Kottke put it best. I’m not going to talk about it at all, and I’ve done a fairly good job of ignoring it. I recommend everybody else following suit. There is absolutely no reason to waste anytime on trolls – no matter how big and nasty (or grotesquely anorexic as the case may be).
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Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! Ann Coulter! There … I said it! Since the early 90’s your country has seen a huge surge in political punditry and therefore nasty people from all side making money with ‘expert’, political or religious ‘opinions’. As much as Jerry Springer and Oprah made millions from blood, tears and sexual confessions – Ann and her ‘friends’ like Billy’O just said what the masses wanted to hear and pushed the culture of fear and hate into new boundies. By ignoring her, nothing changes. Reducing the culture of fear within the US might help. Reducing overall ignorance by voters and especially non-voters would help as well.
Reducing overall ignorance by voters and especially non-voters would help as well.
As long as people can turn to a specific channel to get the “news” they want to hear, as opposed to a cut and dry, unbiased version, then this isn’t going to change. Ann and Bill tell people what they want to hear, sure, but that seem to be news in general today. It’s a double edged sword, too, because anything people want to hear is legitimate news, while anything they don’t agree with is simply played off as media bias – ostrich, head, sand.
@orange – You are very right. But the one thing you have to keep an eye on with people like her, is when they really lose it. Unlike Bush, she is not in a real position of power; so when she loses it, what she says no longer effects people regardless of whether or not they are paying attention.
The right pretty much ignores Michael Moore these days, because his credibility is ruined and not even the Dems stand behind him solidly. They recognize that, unlike when his films (particularly Bowling for Columbine) were winning praise, there is no longer a reason to launch major attack campaigns against him. Similarly, Coulter’s audience is shrinking rapidly as she insults both sides of the line with he hate-speech. Only the hardcore, rightwing nutjobs go along with her these days. So the best chance of preventing a resurgence in that audience is not to give her the publicity she wants.
It’s the same mistake the Church and other religious organizations make on a regular basis. Rather than ignore crappy films that may offend them, they go on crusades to get them banned. And then the film miraculously doubles its expected gross (sorry for all of the puns).
This tactic obviously won’t work with everyone you disagree with, but it’s important to recognize when their opinion still holds sway, and when they’ve just gone over the deepend. I think it’s pretty clear at this point where Coulter stands.
@Mark – Which is why you have to ignore some of it. Otherwise you risk bringing the extremist left and right to the light of those that are somewhat borderline and might become more susceptible thanks to such incendiery speech. Let them talk to their audience – just make sure that’s all they talk to.
AMEN!