Maybe it’s just me, but I would rather have dinner with an evangelist than a murderer. Sure, the evangelist is annoying and bigoted, but she’s far less likely to kill me for my religious or political beliefs.
So when a Daily Free Press columnist writes, “It is no wonder [Ann Coulter] gets booed off college stages — a feat not even Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could manage,” it strikes me as very sad, because to a large extent, he’s right.
No one is surprised when an Evangelical Christian, or any other kind of evangelical person for that matter, faces harsh criticism and unmerciful booing from an audience that values tolerance for all people. Why should young Americans be subject to bigoted and racist rhetoric?
What appalls me is that when someone like Ahmadinejad speaks to a young American audience, he doesn’t get the same treatment as Coulter does. He is more racist, preaches more bigotry and unlike Coulter, who just wants to convert people from different backgrounds, Ahmadinejad wants to kill everyone who does not see things his way.
So why is it that Coulter gets booed off stage, and Ahmadinejad receives applause? I think the answer is fairly simple: Ahmadinejad is a better liar.
Coulter speaks honestly and openly about her beliefs. Sure, they may be bigoted and disgusting, but at least she’s up front about it. She doesn’t hide behind anti-Bush rhetoric and obscure comments about the purpose of scientific investigation.
Ahmadinejad is another kind of speaker. He refuses to voice his true beliefs on an American stage. He uses snide comments directed at disliked authority figures to win over audiences then rambles on about the Quran’s view of science until everyone seems to forget what his real platform is. And for this, he gets applause.
So, I guess that’s what it takes to win over a young American audience these days. Lies, misinformation, disinformation and a few choice words about somebody in charge who hasn’t done a good job.
Maybe someday, we’ll listen to what speakers have to say based on the merits of their arguments, and not who they insult from the podium.
Ben Keil
COM ’10