Below is a powerful response from a man with Down’s Syndrome to Ann Coulter who recently called President Barack Obama a “retard.” He is Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stephens. He is also the antidote to today’s hateful political discourse.
Dear Ann Coulter,
Come on Ms. Coulter, you aren’t dumb and you aren’t shallow. So why are you continually using a word like the R-word as an insult?
I’m a 30 year old man with Down syndrome who has struggled with the public’s perception that an intellectual disability means that I am dumb and shallow. I am not either of those things, but I do process information more slowly than the rest of you. In fact it has taken me all day to figure out how to respond to your use of the R-word last night.
I thought first of asking whether you meant to describe the President as someone who was bullied as a child by people like you, but rose above it to find a way to succeed in life as many of my fellow Special Olympians have.
Then I wondered if you meant to describe him as someone who has to struggle to be thoughtful about everything he says, as everyone else races from one snarkey sound bite to the next.
Finally, I wondered if you meant to degrade him as someone who is likely to receive bad health care, live in low grade housing with very little income and still manages to see life as a wonderful gift.
Because, Ms. Coulter, that is who we are – and much, much more.
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the President by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms. Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much.
Come join us someday at Special Olympics. See if you can walk away with your heart unchanged.
A friend you haven’t made yet,
John Franklin Stephens
Global Messenger
Special Olympics Virginia
ElaineM,
Interpret matters as you wish, not much I can do, and thus have no ambition to effect of your own deliberations.
To bring up a word with negative connotation, “pitiful” without giving context, would seem to imply that it was part of an attack or at least an unfair negative judgement.
So you laid out the unspecified bait and I took it. Grats.
Further:
“Maybe you don’t construe it as his coming to her defense–but he certainly was impugning the character of any of us who criticized her on this post.”
You are here using the familiar tactic of implying that I insult the whole of the other members of the blog, and strive thereby to enlist their support for your cause.
Most are easily reached, unfortunately, by such tactics—-as any politician knows.
Now I have reached the conclusion that you address me not to confine and solve our differences, but instead expand it so as to avoid solving it by discussion of the original points of difference. Does my every word of rebuttal raise new ire in you? It would seem so.
You do avoid still my original query to you, not giving it an answer.
Did I come out in defense of Enoch?, That I have disavowed already.
But some will so interpret my actions. To my detriment, but such aspects have never steered me so far in my life.
Just as ignoring, in my view, unbased and inaccurate accusations by you to Enoch, have and will not be ignored ever. Conflict avoidance is not why I came here.
If people approve, fine. If not, also fine. I am here to learn, not teach. But I have always not hesitated, to some teachers’ despair, to ask questions. Learning by rote or with a view to polish the teacher’s apple has never been my path. (and am not implying it is anyone’s here either—just declaring my own position).
In all amicability.
ElaineM,
Rolling back looking for a point to continue my day after readings, I came upon this by you to Enoch.
——————
“You claim to have principles? Is one of your principles standing in judgment of those who dare criticize the likes of Ann Coulter? Why not look for a more upstanding individual to come to the defense of?” ElaineM.
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One: We all stand to be judged here, based on how others see us and evaluate what we say.
Two: Jesus did not defend the Good Samaritan, he let the actions speak for themselves. But he did use the sinners, very often as examples to which he came to the defense of in speech. He not only defended them, he associated with them, which was a defilement of any righteous jew at that time.
Defending the worthy requires no virtue or courage.
Defending the humanity of a sinner does.
ElaineM,
If my new costume of “sweetness and light” causes you to regurgitate old barbs, it would not seem improbable that they are sticking you someplace. It was you that brought “pitiful” up, not I. To what purpose, if not to expose the devil costume under the other?
And you still do not offer an explanation of how you interpret Enoch as negatively as you summarize now. Please cite his words that give a foundation to your conclusions.
I desire to keep a position of mutual respect, more than sharers of recipes and local dialects (“hahbah”). Please keep that in mind. Don’t look for ill-will. I always did when contemplating GeneH diatribes, but now don’t.
In fact, I try to keep that always in mind here.
Otherwise my understanding is quickly debilitated.
And the way I write is mot one of affectation, but of impediment. So disregard the apparent stilts, that I seem to wear. Their length and awkwardness vary from day to day—-an uncontrollable phenomenon.
Sadly,the following is not written by me, Happily, there is something to offend most everyone. Mostly, I cheered – god knows I need it.
Dear Red States:
We’re ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we’ve decided we’re leaving: “Legitimate rape.” is almost reason enough!
We in California intend to form our own country and we’re taking the other Blue States with us.
In case you aren’t aware that includes New York, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss.
We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs.
You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition’s we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
Please be aware that the E.S.A. will be pro choice and anti war and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Afghanistan at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets coming home.
We wish you success in Afghanistan, and possibly Iran as well, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in these sorts of pursuits.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country’s fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95% of America’s quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Cal Tech, Long Beach State, CAL, San Jose State and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bast*rds believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We’re taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
Citizens of the Enlightened States of America
Eeyore,
There are four or five words that will get blocked. I cannot remember all of them, but do remember that one of them is “b@st@rd.” If you are using a naughty word, use @ and $, etc, strategically. Also, WordPress will not allow more than two links in a single comment. If you had too many links, or a forbidden word, you might repost with some editing. Otherwise, your comments will remain in moderation limbo.
My comment is in moderation. Can you clear?
This says the “bullsh*ter” was off-the-cuff AFTER the interview.
Brinkley recounts a conversation between Rolling Stone editor Eric Bates & President Obama that took place after the interview wrapped up. In part, it went like this: “‘Thought about lowering the voting age?’ Bates joked. ‘You know, kids have good instincts,’ Obama offered. ‘They look at the other guy and say, “Well, that’s a bullsh*tter, I can tell.”
I wish he would have said phu*king bullsh*ter.
Elaine,
I agree.
Shanda,
I should have said “usual troll contingent”. You are everything but usual.
Shandra, You are in a troll class of your own.
Blouise,
“Don’t you just love the judgmentalism that tries to mask itself as fairness.”
Sure do!
😉
Gene H.
1, October 25, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Smom,
Well if you want to talk solely about the composition of the troll contingent, that’s another issue altogether. 🙂
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Ahem …
rafflaw,
Take my word for it as a resident of Massachusetts–Romney IS a bullsh*tter. That said, I think the president could have used more appropriate language. I was surprised when I read that article. Obama is usually so careful with words.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/state-rep-at-romney-rally-calls-obama-disgusting
Elaine,
Don’t you just love the judgmentalism that tries to mask itself as fairness.
Blouise, That’s good to know.