It's Not What You Say, But How You Say It

Over the last few days, I've been thinking about Ann Coulter and others like her on both sides of the political aisle. I've noticed that no one is lukewarm about her: people either love or hate her. There's very little indifference. She's an extremist and the reactions to her are likewise extreme.

I have no problem with her or anyone else expressing their opinions, no matter how extreme they may be. Freedom of speech is a core American value that cannot be abridged and it is never more apparent when we are confronted by those as deliberately offensive as Coulter and her clones.

But there is such a thing as responsible journalism. We have to question what the purpose of a person's words are, what they seek to elicit. In all her books and media appearances, Coulter is seeking to inflame, incite, insult, and most importantly, to divide. She's not presenting her ideas in a reasonable, respectful manner to try to persuade. She cannot write or speak without frequently resorting to ad hominems. She seeks to strengthen the "Us against Them" mentality with every word she writes or speaks.

I've written about a lot of controversial topics on my blogs over the last two years, with opinions that are decidely not in the mainstream. But I've strived to do so in a non-judgemental manner, without belittling those who hold opposing viewpoints as much as I can.

But that is because my primary goal is to make people think outside the box and to consider new ideas -- or old ideas in a new light. I do not seek to insult or to divide; I seek to find common threads on which we can all agree and to build from.

Instead of an us against them mentality, I strive to remind people that "different strokes for different folks" is a good thing, and illustrate that we all don't have to be or think the same in order to work together and be united as a nation.

Thoughts?