Ann Coulter's use of the R-word

[shirley1929]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Trisomy 21 is by far more common than Trisomies 13 and 18 which are also not compatible with life and not in the public lexicon, so this is not a problem. There is no need for anyone but physicians and those effected to know what Edwards (18) and Patau (13) entail or what their names are.

Probably, but as someone who read almost every pregnancy book she could get her hands on, 1) I'm scared to pronounce Trisomy because I have never heard it spoken, and 2) In my mind, Trisomy =/= Life. DS/T21 = life (and then some!), so I do think it should have a distinguishing name. DS is clearly the wrong one...but I don't think that automatically makes T21 the correct one.

Originally Posted by MysticCat

But ALS is an simple acronymn, easy to remember with no unfamiliar medical-sounding words in it. Trisomy 21 sounds very clinical at best, especially since most people probably have no idea what either trisomy or 21 (in this context) mean. I, too, would be surprised if it caught on easily.

Exactly

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

It may not change quickly but it should.

I agree, now that I know the background on the DS name (admittedly, I didn't know it before). I'm just not sure Trisomy 21 is the right one.

[badgeguy]

I do not like any derrogotive words, the "r" and "n" words are very offensive to me and I try my hardest to never say things like that and teach my kids not to say these things or even use the words stupid or idiot when talking about someone.....BUT, I too am a hypocrite! And I'll admit it, because whenever I am watching a movie, aka comedies, where the characters use these words I laugh...and sometimes laugh a lot depending on the situation and who the actors are.....one example is The Hangover....didn't others find it funny??

I guess sometimes its all in the context in which things are said and the situations.....human nature maybe?

BG

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by AOII Angel

Over time, medical terminology sometimes trumps patient wishes. It may not change quickly but it should.

Perhaps it should, but a change like this shouldn't be imposed from the medical profession, especially since we're not talking about patients in the conventional sense of someone with an illness. We're talking about people born with and living their lives with an unalterable condition, and about their families. It's not just something these people have, it's part of who they are.

As the father of someone with an eponymic syndrome, I can vouch for the fact that it can, in a sense, become part of one's self-identification, without any regard at all to any knowledge of the person for whom the syndrome was named. The use by many of "Aspie" these days is an example of that. And I'll acknowledge that "Aspie" is not universally liked by those with Asperger Syndrome. But many do like it, and it shows an appropriation of and identification with "Asperger" independent from knowing anything about Hans Asperger.

I can easily see why many, especially in the medical community, consider it offensive to "honor" Down by calling the condition Down Syndrome. But to be honest, I can also see how many with Trisomy 21 and their families would find it offensive to have a "new" name imposed on them. It's the difference between "we have decided we'd rather be called ___" and "someone else has decided that we shouldn't be called ____ and should instead be called ___." In a situation like that, my inclination would be to go with the preferred medical term in medical contexts, but go with the term preferred by those with the condition in all other contexts.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by badgeguy

I do not like any derrogotive words, the "r" and "n" words are very offensive to me...

There's nothing I can see in the context of this thread or in general that would prompt you to put these two terms in the same category or even mention the second at all.

Anne Coulter's opinion means very little to me but, given how large her audience is, her poor word choice is that much more unfortunate. Most of my friends who used to say the r-word regularly no longer do so because of NephewCG. Most of them know that he has a developmental disability--if they don't, they get very uncomfortable and apologize when I tell them why the word offends me. I'm never rude about it because people don't usually wake up and say "I'm going to offend lots of people today." I make it a point to say it nonchalantly (not as a sob story meant to make them feel badly) because there is nothing wrong with my nephew and flying off the handle might come across as me being ashamed in how he's different. But I will never forget the day he came home, told his mother someone on the playground had called him a "retard," and asked what it meant. That memory is enough to make anyone want to never say it again. I give most people a lot of leeway because it's easy to ignore the offensiveness when you don't have a personal story like that--it's VERY difficult to give the same slack to Anne Coulter.

[33girl]

Originally Posted by christiangirl

There's nothing I can see in the context of this thread or in general that would prompt you to put these two terms in the same category or even mention the second at all.

Why not? He's giving an example of another derogatory term.

As for The Hangover, I found the entire movie way too long and completely unfunny.

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by 33girl

Why not? He's giving an example of another derogatory term.

I see it now after thinking on it for awhile but it was such a loose association, I really didn't get it at first.

[AnchorAlum]

I think that if Ann had a moment to think about it, she would very likely regret use of the term.

And I actually enjoyed the video of her dressing down that foppish Piers Morgan when he spoke to her the way he did.

I wonder if others who have used disparaging words to describe women regret their slip of the lip, however. Men who call women who have a different political viewpoint the "c" word, maybe?

Heck, even politicians who call their opponent a bullshitter.

What a shame that Ann cannot count on her sisters to privately send her an email expressing their disappointment with her poor choice of words, while remaining silent on a message board full of other comments that she may deserve, but without the chorus of "oh we hate her too".

Tau Delta Eta, y'all.

[happilyanchored]

I don't think any of us outright said we hate her, though whether that's the undercurrent of any other members' comments is up for debate.

We are sisters through our shared rituals, but at the same time it is hard to fully respect someone who so deliberately flouts the words of our open creed, let alone our more secret and sacred bonds. Obviously the members of her chapter saw something in her, and she saw something in our organization that made her want to share in our oaths. I have many sisters in my chapter alone whose views I do not agree with, whose points I may not understand, but they are my sisters and I will still always respect them and honor them the way I should. The same way I respect and honor Ann Coulter as a person and how she has carved out a niche and place for herself in the world, regardless of whether or not I disagree with her stances on many things. Also, it was sisters who did note that Ann Coulter the person and Ann Coulter the persona may be two entirely different things, which no one else has really spoken about or taken into account. I would even say that as her sisters, we have been especially careful in our comments.

However, as pretty much everyone said, nothing can really justify her comments on a political or social level. There is a line between saying something politically charged and saying something that is so outright offensive, especially in the age when we are only just beginning to understand what being "retarded" really is and people are beginning to look at those with mental handicaps as real people, not just defined by how their chromosomes may have mutated or changed in relation to our own.

I hope others feel the same, and that the charged political culture we are currently living in as we head toward the election in just over a week can be blamed for much of the overt hatred and vitrol that is being spewed all over the internet, not even just here.

[AnchorAlum]

Well said, H.A.
Good post.

[moe.ron]

She seems to be a very sad hateful person, or a brilliant marketer who doesn't really believe what she said. I think she's more of a brilliant marketer who sold her soul for the almighty green back.

[DGTess]

Originally Posted by happilyanchored

I don't think any of us outright said we hate her, though whether that's the undercurrent of any other members' comments is up for debate.

We are sisters through our shared rituals, but at the same time it is hard to fully respect someone who so deliberately flouts the words of our open creed, let alone our more secret and sacred bonds. Obviously the members of her chapter saw something in her, and she saw something in our organization that made her want to share in our oaths. I have many sisters in my chapter alone whose views I do not agree with, whose points I may not understand, but they are my sisters and I will still always respect them and honor them the way I should. The same way I respect and honor Ann Coulter as a person and how she has carved out a niche and place for herself in the world, regardless of whether or not I disagree with her stances on many things. Also, it was sisters who did note that Ann Coulter the person and Ann Coulter the persona may be two entirely different things, which no one else has really spoken about or taken into account. I would even say that as her sisters, we have been especially careful in our comments.

However, as pretty much everyone said, nothing can really justify her comments on a political or social level. There is a line between saying something politically charged and saying something that is so outright offensive, especially in the age when we are only just beginning to understand what being "retarded" really is and people are beginning to look at those with mental handicaps as real people, not just defined by how their chromosomes may have mutated or changed in relation to our own.

I hope others feel the same, and that the charged political culture we are currently living in as we head toward the election in just over a week can be blamed for much of the overt hatred and vitrol that is being spewed all over the internet, not even just here.

About as beautifully stated as one could imagine. Thank you.