http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ann-coulter-refuses-apologize-word-article-1.1193843?localLinksEnabled=false

Great response by Mr. Stephens...

I'm sorry, but that's just disgusting and inexcusable in my book, and it goes for both sides...

I'll come down just as hard on a "liberal" host if he or she DARES drag the mentally handicapped into all this and refer to them negatively...that's just disgusting, uncalled for, unprofessional, and the manner in which she feebly and infuriatingly attempts to still take some sort of moral high ground by saying she's "sick" of people making this word or that "bad"...

I'm sorry, there are words you do not use and shots you don't take, and you, madame, just took one--as did your career and public image, I might expect.

Perhaps I react especially strongly as I was very nearly severely mentally-handicapped due to my stroke, and so it's not a joke to me and these people are not at all to be referred to in anything but the kindest and most understanding of terms--CERTAINLY not as a stupid and ham-fisted political attack by someone with the collective personability and aptitude of a poisoned lemon--but that's just repulsive, and indicative of a repulsive personality, through and through.

They've taken people off the air for less than that...it won't happen, but I sincerely wish she would suffer a similar fate, that the airwaves and our collective political and moral consciousness might be clearer and cleaner for her venomous absence.

>:(

The problem is that Ann Coulter has said much worse things and gotten away with it. She is only good for getting far right wingers (think Gunfighter) frothing at the mouth. Unfortunately she is good at it.

Oh by the way, do the words "moron", "idiot", "imbecile" and "cretin" also insult the mentally handicapped?

I'm not interested in a win or a loss her, Zmaj--

There IS no win to be had or loss to be suffered here, except in Ms. Coulter's case.

She was wrong to use such a term.
Full stop.
I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no justification for such a comment, and then to DARE attempt to claim some sort of moral high ground by claiming the PC Police are after her.

I'll be the first to agree there is far too much Political Correctness in today's society--

But that still doesn't mean there aren't areas where you can clearly be out of bounds and terribly so, and this is such a case, made all the worse by her response--oh so eloquently phrased--to the mere notion that her dig at the mentally handicapped was insulting amounted to "Screw them!"

If anyone here thinks that such a vile and derogatory word and dig has ANY place on the airwaves...and is not krellin spouting his usual drunken hatred...

By all means, enlighten me.

Again, I'm NOT saying that there's any problem with Ms. Coulter insulting Obama.
She's FOX News, that's her stance, that's her right, that's her job--that's fine.
To use THAT word, and then not even admit she's hurt people...
THAT is unacceptable.

Don Imus was fired for less...Ann Coulter certainly isn't irreplaceable...

She is guilty of using language that is inappropriate for public speech, the same as if she said "cock" or stuff like that. Pulling out the mentally handicapped is just sneaky.

"Oh by the way, do the words "moron", "idiot", "imbecile" and "cretin" also insult the mentally handicapped?"

Well, I'd like to think if anyone used them towards a mentally-handicapped person that such a statement would be denounced by all others in earshot.

To take the question directly:

I'm not myself mentally-handicapped, so I'm not the best person to ask on that front...

I just know that, for a lot of the mentally-handicapped community, the r-word is one of the major insults...

It's like Coulter using the mentally-handicapped equivalent of the "N-word" was it were; of all the words she could have chosen, she picked the one with a HISTORY of being used to hurt and insult the mentally-handicapped, a history of being used in a derogatory fashion towards them...

She basically not only went out of her way to pick the worst word, but then refused to apologize to the scores of people whom she had offended by choosing said word of all words, and showing the depth of her care and understanding of the complexity and sensitivity of the situation and issue by telling them to screw themselves.

It was crass, classless, and, yes, utterly derogatory and insulting, adding insult to that injury in that she went out of her way to pick one of the most offensive terms and then claim SHE was the victimized party because people dared call her on what she'd said and capped it all off by telling the entire handicapped community and all critics who agreed with them in viewing this as a despicable insult to screw off.

There's no defending that.
You'd have to be the stereotypical FOX watcher...
Not even *a* FOX watcher, mind you, someone who watches it...
I mean the stereotype we all conjure of the far-far-far-right wing nutjob who gives REAL conservatives a bad name.

In short, you'd have to be krellin.

#KrellinIsAnnCoulter

Wait a minute. She didn't use the term to describe a mentally handicapped person. She used it to describe President Obama.

"She is guilty of using language that is inappropriate for public speech, the same as if she said "cock" or stuff like that. Pulling out the mentally handicapped is just sneaky."

I have to disagree cock = retard here.

I maintain that retard is more = to something like "kike" (which I'll use since I'm of that group and can sort of use that as an example...I obviously can't use the n-word.)

"Cock" is just a slang term for a part of the anatomy, and I'd go so far as to venture the majority of people, while they wouldn't use it in mixed company or public, wouldn't consider it a word never to be used, and probably HAVE used it plenty of times themselves.

Obviously that's not the case with "kike"--you use that word EXPRESSLY to insult, and to insult a certain group.
It's NOT just slang, it's a slur, and intended as a slur...
And most people to NOT use it casually or in jest.

Same applies here, I'd say.

She used offensive language. That's all it is, no reason to read more into it. I'm against offensive language in public because it debases the discussion. I'm not against offensive language in public because it might offend groups that aren't even related to the discussion.

And besides, your example is wrong. People say "retard" all the time in private, just like they say "cock."

"Wait a minute. She didn't use the term to describe a mentally handicapped person. She used it to describe President Obama."

Coulter's quote:

"I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard."

You don't see that as demeaning to the mentally-handicapped?

True, she's referring to Obama, but she's making a negative inference about the mentally-handicapped, and a malicious one at that by the tone and connotation of that statement.

IIRC, didn't Ann Coulter stump for Hillary Clinton in 2008 after McCain won the Republican nomination? She's probably just bitter about Clinton losing to Obama in that one.

I see "retard" in online discussions every day. I can't remember when I saw someone write "kike."

As I'm in the UK I'm a little behind this (non) story. Am I to take it that some unknown called president Obama a retard, and that some people find that disgusting? I note that the person calling the president a retard has been called an idiot, moron, imbecile etc. could someone provide me with a list of words that are and are not acceptable so I can keep up.

I guess obi is bored because nobody dares insult Jews any more. Idle hands are devil's tools, obi.

"She used offensive language. That's all it is, no reason to read more into it. I'm against offensive language in public because it debases the discussion. I'm not against offensive language in public because it might offend groups that aren't even related to the discussion."

It's again a nasty insinuation about the mentally-handicapped, though, by the nature of that statement, even with the direct subject being Obama.

"And besides, your example is wrong. People say "retard" all the time in private, just like they say "cock.""

Well, maybe I'm just extra-incensed by this for my own stated personal reasons...

But I will say I--I think understandably--never use that word, public or private.

There's a whole wide thesaurus of fun words to use...

There are plenty of smart and witty and fun or even crude ways of insulting people...

You need not stoop to such lows as to hurt a whole group of people, directly or backhandedly, and then not even acknowledge that, maybe, just maybe, you should've used another word after said group points out that you've deeply insulted them, and show not one shred of care for insulting said group, but--again--just tell them to screw themselves.

I probably wouldn't be as enraged if she'd simply apologized; we all make mistakes, acknowledge them and move on.

To not even acknowledge you've said something that was deeply offensive and incredibly stupid and instead try and paint yourself as the victim--ESPECIALLY when you're setting yourself up as being victimized by people speaking out for the mentally-handicapped, for goodness' sake!--is just despicable.

@Maniac:

Ann Coulter is kind of like Glenn Beck (if you know who he is). She used to be much more popular among the fringe until he came around and basically replaced her. People listen to her, for some reason, so it's worth responding to her, generally, even if particular cases are arguable.

"I see "retard" in online discussions every day. I can't remember when I saw someone write "kike.""

Well, there are 6 million good reasons for that...and many millions of reasons why the n-word isn't similarly used so casually anymore, where both once WERE.

Do we need a similar tragedy before the R-word joins the K and N-word?

Really, again, there's a WHOLE THESAURUS of words to use...how hard is it, or AT LEAST to apologize once it's been made clear you've hurt people.

I'd also reference the Don Imus case:

If he can get pulled off the air for saying "Nappy-headed hoes," surely Ann Coulter deserves flak for a backhanded swipe at the mentally-handicapped?

And I'm pretty sure Imus at least apologized, albeit in vain...she hasn't even done that.

So if we're going to talk about alleged double standards...

Why was it unacceptable for Imus but permissible for Coulter?

Actually, there was a similar tragedy. Hitler started killing mentally handicapped Germans in institutions in the 1930s. It seemed only logical to him and his cronies, what with the "master race" trying to get rid of all impurities. If I remember correctly, he managed to kill about 100,000 of them. He counted on the fact that most families will be relieved to hear that their mentally deficient family members died of a "heart attack" (the official version). After a couple of years, the bishop of Cologne publicly stood up against this ghastly practice, so it was discontinued. (Hitler was too afraid of assassinating a bishop and alienating the Catholic Church.)

Obi, she makes a living off this stuff. When you libs get your panties in a wad over something she says she gets wet. Controversy equals money for her, the right will stick by her and purchase her books and the left will grow to hate her even more helping ratings for the spots she is on. You can throw a fit and call her any names you deem PC but you're only adding to her exposure and putting dollars in her pocket. You will never get her thrown off the air or cast out of society.

I know the mentally-handicapped were also n the Holocaust, Zmaj, the point was more figurative than literal in intent...

My point is, it took 6 million Jews systematically killed and 200+ years of slavery and racial inequality before "kike" and the n-word, BOTH of which WERE conversational and slang at one point, were dropped.

I'd like to think that we don't need a similar incident to steer clear of the issue here.

A whole host of words and ways she could've sued to attempt to insult Obama...
And that'd have been fine.
Even if she'd apologized--that'd have been fine, we all make mistakes.
It's that she refuses to accept she may have done something even partially wrong and hurt people, and that she feels SHE has the moral high ground for using a SLUR...!

How on Earth do you claim the high ground when you're the one who uttered a slur???

It's either sincere nastiness or an insincere attempt to exploit the word and those people in order to garner attention and ratings, neither of which is palatable or professional.

Shall we start a thread about all the offensive shit Demoncrats have said over the years about Bush, and then including Needn't frequent Freudian slips, which are often blatantly racist? Then we can post the list of Obit's rants against left-wing hate speech. Wait, I'll just post the Obit rants against lib-yard hate speech here...

...

Short list, wasn't it. Retarded hypocrite Obi...

Needn't = Biden ... retarded autocorrect...

@Gen. Lee:

The alternative is to ignore it, Gen. Lee, and ignoring it is tantamount to tacit acceptance of it.

Neither is a desirable outcome...

But I refuse to give any semblance of accepting that--I'll take public outrage even if it means she lines her pockets a bit more...

It's a moral and societal victory when people speak up and denounce what is wrong as wrong, and it is a moral and societal tragedy when they give in and accept such a thing as par for the course.

It's better to have such a person a bit wealthier and a lot less socially credible and accepted than to allow it without a fight.

Besides, lest I tire out the example--

There was a time we "libs" got our panties over a twist about a certain governor who shouted "Segregation now, segregation forever!" and that was par for the course at the time, and people lined their pockets saying that and other such incendiary hateful garbage...

And then some libs got their panties in a twist and began to speak up.



A wrong that is ignored or given into by popular weariness or assent is still a wrong.

And should be acknowledged as such.

I'm with Obi on this one. Ann Coulter was obviously being derogatory to Obama by comparing him with a group of people. "Retard" is a derogatory term used by some to describe a group of people. If she wanted to say he was mentally handicapped, she could have found other ways to do so that are not derogatory terms like "retard." Plus 1 Obi. "Retard" is in the same class of words as "crip"--It denotes a mental handicap but connotes derision toward that person and class of people. Cut, dried, no doubt about it. Obiwan, I admire your persistence on this point.

"It's a moral and societal victory when people speak up and denounce what is wrong as wrong, and it is a moral and societal tragedy when they give in and accept such a thing as par for the course."

Now there's an original idea.

Obi, your persistence is admired by a fanatic. I'd be worried.