I had a fascinating conversation last night with my son, who is pursuing a grad degree in environmental public policy at Indiana University. The school's Events Board sponsored a "free" lecture by Ann Coulter, which cost the student body a cool $23,000!!! This woman has been fired from every legitimate (and a few illegitimate) news jobs she has ever had and STILL commands an enormous speaking fee? And the content of her "speech"? Five times she threatened to walk off stage because she was being heckled. She responded to a thoughtful question from a male student with a high voice with "enough out of you, gay boy!" and her most thoughtful critique of the Democratic party? Democrats are UGLY!
It is time to start pressuring those schedule events at public universities to stop giving this woman free money for inane public commentary. If you have friends, students, or loved ones who serve on university events boards or other groups that schedule speakers, urge them to boycott speakers like Ann Coulter--if this woman can't earn money by being stupid on stage, maybe we won't hear from her as often.
I am not advocating censorship here--Ms. Coulter has the right to say any stupid thing she chooses to say at any time she wants to say it. If she wants to provide her "services" to speaker's bureaus for free, more power to her. She might even gain respect for speaking about things from passion for the subject, not because she's being paid to be provocative. My son said the whole event last night had a carnivalesque feel to it--with hoots and jeers coming from the audience, hulking "security" people standing ostensibly near Ms. Coulter, and a sense that most people had come primarily to see just how ourrageous she was going to get. This isn't an exchange of ideas, it's the circus.
Events boards that serve the public interest should NOT be helping this woman--and legitimizing her venom--by paying her to speak. It's bad enough when hacks like Sean Hannity pay her to attack Ariana Huffington on Faux News--we don't expect much from the ethics of that outlet--but it's quite another when public universities use student event fees to pad this woman's bank account.
BOYCOTT ANN COULTER