Ann Coulter and "Assumptive Bigotry"
by Mata H

Ann Coulter is all over the blogosphere for saying that Jews need to be “perfected” by becoming Christians, and that America would be better off if everyone were Christian. In fact, The National Jewish Democratic Council has called on the media to stop booking Coulter.

“While Ann Coulter has freedom of speech, news outlets should exercise their freedom to use better judgment,” said NJDC Executive Director Ira N. Forman. “Just as media outlets don’t invite those who believe that Martians walk the earth to frequently comment on science stories, it’s time they stop inviting Ann Coulter to comment on politics.”

The text of Coulter’s interview can be found here. It is ugly. The ugliest word in it is “we”, the repeated use of the word “we” by Coulter implying assent, suggesting that she is in understanding company, and speaks for the masses.

This is a stance I call “Assumptive Bigotry” – it assumes that because we share something (like Christianity), the bigot assumes we share his or her bigotry.

I am reminded of the time I went to Atlanta on a business trip in the 1990’s and was having lunch with a colleague I had only known over the telephone before. We relaxed over lunch and began to chat with the easy familiarity of women getting to know each other. Soon she had a criticism of the waitress, and couched it to me in disgusting racist terms as though the fact that I was white would automatically mean that I agreed with her. She had no sense that what she said was wrong, and was stunned when I found it objectionable.

Coulter did the same thing – she just assumed she was speaking for everyone Christian.

While Anne Coulter seems to make a career out of loathing, contributions to the mounds of Assumptive Bigotry come in from all fronts.

You may recall reports of recent filming of students on the University of Louisiana campus at Monroe, their faces daubed in mud to simulate blackface, acting out their version of the Jena 6, with racist epithets being called out in the background. The Washington Post says: The Washington Post says:
Shot on the banks of the Ouachita River, the minute-long video was posted on the Facebook page of Kristy Smith, though her page has since been made private and footage pulled after she received a number of complaints. However, The Smoking Gun has obtained a copy of the video as well as a number of photos of the white students covered in mud and showing the number "6" with their fingers.
While Smith is quoted saying "I'm not racist," but things "got a lil out of hand," the video was posted days later and is entitled "The Jena 6 on the River," fueling speculation that it was not inspired just by inebriated spontaneity.

Isaac Washington, formerly of Grey’s Anatomy can derisively call a fellow gay actor a fag and also say that he has no anti-gay bias.

Rosie O’Donnell can make her “ching chong” remark and be stunned that any Chinese American could be offended.

Smith is not racist and Coulter is not anti-Semitic and Washington respects gay people and Rosie has no negative Asian assumptions and if you’d like some beachfront land I know someone with a few swampy acres to sell right after you buy the Brooklyn Bridge.

What is this magic switch that people flip in their brains somewhere between saying something dreadful and denying its implications? It is as though saying “I am not racist or sexist or homophobic or anti-semitic” would erase any biased act I may commit. I mean after all, WE are good people, right?

And how does this flourish? OK everyone, look in the mirror for part of the answer. Every single one of us, if we are honest, can find a moment, an instant, an occasion we regretted later, when we were silent because it was easier.

Someone around us said something about African Americans, or all men, or all women, or Jews, or Moslems or all white people. They insulted Asians, people from Arab countries, GLBT people. They even sent us emails of jokes with punch lines designed to hurt a particular group, designed to flex the false musculature of assumed superiority.

And whoever said that or did that in our presence assumed that we would agree.

And we didn’t always stop them.

There is only one way to stop hate speech. That is to stop it. To say “STOP”. Out loud.

I am Polish. I’ve heard all the Polish jokes. I do not find them amusing. My guess is that my grandparents, who had KKK crosses burned on their lawns in Massachusetts would agree with me. I gently stop someone who is trying to tell me a Polish joke. I ask them to please find another joke, that I don’t like ethnic jokes. Some understand. Others tell me I have no sense of humor. Or that their dentist who is Polish tells these jokes. Or that we can switch the nationality to Irish. (Notice, “we”.) I ask them again. If they insist, and some do, I just walk away. But some actually listen and learn. Some people actually have a light switched ON.

I know that I need to be better at this, better for all groups. Every time I let a remark pass in conversation –every time I cop to Assumptive Bigotry, then I fuel the fires for people like Anne Coulter to thrive.

I am not suggesting that we all have to be hyper-vigilant language PC fanatics 24/7. I am saying that if every one of us sat down and thought about it, we can recall a time or two in our lives when someone said something destructive, and we kept silent. We. All of us. We humans. This at least is one thing we have in common.

It is time to JUST SAY NO to sexist/racist/homophobic/anti-semitic/anti-origin remarks. It matters to say "I am not part of what you believe." It makes a difference.

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Rebecca Lesses, who teaches Jewish Studies at Ithaca College, in her blog, Mystical Politics says:

What I don't understand about Ann Coulter is in what way is she actually a Christian? She claims to be a Christian, and says that Jews (and presumably everyone else) should convert to Christianity - but what does she think Christianity is? I don't see any way in which she is following the example of Jesus. When I open up the New Testament, the emphasis I see in the teachings of Jesus is love of neighbor, the principle of non-retaliation, concern for the poor and the weak - not at all the agenda that Coulter is pushing.

Rachel saysIn her blog

To be clear: Coulter is entitled to believe whatever she wants. If she thinks that Jews are imperfect and that Christians are better than Jews, that’s her right. But there’s another name for that belief, and it’s called bigotry.
It’s wrong, and so is she.
Small wonder that with bigots like her out there as the face of Christianity, the overall perception of Christianity in the US is rapidly plummeting.

Katherine in Cut to the Chase says

Just when you think Annthrax can't top herself at diving any deeper into the ugly sluggy muck of existence, the woman … tells Jews to "get perfected" and to do this, they just need to "convert to Christianity already!"
.
Too bad Ann can't convert to Christianity..

Submitted by Mata H (view blog) on Thu, 10/11/2007 - 9:22pm

Comments

 

Excellent Post!

I saw Anne Coulter on CNN and I was shocked. I am always skeptical of her motives....does she do it for shock value or is she really that bigoted? I'm still reeling from her single women not being allowed to vote remark.

Submitted by lainad on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 02:29
 

Thanks Lainad

I must say that it took me some time to get over my shock long enough to write this post. Yet the chilling thing is that some people actually believe what she is saying. So IMO it is even more important to say NO to it publically and not let her slide.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:50
 

I say, let's stop looking at

I say, let's stop looking at her motives and call it what it is. Bigoted! I saw the interview with Donny Deutsch, and she says these terrible things with a SMILE ON HER FACE. If a Muslim leader said those same things with a smile, we would say he was a madman! But she gets away with it, because it's under the guise of political debate and because she's wearing a skirt!

This country needs to stop dismissing her remarks and call it as it is. Inappropriate, bigoted, hate-mongering, discriminatory behavior. Maybe she hasn't ticked off the right group yet. I know that I'm outraged over her comments about women and voting and now this! Let's stop dismissing and hold her accountable.

MJ

http://mjsalternatereality.blogspot.com/

Submitted by MJ2007 on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 05:52
 

how can we not pity Anne Coulter?

I am a believer in the power of words for their contribution to environments of hate in the world. Regardless of her intentions (which, to be clear, were self-promoting in nature, and probably nothing more than that) using that language and saying those things adds to an environment of hate and bigotry that just needs to stop.

I was pleased watching her with Donny Deutsch, mostly because, for the first time, I kind of liked him. And i thought "maybe NOW people will see what a fear-mongering, self-righteous, racist, bigoted and divisive wretch she is."

But then something changed in me. And i saw her for the school yard bully that she is. And i felt really sorry for her. In thinking about the fact that she is ONLY ever in the public arena when she is saying horrid and cruel things, I realized that those are the only times when she exists. She has to do it in order to be noticed, be heard, be someone. At least she thinks she does. And I felt bad for her.

I wanted to do what I did with the "mean girls" at school, which was to catch up to them on the track, run a while and get their guard down. Maybe skip class and talk on the bleachers. I want to tell her that no one listens to you when you sound like an idiot and that if there's something you really want to say, you cant' come off sounding like a heretic because no one will listen to you, really. They hear you, but not listen.

I hate the overly PC language that makes people sanitize everything they think and feel. I am fundamentally opposed to the policing of language, in most cases. BUT here, it isn't the language that counts, it's the motive and the residual ick.

Her remarks were appalling, and to call them anything other than bigoted is to ignore the issue. We need to do 2 things:

1: stop letting people like this rise to the top. she does this to get our attention, don't give it to her. (Conversely, if she says something intelligent, insightful, productive, we should laud her. Positive reinforcement, just like in raising children.)

2: work to create an environment in which people understand that constructive dialog is valued, destructive diatribe is not.

of course, that would involve our being able to accept that we are all different, we value different things, want different things and need different things. but that at the same time, we are all the same. we value the same things, want the same things and need the same things. And that's just plain tough. and we are a long way from bridging that divide. but as long as that divide exists, the polemic pundits like Coulter will thrive in the chasm. Victorious in the void.

We can overcome this, and everything it stands for. But only by simultaneously acknowledging what she is, what her language is - and showing a better way. we learn by example, the example is ours to set.
___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

Submitted by alyssaroyse on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:16
 

Thanks Alyssa

as long as that divide exists, the polemic pundits like Coulter will thrive in the chasm. Victorious in the void.

We can overcome this, and everything it stands for. But only by simultaneously acknowledging what she is, what her language is - and showing a better way. we learn by example, the example is ours to set.

AMEN!!!

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:54
 

Coulter is not a Christian

Oh, one more thing. Coulter is not the mouthpiece for Christians. Although i am not affiliated with any religion, I do have many deeply religious friends. And all the christians i know - the real ones, who are about practice and not show - are totally offended by her assertion that Christians think of themselves as perfected Jews and that Jews need to be cleaned up in order to be acceptable to God. I'm surprised they aren't rising up to have her kicked out of the club. She does not speak for Christians. Only for her own little mind.
___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

Submitted by alyssaroyse on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:19
 

Do unto Anne as was done unto Don Imus

nuff said.

elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Submitted by Elana Centor on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:22
 

Yup

fair nuff.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:55
 

I've been wondering

...if actually Anne Coulter isn't some kind of performance artist seeing how far she can push the American media, how far she can dupe the American public. That gives her too much credit, of course, but I do not for the life of me understand her "credibility." Why is she such a draw? Why do people take her so seriously when she has so little to offer? I Do Not Get It.

But Mata, thanks for this post. And I have to say, I understand from personal experience that it takes more nerve than one would think to stand up to this stuff. When you don't cave in to the "we" you're admitting that you're not part of it. Don't get me wrong, it's the essential thing to do, but living in Austria has taught me that one also needs to take a deep breath and be brave and speak my mind. That's how so much slides, I think, "we" don't have the nerve to admit that "we're" not "us." I try to remember that nope, I'm not "us" whether I speak up or not, so speaking may change nothing for me, but could change everything for the immediate situation.

Deep sigh here. Thanks again for this.
.

Nerd's Eye View

Submitted by Pam on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:34
 

What a fabulous thought

I love the idea that she is just a performance artist, like Marilyn Manson or something. And that this is just a ridiculous character and the joke's on us... it's really just a clever and artistic way to show us how screwed up we are. Okay, I'll go there.

I wish i could really believe that was the case, or that if it were, "we" would wake up and learn from it.
___________
Alyssa Royse
JUST CAUSE
make some good news!
www.JustCauseIt.com

Submitted by alyssaroyse on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:41
 

standing up

You are so very right -- that is how so much slkides, and when it slides, people like Anne are the only voices heard. And that is tragic.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 07:34
 

Ann Coulter: Why?

I don't get why any media outlet, whether print, on air or online, considers Ann (no 'e') Coulter to be a pundit worth having comment on the news of the day?

She is presented as a *credible* analyst on various subjects, and for the life of me I don't get it.

This, once again, has nothing to do with restricting her freedom of speech. She can say whatever hateful things she wants to...she's got a blog for that, I'm sure...but how can it be that she is paid to show up and sit on a panel and be asked her opinion? I'd even understand it more if she was given a radio show a la Rush or Michael Savage...but this punditry?

And Pam: Don't think performance art is a possibility...unfortunately some people really are that stupid and hateful!

Elisa Camahort
BlogHer
elisa@blogher.org

Submitted by Elisa Camahort on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 06:44
 

sigh ....

Well Elisa, my guess is that it is in the ratings.

People watch her, if only to see what ugly thing will fly out of her mouth.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 07:09
 

Take her off the airways or at least out of
our homes

I have never understood "Christians" who hate and call it good Christianity. I agree that Ann Coulter should be taken off the air so that her hatred cannot spread but if it isn't, we should all turn off our televisions or radios and log off of sites broadcasting her ignorance. At least that way, we can perhaps make a small difference in our homes that will be carried out into the world as well. Lets teach our children to say "NO" to publicized hatred.

Thanks Mata.

Submitted by moddivorce on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 11:17
 

Coulter is NOT the voice of Christianity...

Excellent post Mata. Coulter is NOT the voice of Christianity...and she should stop speaking as if she is. I wrote a post on this at Informed Voters, and also provided a link back to your post here.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 11:46
 

You have prompted me to do some research,
Mata

I generally avoid Coulter and most people like her, because name-calling is not my idea of public debate. But this latest episode, and your thoughtful post, have prompted me to do some research on Coulter, and what I am finding out is interesting. I wanted to understand how she got the soapbox that she currently enjoys. It will take a bit to put together, but I will share soon.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Submitted by Kim Pearson on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 12:04
 

Please let me know what you find out Kim.

I have wondered about that myself. I can't wait to hear what you find out.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 12:16
 

Will do

I can tell you this much -- I'm finding that there is a coherent ideology behind Coulter's barbs, as well as a well-heeled infrastructure that supports her work and others who are like-minded, but who speak in more polite terms.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Submitted by Kim Pearson on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 13:09
 

Let us know

Kim, my guess is that there is some money behind this as well.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 13:46
 

You are probably right Mata...

You are probably right about the $$$ Mata. I'm so glad Kim is going to get to the bottom of this, I can't wait to find out what she comes up with.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com

Submitted by Catherine Morgan on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 15:22
 

I personally strive to

I personally strive to get better at speaking up in those assumptive moments. It's a learning curve, but even when I don't do it perfectly, I'm always glad I tried.

Great post.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Fri, 10/12/2007 - 13:20
 

Thanks Liz

I really believe that when it comes to this, no effort is wasted. It is always worth the effort. Hang in there --

href="http://timesfool.blogspot.com">Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 02:28
 

OMG I can't believe I'm going to semi-defend
Ann Coulter...

She did a horrible job of explaining what she meant, but the word she used -- perfected -- is straight out of the literal Greek translation of passages in the New Testament which do not imply 'perfection' in the sense of flaws, but "completion", in the sense of being unfinished works. This is consistent with many religions.

What she was NOT saying: Jews and only Jews are imperfect people

What she WAS trying to say and failed because she was flippant and looking for the sound bite: we are all imperfect (well, aren't we?), and Christians believe perfection isn't attained through human effort, but through the sacrifice of Christ. (And I do not say this to shove that belief down anyone's throat on this discussion or claim some superior attitude...just explaining the passage she was drawing from.)

She trivialized that message so she could brag about speaking to megachurches and politicize religion.

Ann Coulter is a loudmouthed harpy witch, no question. However, in the context that she spoke, she wasn't spewing hate -- more likely she was spouting off about concepts and words she only slightly understands. Don't confuse idiocy with hate -- when explained with the proper context and underpinnings, the words "be perfected" are not hate speech at all, but something we all strive for, Jew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu alike.

karoli (odd time signatures)

Submitted by Karoli on Sat, 10/13/2007 - 23:28
 

Actually Coulter said that

Actually Coulter said that the world would be better off if everyone was Christian. And she said this to a diverse American audience and directly to a man she knew is Jewish. It is a remark much more typical of right wing fundamentalists who view aggressive and universal conversion as part of their raison d'etre.I honestly think there is more than bad Biblical scholarship afoot here.

.I think the statement by the Anti Defamation League says it well:

ADL Condemns Ann Coulter's Comment That Jews Need 'To Be Perfected'

New York, NY, October 12, 2007 ... The Anti-Defamation League strongly condemns Ann Coulter for her anti-Semitic comment that Christians "want Jews to be perfected" in an interview with Donny Deutsch on CNBC's "The Big Idea." During her October 8 appearance, Coulter suggested that Jews should convert, adding that, "we just want Jews to be perfected, as they say. � That's what Christianity is."

Ann Coulter may be a political pundit but she clearly knows very little about religious theology and interfaith issues. Coulter's remarks are outrageous, offensive and a throwback to the centuries-old teaching of contempt for Jews and Judaism. The notion that Jews are religiously inferior or imperfect because they do not accept Christian beliefs was the basis for 2,000 years of church-based anti-Semitism. While she is entitled to her beliefs, using mainstream media to espouse the idea that Judaism needs to be replaced with Christianity and that each individual Jew is somehow deficient and needs to be "perfected," is rank Christian supersessionism and has been rejected by the Catholic Church and the vast majority of mainstream Christian denominations.

Clearly, Ann Coulter needs a wake-up call about the power of words to injure others and fuel hatred. She needs an education, too, about the roots of anti-Semitism and the shared values of Judaism and Christianity. Christians and Jews have worked tirelessly for more than 40 years to overcome the past and to promote a more tolerant and pluralistic vision for the future and especially for America.

Donny Deutsch is to be commended for his immediate and forceful denunciation of Coulter's statements, for calling her remarks personally offensive, and for rightly characterizing her suggestion that Jews are inferior to Christians as anti-Semitism.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H., also blogs right along at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Sun, 10/14/2007 - 06:37
 

Let's Shut it Down

Thanks for this post, Mata. Great point that we perpetuate bigotry when we allow disparaging remarks or ethnic "jokes" to go unchecked. I'll admit that I've been guilty of letting those kinds of remarks go unchecked as I first try to recover from my shock (Did he/she really say that?), but then let go in the interest of keeping the peace. I'll think twice next time.

As for the Ann Coulters of the world (which would include Don Imus, Bill Maher and others who make absurd comments against women or other groups), I subscribe to what Donny Deutsch said on the Today show after Coulter's appearance. He said that America has turned a corner. We no longer have the stomach for these kinds of people and the poison they spew in the interest of being "funny" or "provocative." It's uninteresting. And they're done. The best thing we can do to shut them down is to tune them out.

Amy S.
Up With Moms (http://upwithmoms.blogspot.com/)

Submitted by abswyg on Sun, 10/14/2007 - 04:27
 

One More Thing

And in the interest of what I just said, I can't let Karoli's comment, which I just read, go by. I understand that you're explaining the Christian belief in general and that you meant no harm by doing so. But as a Jew, I have to say that I find that belief antithetical to what a loving society is supposed to be about. It implies that those who don't subscribe to the notion that perfection is attained through the sacrifice of Christ can never attain perfection. And I do think that was Coulter's point, regardless of the delivery. Same goes for the belief that only those who accept Christ as their savior will go to Heaven. Imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it was to explain to my 6 year old daughter, who was informed of this belief by one of her classmates, that not everyone believes the same thing and that beliefs are opinions and not fact. My sweet little girl was terrified that she didn't deserve to go to Heaven because we did not worship Christ.

I don't begrudge Christians their belief system or your right to worship in the way that you choose. But it's important to understand how some of those beliefs can be interpreted by those of us who don't subscribe to the same doctrine.

Amy S.
Up With Moms (http://upwithmoms.blogspot.com/)

Submitted by abswyg on Sun, 10/14/2007 - 05:20
 

Thanks for sharing that, Amy

Amy, what happened to your little girl is very upsetting to me as a Christian. My heart breaks when I see Christianity hijacked by the aggressive and conservative right wing. It has gotten so bad that when I call myself "Christian" , many people wince, waiting to see if I am ideologically rabid.

I invite you to tell your daughter that there are millions of Christians in the world who do not believe what her classmate said.

Please also note Karoli's comments below.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs relentlessly at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 10/16/2007 - 05:22
 

Working toward a useful debate

Thanks for this post and your thoughts, Mata. I'm engaged in an interesting back and forth about the issue (NOT Coulter - I won't waste my time on her) here. It's a blog on the cleveland.com and Plain Dealer (Cleveland) platform. There are four bloggers - two conservative and two lilberal. I'm the only woman but also the only Jew. I hope you'll scan it and let me know what you think about how we're working over the issue.

Thanks again for getting the discussion going here.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Submitted by Jill Miller Zimon on Sun, 10/14/2007 - 16:17
 

Thanks for the link, Jill

I read a great deal of the commentary -- and I think you are spot-on with your comment:

The problem, however, isn't whether the concept - as he explains it - is offensive. The problem is in how Christians who believe in the concept and seek to integrate it into their lives as Christians apply it in their daily lives, as related to their relationships with and addresses to Jews. In a country, a culture, a society, that contains followers of more than 20 different religious denominations, this matter of how a Christian applies this belief is what becomes problematic for people who practice Judaism.

~~ Contributing Editor, Mata H. also blogs her brains out at Time's Fool

Submitted by Mata H on Tue, 10/16/2007 - 05:36
 

Thank you too for continuing the conversation

I'm going to link to this post and comment thread on the Wide Open post about the topic that we did today (the last of three). I think it will be eye opening for people who read over there, though I might warn you: some of those folks may come here and add thoughts too. :) Not necessarily a bad thing though.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Submitted by Jill Miller Zimon on Thu, 10/18/2007 - 13:28
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