Have you ever come across something someone said, or heard someone say something that just made you irate?
I will go back to one of my earlier posts about my boyfriend saying, "Why let it bother you."
That is a good question. Every time I come across something that makes me mad, I sit there and wish I weren't mad and that, whatever it was, didn't bother me. But the more I think about it, the more I realize I can't help but be mad sometimes.
Ever heard of Ann Coulter? Me either before tonight. I was browsing CNN at work and came across a headline that said, "Coulter calls Obama the "r-word."
At first, I thought it might be the word "racist" as in he is racist against all peoples who are not black (I read something last week from a friend's email about former secret service agents commenting about past and present Presidents and First Ladies... they said Michelle Obama hates all people are are not black.. true? I couldn't tell you, but it is interesting to hear). Now, as I was saying, I thought she used the word racist. However; she did in fact use the word (I will use it for now) RETARD.
Now, when I was younger, I used to use that word all the time. Why? I have no idea, but it was stuck in my vocabulary just like the word "like". I have a friend whose brother has some form of mental disability. I would use it around her, and she said she didn't care, so therefore, I thought that meant it was okay to use it all the time.
Ha, it is to laugh... I finally came to the realization in my later years (as if I am really that old) that the R-word should never be used to describe anything but for the sole definition (AKA to describe people with mental disabilities). But even then, I didn't like it. The word in and of itself just sounds so offensive. I can't imagine even talking to someone about another person with MR (mental retardation) and flat-out calling them a... well, you know...
How did she use this word in context? Through Twitter of course. I LOVE Twitter. I get to say whatever I want without caring about what anyone else thinks (except now, I have dulled down my language since my mother finally joined... sigh..). But this is what she said
Tweet #1 with the R word: "I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the r-----.
That tweet alone received 3,183 re tweets and 1320 favorites.... You have got to be kidding. I have no party affiliation (and it's quite obvious she is a Republican), but it just makes me dislike any Republican affiliation even more with that many of her "supporters" condoning something like that.
Now, onto the second tweet, which in my opinion really shows how intelligent this woman is. She is supposedly a writer, but you don't have to be a writer (or a brainiac) to find the fault in this tweet (besides the use of the R word of course...)
Tweet #2 with the R word: "Obama: 'Stage 3 Romneysia' - because cancer references are HILARIOUS. If he's 'the smartest guy in the room' it must be one r-----ed room."
Hmm. Last time I checked, Amnesia isn't cancer. But, you never know with how many medical breakthroughs they are finding these days.
If you don't support President Obama, fine. That is on your own terms. Go ahead and insult him even, he's not the first President to endure insults. But for goodness sake, don't you think you could come up with something a little bit different than comparing him to someone who has mental disabilities? These people are the way they are through no fault of their own. The same can be said for people who hold racist stereotypes. People cannot decide what race they are. They are born that way. And you know what, same for LGBT!! I used to use the word GAY as an insult too, but not anymore because I finally realized how terrible of a person I was portraying myself to be.
People are supporting Coulter by saying she has the freedom of speech to say whatever she wants. Okay, fine. I am all for free speech, but when you try insult someone by using an offensive word in regards to someone who can't even stand up for themselves, you have got to be one low-life human being.
A lot of people think she is only doing this for attention. That may very well be, and attention she received. And if this was all an attention-grabbing stunt, it makes me wish even more I wasn't so upset by it. She is FEEDING off of people's angry responses to what she said. I myself even jabbed at her on Twitter. I just can't imagine why, if she wanted the attention, that she couldn't have used different words.
That is why I am so upset. Because people who use words like the R word have NO respect or regard for anyone else but themselves. I wouldn't even want to meet with her in person to discuss what she said because I would be SO heated about it, I would barely be able to keep myself calm. I would let my anger get the best of me and start yelling at her probably.. calling her a bitch... a C.U.Next.Tuesday, if you know what I mean, so in short, I would almost be stooping down to her level. But never again will I ever use words like that to describe someone or something I don't like or agree with. That is where I am on a completely different level than her. Am I better than she is? I am not saying that. I have my own problems too and am by no means perfect. But I at least have the respect for other human beings to refrain from using such degrading words.
I could go on and on about how mad I am right now, but I will probably just start repeating myself. So for now, I will leave you with this. Think before you speak. Cliche as it is, but those are definitely words to live by.
Oh and in case you were wanting to read the article... here it is >>
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/23/living/ann-coulter-obama-tweet/index.html?hpt=us_t2
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