Ann Coulter Should Read The Vagina Monologues
In a column for the Daily Caller, provocateur Ann Coulter had some choice phrases to use on Michigan legislator Lisa Brown. Phrases like “hysterical drama queen” and “date-rape.” Rep. Brown became the center of media attention last week when she made a speech on the Michigan House floor opposing a bill designed to regulate and limit access to abortion clinics statewide. Brown’s use of the word “vagina” in her closing statement resulted in her ban from the House floor the following day.
According to Coulter, Brown’s dismissal from the floor was not enough. Coulter called Brown’s speech a “crazy display of narcissism” coming from a “hysterical drama queen.” Calling Brown a narcissistic drama queen is just plain sexist. Coulter could have written a coherent response to Brown’s politics, yet instead she opted for a misogynistic attack.
Climbing to the highest rung of shock value journalism, Coulter connected Brown’s statement with date-rape allegations. Three times. Coulter managed to twist Brown’s closing remark of “no means no,” into a sickening rape allegation:
It’s not clear where Rep. Brown got the idea that the Republican caucus was planning on date-raping her, but I think there’s been a terrible understanding…it’s odd that she seems to think she’s the object of so much Republican male fantasy.
This is the worst kind of misogyny, and it’s made no better because it comes from a woman. Coulter turns Brown’s very real point about the Michigan House bill into an appraisal of her sexual appeal to men. WTF? (We won’t even touch the disgusting idea that a woman’s appearance is responsible for causing rape.)
Luckily, at least 2,500 Michigan men and women oppose the inequality in politics that Coulter, and others like her, fail to acknowledge exists. Less than 24 hours after Brown’s ban from the floor, thousands gathered outside the Capitol to attend a reading of the Vagina Monologues. The performance was led by Brown and several other state legislators, putting an ironic spin on Coulter’s label of the women of the Michigan state House as “drama queens.” Indeed, the only thing hysterical about the performance was the laughter and applause from the audience.
Coulter is well-known for shock-tactics as a commentator and author. Maybe some don’t expect anything better from her, but as woman herself, its still disappointing that she using misogynistic language to get her point across. Name It. Change It. would defend Coulter from sexism and misogyny because sexist language hurts all women. It would be nice if Coulter understood that by projecting misogyny at women she only makes it easier for misogyny to persist.
Published by Kate McCarthy on 06/22/2012