Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Godless Ann Coulter
I went to B&N today and had a look at Coulter's latest screed. It really is a bizarre document. Starting with page one, you could just about underline each sentence and add a note - lie, lie, lie, strawman, lie, ad hominem, etc. Within the first five pages she claims "liberalism is a religion," "Shintoism and Buddhism are two favorite religions of liberals," and "Liberals are Druids." Leaving aside the fact that I have never met a liberal who worships the Emperor of Japan as a living god, a belief of Shintoists (who are the extreme right wing in Japan), don't any of her readers pick up on these obvious contradictions? Or do they just read this thing saying "Yes, liberalism really IS a religion! Yes! Liberals really ARE all Buddhists! That's so true!"
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2 comments:
Based on my recent experiences in the right blogosphere, yes, they do believe it. And if they catch her in a lie or something really over the top, they snigger endlessly.
I liked what Athenae linked to the other day. We really need to make her radioactive to regular human republican's. She is not fit to be in polite society. She is the crazy aunt in the closet, but because she advances and brings up ultra extreme views she makes the merely extreme views seem less extreme.
For example, the rapid acceptance of torture is very troubling (okay it pisses me off). And I think that because they have someone like Ann Coulter to make crazy claims then the view that Torture is okay in some situations seem more palatable.
I always wonder. "What has worked in the past to so totally discredit someone that they are no longer taken seriously or even invited on these shows."
I sometimes think there is NOTHING she can do or say that is bad enough.
On the left people actually have a sense of same when they are caught doing something or saying something terrible or plagiarizing.
Are their any examples of right-wing writers or pundits that dropped out the public eye? What was it for? Can we find examples of Ann saying the same thing?
Also I think we need to take the argument away from the grounds of free speech. The problem there is that you have liberals who have to grit their teeth and say, "Okay, I hate what she says but I have to let her say it." So the key is to move the battle field to an area that is not about what she says.
Is she plagiarizing? Is she stealing? cheating on her taxes.
Engaging her in the crazy world of "controversy sells" is playing into her and her publisher's dreams. It is like those superheros who get more power when the energy is directed toward them. They absorb the attack and it makes them Stronger, not weaker.
I suppose we could be like the Paul Anka song from the Simpsons, 'Just don't look! Just don't look!' but there are too many Homers who will keep looking.
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