Ann Coulter

I’m getting tired of Ann Coulter. I appreciate the fact that she holds firm to her pointed convictions, but it surprises me that, with such a narrow conception of the world, she still continues to get airtime. In this latest controversy, she speaks as though she is an authority regarding the etymology of the word “faggot,” and reduces it to a meaningless schoolyard taunt. Maybe in Coulter’s schoolyard, faggot was a commonly uttered taunt (it wouldn’t shock me to discover that Coulter was the one doing the taunting, even at an early age), but this singular experience does not detract from the possibility and, I believe, reality that faggot holds a stronger meaning in the real world.

I’m not concerned that Coulter believes that faggot is a harmless, inoffensive word. It's her prerogative to hold to her definition of the word. However, it's simply offensive and irresponsible for her to loosely use this word in the public realm, where the meaning of words is often determined by plurality. Her statement that "It has nothing to do with gays" reveals her intentional ignorance of the fact that many gays take strong offense at this word. Coulter seems to have pulled the blinders over her eyes, she must be aware that the use of the word faggot is tremendously controversial and offensive for some.

I think it only adds to the confusion that gays regard the word faggot with mixed emotions – for some it’s offensive, while others have embraced it as an endearing term. Why take on a nickname that comes with the baggage of preexisting pejorative connotations? The lack of a clear position from gays on the meaning of this word allows room for mean spirited individuals like Ann Coulter to use it in a demeaning way.