Coulter’s, and audience’s, shenanigans equally embarrassing to University

Thursday, March 31, 2005

I attended the Vickers Memorial lecture featuring Ann Coulter knowing I was going to disagree with most of her comments because I am a liberal, but without the intention of feeling shocked and disgraced with her blatant disrespect for many in the University community.

When liberal hecklers loudly refuted her comments, she admonished that “the sexual orientation classes are down the hall.”

Although I do not agree with the hecklers challenging her discourse, I was taken aback that she would resort to slurs about someone’s sexual preference to respond to an opposing view. In her regular lecture text, she made irreverent comments about minorities including “brown man.”

Even more disturbing than her speech was the audience’s reaction: Through cheers they encouraged Ms. Coulter to continue her insensitive attacks on “liberal” audience members. As a woman who advocates freedom of speech, I also found it unpardonable that Ms. Coulter urged several College Republicans to quiet or remove those who were challenging her.

By the time the question and answer session began, the majority of people with opposing viewpoints had been “escorted” from the room, clearly diminishing the possibility of freedom of expression. I support the Vickers family’s goal of providing an open forum “to debate or discuss subjects vital to maintaining a free political and market economy,” so I was appalled that they should select — and the University allow — someone with such little respect for diversity, in sexual orientation, race, gender and thought.

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