When I think of conservative pundit Ann Coulter, I can’t help but think about that scene from Scarface when Tony Montana, in a cocaine-induced rage, taunts a group of diners in a fancy restaurant: “You need people like me so you can … say, ‘That’s the bad guy.’ … You just know how to hide, how to lie. Me, I don’t have that problem. I always tell the truth—even when I lie.” Coulter might not be a liar, but her reality is far from the truth.
Coulter, a self-described “polemicist” who likes to “stir up the pot” and does not pretend to be “impartial or balanced”, has made a career out of controversy. Given her track record, I’m not shocked that she referred to John Edwards as a “faggot” earlier this month. At this point Coulter has to offend people just to get by. By not doing so, she would condemn herself to what every celebrity, A or B-list, fears most: obscurity.
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History repeats itself,” Karl Marx once explained, “first as tragedy, second as farce.” In the case of Holocaust denial, historical tragedy is overshadowed by the farcical nature of egregious conspiracy theories. Some say it should be a crime; I disagree. Punishing these incendiaries sends a questionable message: that reality is too fragile for their hollow words, and their mindless banter could, in fact, come true. But what if German Chancellor Angela Merkel publicly denied the Holocaust? Then the scenario would be different—the hollow words substantiated from the most inappropriate source. We realize then that the unfortunate nature of history is that the truth is surprisingly malleable and often exploited by those with the most to lose by it.
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According to the Delta Zeta sorority Web site, their national creed begins as follows: “To the world, I promise temperance and insight and courage, to crusade for justice, to seek the truth and defend it always.” But amidst the current scandal at DePauw University, it seems they are adding a not-so-subtle admonition: Do as I say, not as I do.
Facing declining membership and a budget deep in the red, the Delta Zeta sorority attempted a major makeover last month, the end result of which was the purge of 23 of the 35 active members at DePauw, all removed from the house and forced to find new accommodations mid-semester. Controversy arose when it was discovered that among the departed were the chapter’s overweight, black, Korean and Vietnamese sisters. Those expelled overwhelmingly described the remaining members in terms of their physical appearance. “Half of them were blond. The others were brunette or redhead. They’re beautiful women. They were more fit,” said one of the excluded members.
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Oprah Winfrey’s newest project, featured on an ABC primetime special this past Monday, is The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, a $40 million, 52-acre, 28-building, state-of-the-art independent school promoting academic achievement for girls living near Johannesburg, South Africa. When asked why she chose to construct her “dream school” in Africa, she replied: “There’s no better place than Africa because the sense of need, the sense of value for education and the appreciation for it could not be greater.”
I can think of a better place: the United States of America.
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