If there’s one thing Ann Coulter deserves to be remembered for, it’s this passage from her book _Slander_:
Liberals hate America, they hate “flag-wavers,” they hate abortion opponents, they hate all religions except Islam (post 9/11). Even Islamic terrorists don’t hate America like liberals do.
This is a very puzzling passage. In the States, “liberal” just means “someone who tends to vote Democrat.” Real swing voters are relatively rare, so almost half the population is “liberal,” by this definition. Therefore, Coulter is claiming that nearly half of all Yanks are hoping for the demise of their own country! Obviously she doesn’t believe this, which makes it seem like a lie, but she can hardly expect her readers to believe it either.
When I recently revisited Coulter’s book for an essay I’m writing on lying, I spent a few days puzzling over this passage. Ultimately, I side with Orwell: political language (like the word “liberal”) is a tool for keeping people from thinking about what they’re saying. That’s how people in politics can tell ridiculous lies without being called on it.
This sort of thing from Coulter should not be called “lying.” A far better word is “pornography.” It is intended to excite and arouse her target audience, it is devoid of intellectually redeeming content, and because what Coulter is selling is a fantasy, its relationship to the truth is irrelevant.
My favorite example of political absurdity from Coulter is from a piece she did defending Joe McCarthy in which she said:,
Which is absolutely hilarious considering this is the perfect description for the Coulter/Savage style of punditry.
Politics is the mind-killer:
http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/02/politics_is_the.html
Hey Chris,
There’s a recent commentary at Language Log on Orwell’s essay:
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=992
Pleeease, read it and blog about what you think! I’d be curious to know…