With the U.S. presidential election taking place today a review of the campaign yields the usual yawns. It doesn't really matter who wins. America will be just fine with either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney.
Sadly, however, it was the shrill of an over-the-top political commentator who stole headlines in the final weeks.
Ann Coulter, the ultra right-wing columnist and fear-mongering anti-terrorist crusader, lost her wits when she tweeted a nasty on Obama.
“I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard,” tweeted Coulter.
This set off a firestorm of outrage in the civilized world. Suddenly the 50-year-old shock talker is the news – just the way she likes it, and just the right fuel she craves to drive the young women of the free world over to her bizarre mindset.
Immediately after she was on American national television claiming her utterance of the r-word was not a deliberately incendiary statement against folks with Down Syndrome but merely a synonym for a loser.
This is the same Ms. Coulter who famously once said, “I'm a Christian first, and a mean-spirited, bigoted conservative second, and don't you ever forget it.”
She is the same woman who said in 2003, after Canada rightly refused to go along with America's invasion of Iraq, a military invasion against Canada should be an option, and seven years later, told a Canadian Muslim university student to “take a camel.”
Sadly, Coulter has a huge following in the United States, and to a far lesser level, one in Canada as well. It must then be asked if Coulter is the sort of role model that should shape today's young women who are trying to understand the constant evolving political landscape of western society.
Thankfully, there are two young women in my life who think not. My daughter Darlana is a 24-year-old student at the University of Calgary striving to earn a bachelor of arts in communications degree. Nicci Lesko, 27, is my cousin and a graduate studies student in the faculty of architecture at the University of Manitoba. Both young ladies are intelligent women with promising careers ahead of them. They have well-considered views of the political and social landscapes in front of them. I am happy to report there is nothing that aligns with Coulter's vision.
“Not only does Coulter not reflect the opinions of today's young women, she does not reflect the opinions of most of North American society,” said Darlana. “Bigotry and racism have no place in our media, our country, or our lives.”
Added Nicci, “I think she is a terrible role model because she promotes hate and a narrow-minded point of view that is irrational and ignorant. Her comments are a great example of bullies in the adult world and her lack of remorse and empathy show how irrational her thought process is.”
Now, both of these women, let's call them real women, appear reasonable to me. As for Coulter and the nonsense she puts out, is there also another way to deal with this other than counter-arguments that prove her intellectual dishonesty and cowardice?
I came up with one. It was from another tweet, one from Coulter's America.
“Outrage gives her strength,” said the tweet. “The only thing that will kill her? Complete and utter indifference.”
Amen.
