Leave Ann Coulter alone: She's doing just fine

Michael Livingston is upset. He's upset with you, me, Ann Coulter, all the minor Coulteresque ghouls of the nation, and the media -- especially the media (I think).

In a Washington Post/Newsweek piece titled "Most Christians to Left of Far Right," Livingston, president of the National Council of Churches, pounces on pretty much everyone for paying attention to the villainous Ms. Coulter -- an opinion piece previewed with infinite whimsy and paradox on the WP's front page with the alternate title, "Stop Looking at Her."

Research, you see, ominously "shows the younger generation, ages 16-29, views Christianity as judgmental, hypocritical, old-fashioned and too political," writes Livingston, even though "most Christians believe in an authentic, inclusive and welcoming gospel."

Why then the unfavorable perception of Christianity by the young? Because, says Livingston, of fascistic harpies like Ann Coulter, who, masquerading as a fountain of the One True Faith, "has dismissed most of the Bible and the words of Jesus defending the poor, the widow, the prisoner -- the least among us -- and spewed her venom that has little or nothing to do with orthodox Christianity."

Of the latter, there is no doubt. But with that, the blame-laying then gets a little fuzzy. For after citing Coulter's most recent imbecility regarding Christians as "perfected Jews," Livingston shifts gears a bit, noting "there used to be a time when such words of hatred and intolerance were not given any public platform in the mainstream media. No longer."

The author doesn't explicitly lecture the media to dismantle the platform, but he does dance all around the admonition. "Now we have newspapers and news channels giving extended coverage to those perverting the gospel with attitudes alien to its reconciling heart," writes Livingston; and, sadly, "Ms. Coulter and her ilk are the ones to whom the media gives most of its attention."

I may be unfairly accusing Mr. Livingston of advocating media self-censorship, but if that indeed is what he yearns for, or suggests, then he has erred in turning history and its lessons on their head.

The Ann Coulters of this country -- the warped dominionists, the whacko militarists, the preposterous theocrats and reactionary Gilded Agers-- have always been with us, in numbers and spirit. For years they labored in isolation, in their right-wing bunkers and hallelujah havens, incestuously breeding their philosophies of hate, liberal-scapegoatism and authoritarianism. In time, they raised money, established their unthinkable think tanks and propaganda centers, chose their office-seeking candidates, and thus dispensed in judicious portions their simplistic and seductive themes. And all to the welcome reception of many non-ideological folks who failed to appreciate the depths of lunacy with which they were politically aligning.

By the late 1970s the amassing Coulterite legions began to score electoral points; and, as we now horrifyingly know, things would slime downhill from there. But, they originally caught progressives off guard, and largely because the media weren't paying attention. When the media noticed them at all, they dismissed them as the loons they were -- so they multiplied in darkness.

Had the media dug and exposed from the beginning -- had they, that is, directly broadcast and printed the views and motivations of the ideological originators, and not just those of their polished, political mouthpieces -- things might well have been different.

So you keep on spewing, Ann Coulter. You keep right on saying all the detestable things you perhaps even believe, so that the average American can see the buffoonish and ugly face of the religio-political underside. And you, dear media, keep right on allowing her and her kind plenty of airtime and space with which to hang themselves.

As Mr. Livingston himself concedes, while seemingly missing the why, "There are some signs that the toxic message of the extreme right of American Christians may be faltering."

That's the beauty of media exposure. In time, it tends to devour the offensively unhinged.

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Comments

[VL]

Nah, I don't think it will work that way. After all, we've had six years of Bush making a fool of himself on national television--and yet his lies persist: "Wal, Ah dunno, Cletus, it says on that there TV that them El Kydos is killin' our boys and they come from Eye-ran, so I guess we gotta go in there too. Preznit says fight 'em over there, just like in World War II. Yup."

Or maybe in the heartland of beige suburban soccer moms it comes out, "Gee, honey, I dunno, I saw on the news last night that Iran is making those IUDs and the President, he's the PRESIDENT, he just wouldn't LIE, would he? If he told LIES the news would say so, wouldn't they? He can't just LIE."

Believe me, when it comes to stupid, ignorant Americans popping their mouths shut and going along with whatever's on the boob tube, we haven't even begun to see how stupid and ignorant most Americans are. We haven't even scraped the scum off the top, let alone reached the bottom of the barrel.

Rrrrr.

[BG]

I, for one, have become so sick of the direction our country has been heading lo these past several years that I have followed the advice of the jingoistic nativist nincompoops: I have left the country.

Fortunately I had a way to do that without losing my livelihood. The probability that I will return anytime soon is less than zero. The neo-cons, aided by their right wing mouthpieces in the MSM, have stood our constitutional democratic republic on its head. After years of fighting, marching, contributing, meeting, canvassing, voting, paying taxes, my patience came to an end on August 7, 2007 when I flew to a new life in Europe. The American civilization I once believed in is no more. Good luck.

[Progressive Patriot]

VL, yes Bush's lies persist and the media keeps playing them, but fewer and fewer people are believing those lies.

The outrageous eventually becomes ridiculous.

[Blueneck]

Too many people simply "feel the truthiness in their guts" when it comes to hate-mongering demagogues. Issues are complex and require critical thinking -- which all too many fundies gladly relinquish when they find "Jesus in their hearts". They believe in authority - and authority figures. "Tell us what to believe!" cry the true believers. These people who purport to speak for Christ remind me of the line from Don Henley's "Garden of Allah" where he sings "...I am an expert witness because I say I am." These Christ abusers are indeed such "expert witnesses".

[Mike Grello]

All that said, the media should still emphasize that Coulter is an exremist and does not represent the opinions of most Christians. But you would probably ignore them; I mean you don't believe us when we tell you. Moderate and mainstream Christians are historically faithful allies in the progressive cause, but because of people like Coulter, you exclude and marginalize us.

[Nina]

I agree with VL, and the fact that more people vote for an American Idol than in a presidential election tells you a lot too...America has been dumb-downed.

[Dave from queens]

I am a strong believer in just letting Ann Coulter speak as much as possible. Today on Hannity's show she called for jailing Jamie Gorelick and abolishing suffrage for women as Hannity egged her on.

Put a 100 Republicans in a room and have them listen to Ann Coulter. There's a good chance 50 of them walk out as Democrats. Nobody has the conversion rate Coulter does, nobody.

[matthew]

I'm with VL and nina.America is overrun with Homer Simpsons.There is no such thing as independent thought anymore.Anyone that even acknowledges this woman's existence much less listen to what she says and believe her needs to seek re-education or see a mental health therapist.And quickly.

[Mooser]

Will Mr. Livingston be awfully shocked if I tell him it's not the media's job to make Christian Churches look good? Not that they don't, in the main, do that, and do it for free.

So once in a while, the true face of American Christianity peeks through.

[Sally Sharp - Paulsen]

My husband gave me the choice whether we should live in the USA or his home country, Norway. I chose Norway without hesitation. Best choice I ever made! Since 1990 I have not had ONE single reason to regret that decision. It's terrific to live in a truly civilized country, as opposed to one that's gone morally and spiritually downhill ever since Reagan was elected. Europe is wonderful; Come join us, my brethren!

[H-Monk]

Listen to Ann get what she deserves from radio talk show host Adam Carolla...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4hacmvSPaI

[Kurt Rose]

I am with BG and Sally Sharp. I packed up my life and family in late 2006 and moved to Germany. I now watch from afar and shake my head and wonder - will the American people ever wake up and do something about the corrupt demagogues who are destroying the beautiful experiment that was the United States of America? My atheist heart breaks!

[Eric Allstrom]

The saddest event in my life was the moment when I moved back to this, my native country, from England, thinking I could return any time I pleased. Now I'm too old and broke to go there for more than short trips, so I'll finish my days in a fascist state dominated by cretins. I hope my children have more sense. My advice to anyone who reads this: leave while you can.