Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Dear Ann Coulter: This is who you insult with your words

A friend has pointed out that during the Presidential debate last night, the conservative pundit Ann Coulter had tweeted this little gem of an insult to our President:


And she started a link-up on her blog, invited us, who have special needs children to tell her: "Dear @AnnCoulter: This is who you insult with your words" and share a picture of our child(ren) who may some day be (or already have been) called out with the term "retard."

Ann, here is my son Jacob, a beautiful 10 year-old boy with autism:


Spend five minutes with him and you'll know he is different. He is likely to ask you, over and over again, who Patrick Ewing is, or who the coach of the 1984 Celtics was. He is likely to get really excited and jump up and down and flap his hands as the feelings so move him. He is just as likely to carry on a conversation with your pet poodle as he is with you, should you be walking your dog down our street.

He would never call you or anyone else a "retard." He does not know what that word means, nor would he cruelly insult anyone on purpose. But you know better. And still, you do this.

I know you don't care. You have shown time and time again your willingness to use the meanest language you can just for the shock value, and because yours is the party of the top dogs, of the survival of the fittest, of only the wealthy 1 percent who counts and the rest of us can drop dead for all you really care.

You know that language matters, that language can hurt, diminish, dehumanize. It is not news when I tell you this. And I know, you still don't care. But still I must say it, must say that your use of the "R-word" as an insult is dead wrong and downright evil, and call on you to stop.

And, furthermore I must point out that it was completely inappropriate to so childishly name call a standing President of the United States. It has amazed me how many conservative Tea Party type Republicans, the kind who keep demonizing modern morality and call for a return to "old fashioned values" see nothing wrong with shredding the dignity of the Office of the President.

Even if they disrespect the man holding that office (and oh, they do) - he *IS* the elected leader of our nation, and thus even if they find fault with him, there should be a level of respect in the way he is discussed. They do not seem to care that they are reducing the status of the OFFICE of the President when they engage in their wholesale dismissal of the man. Getting in their licks seems more important than retaining the high regard of all the other nations on our planet.

And I cannot help but believe, deep into my bones, that this is racism, through and through. The dismissiveness with which he is spoken, the insulting, demeaning, diminishing and disrespectful language used toward President Obama, over and over, is the belittling kind of language used by people toward those they think of as "lesser" and the President's brown skin and African American heritage put him in that category in their minds, and thus free their vitriol to find a new low.

As nasty as the Right was toward Clinton, a different sort of language was used for their insults of him. Because he was white. No dancing around it. And I am sure if the President was a woman there would be an equal lack of respect in the tone used to cut her down to size.

I don't talk about politics much here in my blog, I am mostly a personal storyteller. But some things are too big and wrong to let stand, and thus I'm up on my soapbox today, concluding with this:

Ann Coulter, and the rest of you: stop being so racist in the way you speak of our President, and stop using language that hurts MY child, a boy with autism whose brain works differently than yours.

He is not a "retard," he is not less valuable than your neuro-typical kid.

And he is also something of great value that you are not: nonjudgmental. Kind.


Oh, and this is a blog-hop, so if you've written a post on this subject yourself, please add it on below!





31 comments:

  1. She is lower than scum. She is filth personified. Your response is dignified perfection.

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  2. I wrote about this exact difference in Ashlyn and Ann. Kindness. Mama Bears unite. xo

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  3. Great post! As long as Ann Coulter continues to be rewarded for being hateful, she'll keep on. It's really a shame.

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  4. Thanks for this. Beautifully said!

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  5. Good post. I hope that this blog post and all the others who object to the comment made by Ann Coulter actually reach her..

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  6. You go, girl. I cannot believe that the word still exists, ESPECIALLY by people who "should know better."

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  7. Varda!! Spot on. thank you for writing.

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  8. Ann Coulter thrives on ridiculing people's personal sense of moral outrage; to say nothing in response denies her a lifeline to her meaningless existence! You cannot change a psychopath!

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  9. This is Coulter's purpose, to be discussed, to feel relevant and important. She is none of these things. I don't like to devalue anyone, even someone who purposely and continuously does the same to others, but Ann Coulter has proven time and again that she values nothing. Well, she values the limelight. She values her attempts at shocking people. Nothing she says either shocks or outrages me anymore. Nothing she says even registers as deserving a response. You're right; she doesn't care what she says or about the response. She just wants a response, to continue to be discussed. Meh. She doesn't deserve our discussion.

    Your son is gorgeous. And I would love to discuss the awesomeness that is Patrick Ewing with him.

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    1. Completely agree, Arnebya. Ann Coulter epitomizes the word "attention whore." I refuse to let her raise my hackles anymore.

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  10. Brava!! I agree with you on every point. Well said.

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  11. "And, furthermore I must point out that it was completely inappropriate to so childishly name call a standing President of the United States. It has amazed me how many conservative Tea Party type Republicans, the kind who keep demonizing modern morality and call for a return to "old fashioned values" see nothing wrong with shredding the dignity of the Office of the President."

    This. Oh, this. So much. Very well-said.

    And I agree with Tracy. Ann Coulter is a very sad woman.

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  12. Ha ha. Because I'm sure you've never had a horrible thing to say about Bush?? The liberals treated him horribly but the moment anyone says anything against Obama you're all up in arms about it. What Ann said was wrong yes, but aside from that people need to stop being so hypocritical.

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    1. How is your comment NOT hypocritical?

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    2. What did I say that was hyprocritical? I said that what Ann said was wrong. My point was that libs feel they can say awful things about Bush, Romney or conservatives but the second anyone else says something negative about a Liberal, and I don't mean Ann C, they totally freak and demand respect. That is what I meant by hypocritical.

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  13. Beautifully said.

    I am amazed that in this day and age that word is still being used.

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  14. Beautiful, Varda. We are the lucky ones who know the kindness of a child like ours, it is the only thing that can take away the hate in this world.

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  15. BRAVO Varda !!!! (clapping hands)

    Beautifully written - I feel your anger.
    Lois

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  16. Well said!! Love the picture of your handsome fella!

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  17. Beautifully said.
    At the end of AC's life she will be bitter and alone. Such negative people do.
    Your son is gorgeous. Take Comfort in knowing you will be a happy woman and loved in the end.

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  18. I wonder, when Ann Coulter sees a picture like the one of your beautiful boy, is there even a twinge of regret? Does she ever stop and think, "Maybe I've gone too far." There is so much hate in her words, and so much honesty in yours.

    (I tried to comment earlier and it didn't go through so I apologize if this shows up twice).

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  19. This is dead on. I know her use of "retard" was purposefully, meant to get a rise out of people. But tell me, how does this further the political discussion? Your line about returning to "old fashioned values" is exactly right. As Obama said last night, a return to the social policies of the 1950s.

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  20. My uncle posted it to my facebook, warning me. He knew I'd be mad. and I am. I wrote my own post and linked it up. I'm focusing on finding a family for a little man with Down syndrome, because although Ann's words indicate that he's less than for having an intellectual disability, you and I both know that's not true.

    and I agree, 100%. It's definitely racism too.

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  21. I want to hug you, Varda, and punch Coulter.

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  22. Such a beautiful post. Agree completely, it is a terrible commentary on our society that she is even considered a pundit or someone with anything to say that should be listened to. I wish for the days when political discourse was of value and not just of insults.

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  23. Really inappropriate. Clearly, she lives to shock others, and she doesn't care how she does it.

    Just so insensitive.

    "/

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  24. well-written.
    You hone in on the core of this- She knows better, yet she still chooses to behave ignorantly, cruelly, and without care.

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I am so sorry to have to turn word verification back on, but the spam-bots have found me - yikes!