C U Next Tuesday, Ann Coulter

I remember one lunch discussion at my former job with one of my favorite co-workers. She always had something intelligent and insightful to say. One morning she had been listening to NPR on her commute to work. They posed a question that she then posed to us as we ate our microwave meals and dreamt of actually getting the piles of papers sitting beside us graded. That question was as follows: “If you could eliminate any word from the American vocabulary, what would that word be?”I had my answer immediately. As much as I curse on this blog, I stuggle to type that word out without acting like I’m spelling it one letter at a time rather than actually saying it. It’s a horrible, gross, disgusting word that I reserve for very rare occasions: c-u-n-t.

Ann Coulter’s recent twitter comment is precisely one of those rare occasions when I can be heard actually uttering this repugnant word. Ann Coulter – you are a fucking awful cunt. I said it; you’re a giant rotten cunt.

At this point, I’m aware I may need to fill a few of you in with some absentee information. If you don’t know who Ann Coulter is, she is an extremely conservative political commentator and author. (Did you follow the above link? Yeah, the current post on her home page is titled "Obama: Half Black, But All Democrat." That gives you an indication of the bitch she is.) One of my most conservative friends was found saying, just last night, that Coulter is “a disgrace to conservatism.” Coulter is far worse than that; she is a disgrace to the entire human race, and she’s also a massively insensitive cunt. Wow; I said that awful word again. But, in my personal opinion, what Ann Coulter recently said was far more offensive.

So, here it comes. On Monday night, following the foreign policy political debate, Ann Coulter decided to tweet some snarky comments about our current leader. If you’re familiar with Coulter, this should come as no surprise as she despises the Democratic Party. Coulter, herself an outspoken female, once shared that if the government were to strip the female gender of their right to vote, we would never have another democratic president. Her logic was that women (at least single women) lack the proper intelligence to make the “correct” choice, which she believes to be republican completely regardless of the candidate (seriously, she strongly endorsed Herman Cain). The tweet heard round the world read “I highly approve of Romney’s decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.”

I truly lack any genuine surprise at Coulter’s comment, as this was the same woman that once called John Edwards a “fag,” strongly defending that her ignorant comment was in no way offensive to the LGBT community and merely a “school yard taunt.” Rather than issuing an apology, as many parties requested, she returned with another attack that those offended individuals were simply too sensitive and liberal, and not intelligent enough to see that there was no link between the term“fag” and the homosexual “lifestyle.”

Just because I’m not surprised, however, does not mean that I am not angered and offended. Okay, so maybe I am sensitive and maybe I am too “politically correct,” but I like that about me. I like caring about others. I am so strongly against the use of the term “retard”as a synonym for “dumbass” or “moron” that use of this word was actually mentioned on all of my course syllabi as being in opposition to the classroom rules of respect.
 

I want to be like my favorite fictional character, Atticus Finch, and give Coulter a little credit. Maybe she had a difficult childhood; maybe someone fucked her over royally making her a bitter, bullying cunt. But, no, nothing excuses this woman. I know plenty of people that grew up in difficult situations – parents who were alcoholic, drug-dependent, and abusive. I know a woman who was repeatedly molested by her own father. I know another woman who found her mother dead after hanging herself in an act of suicide. They still manage to be caring and considerate individuals, and don’t make excuses for their words and actions. So, no, Ann Coulter is just a cunt with a cold, black heart.

Coulter further added that if Obama were the “smartest guy in the room” it must be “one retarded room.” I also know many individuals who suffer from learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and the like. They are not stupid. They are not incompetent, and to use the word “retard” carries an implication that they are, which is simply false, ignorant, and offensive.

One individual who suffers from Down Syndrome, and should not suffer the implication of stupidity that word “retard” carries when spurred as an insult, is Special Olympian and activist John Franklin Stephens, who issued an open letter to Coulter on Tuesday. I highly recommend you open this link and read it. If you are not in the least bit moved by his words, you will likely be spending your eternity in hell with Coulter. Stephens is kind and generous in response to Coulter, and attempts to educate her and appeal to her compassion. I applaud his effort, but fear her spirit will not be softened.

The use of the r-word goes well beyond social sensitivity to a moral and legal responsibility. Congress banned the use of the words "retard" and "retardation" in 2010 in federal health, education and labor laws in favor of using the words "intellectual disability." The American Psychiatric Association also plans to replace the term "mental retardation" with "intellectual development disorder" in the fifth version of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, to be published in 2013 (CNN).

I strongly agree with tweeter @amurphy217 who said, "Politics aside, this tweet from @anncoulter was offensive & disgusting. ANY use of the “R" word is unacceptable.” Why are millions of others, like me, disgusted with Coulter’s continued disregard for those with differences? It has absolutely nothing to do with our political preference. I don’t despise Coulter because I’m a democrat and she’s a staunch republican, although this will probably be her claim if she ever offers any form of a half-assed apology. I disagree with Coulter because she’s a dumb cunt -- a mother fucking c-u-n-t.

Yeah, I know the c-word is offensive. I told you that I hate it myself; speaking it aloud actually sends shivers down my spine. But, no one has to struggle through life and be constantly discriminated against due to being born with the disability of cuntism. Too many already struggle, yet remain inspiringly positive, when born with intellectual disabilities such as Asperger’s Syndrome or Stephens’ Down Syndrome. The DSMMD may have to create a special category for Coulter when they replace “mental retardation” in 2013. It shall be called TCS – total cunt syndrome. I’m just thankful that TCS is such a rare diagnosis, so that I might continue to reserve my use of the awful, awful c-word. But, more importantly, I’m thankful and hopeful that more people will realize Coulter suffers from a far worse illness than anyone with an intellectual disability, and thus refrain from further use of the more offensive r-word.

Although my response was immediate during lunch a year ago, if you currently asked me to more carefully consider the question of what words to eliminate from our vocabulary, I would add “retard,” “gay,” and “faggot” to my list – all favorites of Coulter fans. And if you were to ever pose the question of an individual I think the world would be far better off without, my answer would include Coulter (and my ex-husband). Okay, okay … keeping shit real, there would be a few others on that list too; I got a lot of problems with you people. Regardless, let’s come together and make the elimination of hurtful terms such as “retard” more than a thought-provoking point of discussion. Let’s educate others and make it a reality.

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The following is a video that a former group of students created for my Interpersonal Communication course. This was done as a project for our unit on the power of words. I’m also sharing a video about homophobic and exclusive language, which I strongly feel is on par with the “r-word” as far as really stupid, ignorant shit to say goes.  Please know that the students were completely responsible for these projects, and the opinions present in the videos.  

 



 Spread the Word to end the R-Word

 

 

Words have Power: What are your words saying?