Posted by
Tzimisce on Wednesday, February 14, 2007 5:09:46 PM
Is Ann Coulter good for Conservatism?
I remember growing up in the 80's and watching the news with my father.
It always hurt so bad when he'd turn on a show featuring 4 people: 3
libs (one being the host) and 1 soft spoken conservative. And they'd
spend the whole show belitting, making fun of and telling the
conservative how wrong he/she is about everything.
If that wasn't stinging enough, the you'd get the lecture from the host
about how "I'm unbiased". Yeah, said host just selected the guest list,
the topic of discussion, the questions presented, etc - which were all
from a left wing perspective. I suppose at a certain level (retarded
people, the comatose, the dead) that argument would fly, but not for
most thinking people.
Even worse were the news reports which always gave detailed and in
depth analysis of events from the lib point of view and then would give
two lines about the conservative view. Then there were all the
movies/television shows that featured aging one dimensional
conservative characters who encounter a sardonic, wise cracking lib who
teaches them (and us) how liberalism solves every problem if only we're
brave enough to enact it in real life (don't we all feel all gushy
now?)
Then came the 90's, the end of the fairness doctrine and Fox News.
Suddenly a conservative viewpoint was being presented in detail. The
one dimensional archtypes of the 80's transformed into three
dimensional creations. And the left howled. Moreover, the viewing
public *liked* the new format.
Then came the new conservatives: people like Bill O'Reilly and Ann
Coulter. These people wouldn't take the BS anymore. These are people
who crack jokes and won't take s**t from hostile left wing show hosts.
This took many big libs by surprise and suddenly it's not funny
anymore.
Leftists are nasty and always have been. They're still doing it today:
people who question global warming are compared to holocaust deniers.
(How vicious is that?) But somehow the non partisan in the news rooms
and hallowed halls of the elite never hammer the lefties the same way
they go after people like Coulter and O'Reilly. Conservatives are
supposed to just stand there and take it.
So new is this, that even ten years later it's still refreshing to see someone (anyone) sticking it to the left.
And I know exactly where Ann is coming from as well. I used to try to
explain myself to lefties too. And you learn real fast, that these
people are so open minded and tolerant that they're not even interested
in what you have to say. All they know is that you disagree which makes
you a racist, sexist, homophobe who (in the name of free speech)
shouldn't be allowed to say such things.
So I, like Ann and O'Reilly have given up. Why should I explain myself,
when it's obvious the other side just flat doesn't care? Why should I
explain myself when it's obvious you just want to try to embarrass me?
Or talk down to me?
Thus we come out swinging. Since you're going to hammer me with
questions designed to put me on the spot, I'm going to talk about
things you think should be left unsaid.
Is Ann Coulter good for Conservatism? Someone who doesn't act ashamed
of their ideology? Someone who stands up for what they believe in even
when faced with hostile peer pressure? Absolutely. We need more people
like her.