Overreacting on Ann “Incident”
Written by Sam on March 6th, 2007I have to respectfully disagree with my blogging colleagues on the latest Ann Coulter controversy. Coulter was making a joke relating to the recent incident between Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey in which he called Dempsey a faggot on the set during a heated argument. Washington then was more or less forced to check into rehab over the outrage that ensued once the media got wind of it. It is a classic case of political correctness gone amuck. Coulter was not eluding that John Edwards was gay, but rather making fun of his flagrant sissy-like behavior.
I think conservatives are overreacting to this on a major scale. Ann Coulter has a reputation for being a “shock-jock”, so to say. This is and has been her style for a long time now. Was it a sophomoric joke? Sure, but so what? She even admitted that herself last night on Hannity & Colmes. The media, of course, with their vial disdain for the right is capitalizing on that one sentence and making her out to be some sort of hateful bigot. If you listened to her entire speech you would know that she was not making derogatory comments about gays.
The reactions I am seeing here from a great number of conservatives is the result of years of political correctness embedded into our heads by the left. Either we have free speech in this country, or we don’t. Furthermore, I am very disturbed by Mr. Keene’s response to the letter sent to him by the CPAC bloggers:
“let me make it clear that ACU and CPAC do not condone or endorse the use of hate speech“
Hate speech? Since when do conservatives acknowledge the existence of hate speech? To accuse someone of “hate speech” you have to know what they are thinking at the time they make the comment and hence condemn them guilty based on their thoughts, just like the idea of a “hate crime.” Enter the “Thought Police.”
The Left in this country despises the Right and excommunicating Ann Coulter from the conservative movement is not going to make them hate us any less. It only plays into their politically correct world they’ve formed for us and will encourage them to come after us even more. I see this as no different than the left claiming we would have peace if we appeased the Muslim extremists in the Middle East and pulled out of Iraq and handed them Israel. Appeasement doesn’t work weather its terrorists or Government Tit sucking liberals.
So to be blunt, get over it already and stop running around screaming like a bunch of 12 year old girls. She said what she said. Life will go on.
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Ann serves a purpose in the conservative movement. A lot of people especially the media and the party elites forget that in addition to analyzing news and politics she is an entertainer.
Over the top remarks are common by Dem politicians but virtually no conservative would consider putting Ann into office because she wouldn’t be suited for it. People need to calm down and enjoy her books and speeches for what they are… entertainment that is factually accurate but over the top for the sake of being over the top and ticking people on the other side off.
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“They didn’t add to the discussion of real thoughts and ideas.”
Humor rarely does.
“The left makes horrible comments about conservative leaders all the time. But we should not stoop to that level.”
We didn’t, it was a joke.
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The “joke” wasn’t even funny. At all. As Florence King said of Ann Coulter, “She uses a sledgehammer when a stilletto would do.” Except this time, I think the sledgehammer hit herself in the face.
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“The “joke” wasn’t even funny. At all.”
Firstly, that’s your opinion and it is well noted. I didn’t find the joke that funny either, but my point wasn’t that things that are funny are therefore acceptable. My point was that the intent wasn’t to slam gays, it was to lighten the mood with humor. Is that no longer acceptable speach?
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Sam, ask yourself this, Did Ann’s comment move conservatism forward? Obviously no. The question is not whether she has right to say as she pleases, she does. The problem is should she have said it. I argue no.
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great minds think alike I with sam on this one.
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I am with sam on this one.
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“Sam, ask yourself this, Did Ann’s comment move conservatism forward? Obviously no.”
Does our airing this in the press 24/7 move conservatism forward? Obviously no.
I am not saying you shouldn’t be writing your opinoins, but it is poor logic to say that only speech that moves conservatism forward should be tolerated.
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“Sam, ask yourself this, Did Ann’s comment move conservatism forward?”
No, it doesn’t, but that isn’t the point I am trying to make. I don’t think in the long run it will really hurt conservatism either. The media will be inflamed for a few days and then it go on the back burner like every other political gaffe in history.
What doesn’t move conservatism forward is conservatives jumping on the bandwagon and aiding the media in beating the crap out of one of our own. Like Mike said, you are more than welcome to write about it and voice your disapproval publicly, but this collection of bloggers sending a joint letter to CPAC was way over the top, in my opinion, and only fuels the fires of the left.