Dignity and disgrace

[fpb]

One story Harlan Ellison told long ago has just come back to me, in connection with events in the last few days. Apparently, in the remote days of his youth, Ellison had been - incredible but true - a stand-up comedian. And there came a night when "none of the material flew. I could not get the crowd to respond, try what I might. You could have

Comments

[jordan179]

I concur. I'm a conservative on some issues (especially foreign and defense policy) but a liberal on many social issues (especially victimless crimes and sexual preferences), and what Ann Coulter said was way out of line. Yes, John Edwards is a political lightweight who has coasted on good looks and lack of controversy, but he is not homosexual and even if he was that would be no disqualification for office.

Ann Coulter should apologize.

[redcoast]

...deliberately calling Edwards a homosexual because her public can be trusted to dislike a homosexuals.

I know that's just a typo, but I suddenly heard this post in, like, a Borat voice.

I wasn't even aware of Ann Coulter until people started complaining about her. She's basically a professional troll.

[asakiyume]

Funny, I was just about to ask fpb what he makes of Ann Coulter, generally speaking, because I find her so bewildering (I don't get what she's trying to do... her attacks are so wacky and broad...)--but the explanation that she's a professional troll pretty much clears things up for me, actually.

Though, fpb, feel free to add any insights you might happen to have (..if you see this comment...I forget whether comment notification works if I respond to redcoast's remark rather than directly to your entry...)

[redcoast]

Yes, comment notification will notify him of any comment left on this entry. If he has it turned on, of course. :)

[fpb]

I do have it turned on all the time. However, while you were awake and working,I was sleeping (now doesn't that sound a bit sinister? 8

[super_pan]

She just seems like she's not a good person at all, and, like you, I expect nothing good from her.

And personally, I don't really like Edwards, but that's just a cheap and witless pot shot.

[superversive]

Generally speaking, I’m three points to the right of Attila the Hun, and I find it a standing embarrassment to have Ann Coulter on my side. As a glamour girl she’s a halfway clever political hack, and as a conservative philosopher she’s a moderately attractive blonde. She strikes me as essentially a novelty act - a non-ugly pundit, who’da thunk it? - that bought into her own hype. Somewhere along the way she must have stopped respecting her opposition (and her audience) and started cutting corners on logic and being economical with the truth. I say ‘must have’, because I had not heard of her until the corruption was evidently well under way.