so i am currently dealing with a lot of backlash. facebook comments, branding iron articles, even blogs written by friends of mine. most are repeating the dogma that protesting is bad. some are even equating protesting with hate speech.
to this, i call bullshit. i understand the hippie aesthetic of live and let live. i understand that many people would rather ignore something they dislike, hope it goes away, and sit on their couch eating cheez-its. i also fully support ideas like the Homo Rainbow project, which takes her visit and gives it a positive spin. my main beef comes with these negative responses to protesting.
i grew up in DC, and because of that, i may have a different way of dealing with things. things going on in my community. things that i think will have a negative impact on (choose one): political discourse, healthy living environment, further exploration into alternative modes of thought.
for this reason, i participated in multiple protests against the iraq war. here in wyoming, i participated in the social justice march. and that is why i am choosing to picket ann coulter's appearance.
"but she thrives on the negative attention!" so what? i'm not doing it for her. i'm doing it for our community as a campus that should foster growth and healthy communication between people of all political opinions. how does ann coulter do that? she just incites people, she doesn't form any sort of lasting impression. she is here to be inflammatory, to be a "response" speaker to ayers, and to give wyoming one more ultra-right-wing voice. do we need it?
so instead of bad-mouthing my activism, take a look at your life and decide whether you are doing anything to further your core values. if you want to speak your mind on campus, do it. be a community member, not a tiny voice in the grand void of the internet. come on thursday and say something.
I think the main thrust of the anti-protest movement is that the Right is fully expecting a protest. And then they can say "See? All that talk about Free Speech when one of their guys is here, but when one of ours shows up, they want to shut her down!" Of course, they'll ignore the Ayers protesters that showed up, because it doesn't prove their point. Fact is, if you want to protest, more power to you. That's one of the great things about this country. You can protest anything without fear that the government is going to start shooting you. My personal feelings are that a protest in the form of the charity drive is a much more effective model of protest than picket signs and slogans, but that's just me. And to each his own. Good luck with your protest. I hope it goes down peacefully.
ReplyDeletegood old fashioned protest has formed the basis of many movements. being passive is not my methodology. and the arguments about free speech...i just shake my head at it. am i preventing her from speaking? in fact, i am exercising free speech by doing what i am doing.
ReplyDeletelastly, what i want to accomplish: for our campus to concentrate on bringing thinkers to our campus, not celebrities.
Gretchen - if you're quoting me from the Laramie Boomerang, here's the draft of my full statement.
ReplyDelete-Meg
I wanted to do something other than picket, which still highlighted the message she brings. She loves picket and protest, and thrives on the controversy. I believe Ann Coulter to be an entertainer who "fires off without thinking" in the words of Caitlin Wallace. I posted of Facebook about her appearance and Will suggested the fundraiser. We got together, fleshed it out, and launched "Ann Coulter's Homo Rainbow." The name comes from the song "The Rainbow" by Ween.
Our beneficiaries are GetEqual WY, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, and Equality for All. Equality for All is a new political action founded in Wyoming and is dedicated to the education of voters on progressive issues and support of progressive, forward thinking candidates. The executive director of Equality for All is Andrew Simons, former candidate for Secretary of State in 2010.
If people wish to pledge, they can visit https://www.facebook.com/AnnCoultersRainbow even if they're not on Facebook. The page is public, and the link for the pledge form is located to the left on the screen. Also, you can email Will and I at unanncoulterpledgedrive@gmail.com
I see this fundraiser as basically turning a lemon like Ann Coulter into lemonade for the GLBTQ community and progressive causes. I fully support the right of people to protest her message - but not her right to speak. I know there's a rally organizing to protest her message, and there's another one organizing to protest the protesters of her speech.
So yes, Ann Coulter expects protest and dissent, and she has every right to deliver a speech provoking such reactions. In fact, I hope her speech is very thorough and long-winded. Every minute she speaks at UW, we raise money for causes we believe in.
Don't get me wrong though, I do NOT want to be the only campus where Ann Coulter does NOT get picketed. I'm glad there's a protest of her message being organized. In fact, if Gretchen Heberling hadn't taken the lead, I would have organized something. Me protesting is seen as hypocritical because I sued for free speech, then I'm (supposedly) protesting Ann Coulter's right to speak. I don't think the nuances of supporting someone's right to speak while still protesting the message is grasped by many people.
I personally think Ann Coulter really adds nothing to any kind of discussion. Her speech title "Why Liberals Are Wrong About Everything" says it all - I'm right, you're wrong, so shut up. Unlike Ann Coulter, who's said in the past she's not a fan of the First Amendment, I am a fan - for everyone. She has every right to come here and speak, and others have no right to attempt to shut it down - something I have not seen. I have not seen any such attempts, and for that, I'm grateful. If Westboro Baptist Church is even covered by the First Amendment, then surely the campus conservatives and Ann Coulter are as well.
Right on man... teh hee.
ReplyDeleteno i want to do the coulter protest