Semantics

Well, I took one for the team. I watched Ann Coulter on "The View"--not once, but TWICE. Hope you appreciate that sacrifice. After watching her performance a second time, I went out to shovel the walks, and I've never been so warm or preoccupied when performing this job as I was this morning.
Let me be up-front about a few things before starting. I believe Ann Coulter is a genius with language; absolutely brilliant. However, I do not have the intestinal fortitude, nor the anger control, to read an entire book written by Ann Coulter. I have tried, but decided after a few chapters that life is too short to get so angry about something so trivial. I firmly believe that her books belong in the "Fiction" section of the library, not the "Non Fiction" section--she plays fast and loose with facts. Finally, I will admit that I have not read her newest book, "Guilty: Liberal 'Victims' and Their Assault on America". I tried, but there is a waiting list at the library. So, all of the facts and quotations in this post are from the short interview on "The View"--nothing more, nothing less.
Much of the dialogue between Ann Coulter and the women of The View focused on a single chapter of the book in which the author accuses "liberals" of "exalting single motherhood"--as a matter of fact, Coulter believes that this is a "specific plan by the Left". Coulter explains that single mothers, "play the victim, are exalted--have doors opened for them, when in fact they are the ones victimizing others." She also states, "Victim of a crime? Thank a single mother."--This is her way of pushing the "statistic" that 70% of inmates come from single parent homes.
Ah...where to start, where to start? First, I've gotta say that I am so disappointed that many of the "discussions" on television these days are in fact shouting matches--hard to follow, and not a good way to clarify positions. That's why I so appreciate what Rachel Maddow does; she has one guest at a time, and if the discussion gets heated, she stops talking and lets the other person finish before making her next razor-sharp point. But I digress. There are many who abuse the system--males as well as females. There are some who "live off the government" and are content to do so--I would argue that these folks do not have much of a life, and have no dreams or aspirations, but that's another post. And there are those who will claim, from their jail cells, that they were "victims"--that it wasn't their fault. If Ann Coulter is making the case that there is no personal responsibility, that those in prison have no control over the choices they made, then yes, they are victims. Also, many in prison are victims--not of their single mothers, but of our legal system, of poverty, of a system that gives bonuses to CEOs who have stolen more from the American people than any petty thief could dream of, and yet the CEOs avoid prison because they have very, very good lawyers, and the money to pay them.
We as a society (not just the liberals) may "exalt" single mothers, because we recognize how hard it is to raise a family. We know the work they do with their children is the hardest they will ever do, and it's the most important too--these single mothers are responsible for the next generation of adults. Perhaps society "exalts" single mothers because it just does no good to say that the men need to "keep it in their pants" and be responsible. It's just too easy, and it always has been, for men to walk away after sex--leaving the women to deal with the consequences. Sure, there have been plenty of women who have walked away from their children; literally and figuratively--perhaps these women are the ones Ann Coulter is referring to--the women who starve and abuse their children and doom them to a life of crime.
But it all boils down to semantics. Ann Coulter knows this, and in her books, has perfected the art of the written word. " Victim", "exalt", "liberal", "single mothers"--in one eight minute interview, she managed to rile her hosts by using these words derogatorily. She chose to do this exactly this way. Instead of focusing on other causes of the ills of America, she decided to focus on single mothers, and used her words and statistics to prove her points. Brilliant.
As I was shoveling this morning, I thought about Ann Coulter the person. What motivates her? She's said, more than once, that money is important. I remember hearing her brag about her books' position on the New York Times Best Sellers list, so sales are a motivation. She apparently craves attention, even the negative kind. Does she see herself as an entertainer? As an important figure in this country? Someone to be taken seriously? Does she wish to have the respect of others? A position of power? I'm not sure anyone, including Ann Coulter, have the answers to all of those questions. I do know that she is very intelligent. She has a command of the English language, and it's apparent that she reads a lot, or at least watches a lot of television, because she knows much about current events.
But who is the person inside Ann Coulter? She chooses her words very carefully, yet in paragraph after paragraph, her missives are biting, cruel, bitter, and hate-filled. She offers nothing constructive; no words are devoted , or suggestions made about how to improve this world. When I read her communications to the masses, I am left with an acidy feeling in my stomach, and instead of feeling inspired, I feel only anger. As I moved snow from one side of the walk to the other, it came to me--she's the kid in your school that was just plain mean. There was only one kid like that in the whole school, and everyone knew them. The kid who seemed to know all about you, what "buttons to push", how to make you cry, how to humiliate you in front of others. Ann Coulter was the kid that everyone, even the teachers, was afraid of--you never wanted to be on their radar, to be the focus of their next diatribe. In that sense, the mean kid had a lot of power; as long as someone else was listening, they had a lot of control over others. But take away their audience, and they had nothing.
Here's what I do know about Ann Coulter (I've learned one thing from her--to choose my words carefully): if nobody gives her attention, she's nothing. Eventually she will be consumed by her bitterness. And at the end of her days, there will be no one to mourn; she will not be missed. Her words will not have inspired greatness, nor will the world be a better place. I almost feel a little sorry for her. Just a little.