Coulter Said What?

[hnumpah]

Here's a word of advice H.  Stop digging

Here's a word of advice, S - piss off.

[sirs]

Ooooo, tad testy when provided proof of the mistep.  Doncha hate when that happens?  Especially when it's coming from someone as so apparently "unobjective" as me.  Or is H referring to Plane now?  Hmmmmmmm.  Might have to retitle the thread, Hnumpah Said Who?     

[BT]

Does Coulter get away with her schtick because she says what other people wish they had the guts to say? I don't know for sure, but I have my guesses.

What are your guesses?

[Plane]

Ooooo, tad testy when provided proof of the mistep.  Doncha hate when that happens?  Especially when it's coming from someone as so apparently "unobjective" as me.  Or is H referring to Plane now?  Hmmmmmmm.  Might have to retitle the thread, Hnumpah Said Who?     

    I am very sorry that this has become about me.
    Or S or H or U or B or ETC...

     Is it the origional problem that Ann Colter had seemed to have ?

     Makeing a joke or a political observation or a trite insult , too personal ?

[sirs]

I am very sorry that this has become about me.  Or S or H or U or B or ETC...  Is it the origional problem that Ann Colter had seemed to have ?   Makeing a joke or a political observation or a trite insult , too personal ?

Sorry Plane.  I simply get a tad irritated when folks like H will refer to someone who has frequently criticised, even condemned aspects of Bush's presidency as "spending all my time in defending this loser administration".  Whether it's me or you, it's a bogus accusation to begin with, and needs to be demonstrated as such.  My apologoes if it seemed to go too far or get too personal

[Universe Prince]

Does Coulter get away with her schtick because she says what other people wish they had the guts to say? I don't know for sure, but I have my guesses.

What are your guesses?

Well, one of them is that some people who like her do like her because she says things they actually believe but would not say for whatever reason. Another is that some people like her because they actually think what she says is funny. I am sure there are other reasons. The two I mentioned come to mind because I am fairly certain that if she did not have a large number of people who like what she says, she would either have a different schtick, or she would be a relative non-entity in the media. That I mentioned those two guesses, however, do not mean I am trying to insist they apply to any specific person here.

Also, I think you should note that my question in the quote above started with "Does Coulter get away with her schtick because..." and not with "Do people defend her because...".

I think she gets a pass far too frequently for talking like a clever and mean-spirited 16 year old. I see no reason to excuse her comment, and I think she deserves far more criticism than she gets.

I am not saying you or anyone else is obligated to condemn her. I would probably have not said a word in this thread at all if your comment about her statement being a set of non sequitur phrases had not seemed so ridiculous to me.

[BT]

That's OK Prince much of what you say seems ridiculous to me.

Glad i provided some amusement.

[Universe Prince]

Is it the origional problem that Ann Colter had seemed to have ?

Makeing a joke or a political observation or a trite insult , too personal ?

The problem is she threw out a personal insult for giggles. She acts like a mean-spirited teenager who thinks she's smart because she can be clever when she insults people. Since enough people giggle and applaud when she does this, she is going to keep doing it.

There are people with whom I could be friends even though they and I disagree concerning political matters. There are socialists and Pagans with whom I could hang out and have a good time. Ann Coulter is probably much closer to my political and religious views than those people are, and you couldn't pay me to be seen with her.

[Universe Prince]

That's OK Prince much of what you say seems ridiculous to me.

I'm sure it does. Liberty is a concept that seems ridiculous to many people these days. (No, still not being subtle. That was sarcasm.)

[Stray Pooch]

I'm not sure this comment got posted, so if it is a repeat, sorry 'bout it.

BT, yes I said that failure to condemn Coulter's words constituted tacit approval.  That is not a demand.

For the record, I intended those comments to apply generally - and not specifically to you.  Your position is that the comments didn't mean what most people would conclude they mean.  That does not necessarily mean approval, though it well may.  Rather, it indicates denial IMO. 

I wrote four paragraphs explaining how the whole "tacit approval" argument might be made. Aren't you glad I deleted them? 

[BT]

BT, yes I said that failure to condemn Coulter's words constituted tacit approval.  That is not a demand.

So how does one avoid the charge of tacit approval whilst remaining ambivalent to whatever Ann Coulter says?

Seems like you are proposing a no win situation.

[BT]

I'm sure it does. Liberty is a concept that seems ridiculous to many people these days. (No, still not being subtle. That was sarcasm.)

Not much liberty being promoted in this thread by you.

[Universe Prince]

I'm sure it does. Liberty is a concept that seems ridiculous to many people these days. (No, still not being subtle. That was sarcasm.)

Not much liberty being promoted in this thread by you.

No? Oh, I nearly forgot, you think I'm trying to "herd sheep", that I'm demanding everyone condemn Coulter and agree with me. In point of fact, I haven't demanded anything. I haven't told anyone what to think, and haven't ascribed to anyone something they did not say. And I did suggest that individuals were responsible for their own responses to Coulter's statements.

[BT]

No?

When you say expressing an alternate reading to your approved take on Coulter's remarks is somehow akin to defending her, you aren't leaving much room for independent thought, which in my opinion is a cornerstone to the concept of individualism.

[Plane]

   I get it now.


      I thought "got" it a while ago, but it seemed like a weak joke .
      Now after reading all this reaction I realize that there was a more subtle joke in the line , but one that a roomfull of policy wonks "got" a lot better than I did .

       One of the keys to Humor is reveling a hidden truth or a secret shame. This is what makes Ted Ralls jokes seem lame to me , when he refers to President Bushe's Napoleonic ambition , which I don't think is true, but to someone who thinks it is true, it is a revelation of secret shame ,which done with humorous timing is the heart of thousands of jokes that work well.

         A reference to John Edwards Homosexuality seemed  weak because homosexuality is not his problem.

      Almost any name placed in the first phrase works just as poorly , almost any pejorative placed in the second phrase works better.

   If one were to excise "John Edwards" and "fagot" from the phrases and replace them with "Mitt Romney" and "Mormon" the joke is still weak because Mitt Romney's religion is not secret or shamefull .
   
    Barney Frank jokes of this nature would hardly be funny unless they could plough new ground instead of running the tired old no longer secret into the ground.

     

       A better John Edwards Joke would refer to hypocrisy , smarmyness or {egads} the fact that he is a LAWYER. Things that would seem to have validity and cause the needed tention by being embarrassing. But I am coming to see that this was  my  mistaking the minor for the major. How I let this sail so completely over my head unnoticed till now is fascinating. (humbling too, but that is good for me). The reaction of the 3DHS population was instructive.

       I was hardly aware of how the point of the joke was he "rehab" and "faggot" references , because I didn't realize the truth of it till I saw the reaction the joke was getting. Her audience was more aware than  I that "faggot" is becoming one of the protected words whose use is inexcusable and also I was somewhat less aware than they, that the opprobrium from use of one of these flag words  can be escaped by enrolling in rehab , as many errant celebs have recently done to escape embarrassing statements and actions.

        Perhaps John Edwards is actually a good choice for this joke because he isn't homosexual , if he was I might never have gotten this straightened out.