. She saw the opportunity, developed a character, and to this day plays it quite well.

    People like Carlos Mencia, Larry the Cable Guy, Stephen Colbert, and other characters are just that. The "real" Larry is not the least bit southern, and is actually quite articulate with a sophisticated sense of humor. The "real" Carlos Mencia is half German and does not have a Hispanic last name. Most people understand that Stephen Colbert isn't serious, but he does quite well in maintaining the illusion.

    They have made a lot of money off of their ability to act and develop intriguing personas. So the best way to handle someone like Ann is to not discuss her at all. She wants you to loathe her, to buy her books and pick out the little contradictions and twists in fact, and keep hyping her up on your website. That's how she makes her money. Your anger has done nothing except add to her swollen bank accounts.

    To express anything about her except indifference is to play right into her hands.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12:13 PM  

  • Very good point, Double D. She has very much become her own "show". And why not? Look how profitable it's been. Playing the sexy, bigoted xenophobe has thrust her into the stratosphere of America's chattering class.

    I don't know Mencia and the Cable Guy all that well, but at least Colbert is intentionally putting on an act. He's playing an O'Reilly character. As far as I know, the real Colbert is on the left. But Colbert doesn't do what Coulter does. Nor does he say what she says. He's putting on an act, but he can sometimes barely keep a straight face. Coulter may or may not believe what she says, but who knows? Colbert's on-air persona is an act. Coulter's is, or at least seems to be, merely an exaggeration for effect -- unless she really believes all that she says, which is a possibility.

    I do take your point, however, that it might be best to ignore her. I've thought that each time I've written about her (four times here at The Reaction, I think -- see the links at the bottom of the post). I realize that I'm playing into her hands, to an extent, but she thrives not just because people engage her but also because, in this polarized political culture where two sides are pitted against each other and there's little, if any, attempt to transcend the debate, she's given credibility and legitimacy and allowed to be taken seriously. The right would be all over her if she were on the left (look what they do to liberals generally), but the media (and I know I'm painting with a broad brush here) are afraid to call her out as what she really is for fear of being labelled as liberal or otherwise not "fair and balanced". She gets away with it because she's allowed to get away with it.

    I would ignore her if she weren't so popular. But she is. And that means we need to engage her (and all that she spews).

    By Blogger Michael J.W. Stickings, at 1:37 PM  

  • Carlos, Colbert and that Cable Guy all do that in the name of comedy. Ann Coulter has never once said, "Just Kidding" or given us any reason to believe so. I do not have the displeasuse of knowing her, so I can only believe that what I hear her say is actually her personality. Also, none of those shows are worth watching...

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:47 AM  

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