Ignore Coulter? An evolutionary biologist explains why not

PZ Myers of Pharyngula.org:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/06/no_quarter_dont_ask.php

Neglect doesn't work.

Here's a counterargument: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." I've watched good people do nothing about creeping lunacy and anti-intellectualism for decades. I watched appalled when that senile fool Reagan was elected. I was even more appalled when George W. Bush, airhead extraordinaire and utterly unqualified ignoramus, became president. The citizenry howls to destroy the science standards in our public schools, or complacently votes to lower property taxes at the expense of our children's minds. While we've quietly raised a rich crop in scattered little plots, we are about to be overwhelmed by the nightmarish weeds that overrun our neighbors'. We must stand up and shout, finally…and hope it's not too late.

Now that doesn't mean I'd give even a penny to Coulter for her hackwork. It doesn't mean I would dignify her position by standing together in public with her. What it does mean is that at least some of us are obligated to stand against the tide of garbage and fight it. We have to be loud and we have to be vocal and we can't afford to just shrug our shoulders and let it all pass. If we accept the idea that we're wasting our time criticizing patent idiots, then we might as well retire silently with folded hands and let the liars and scoundrels and frauds and kooks continue their campaigns unhindered. It's really worked well for us so far, hasn't it?

And for those who think Coulter is a buffoon and clown and opportunist, it doesn't matter how cynical she is, or whether she believes her own lies. Other people do. You don't want to take her seriously? Too bad. They do.

Just don't bother dignifying her ideas by saying "that's not so." It's perfectly legitimate for a community to cast out an obnoxious sociopath. You don't need to debate the substance of their farts and belches.

The local kids can't even score in the 50s on the TEKS/TAKS, it is a nightmare. No wonder people like Reagan and Coulter get such high praise from their peers. Their peers are idiots! Am I wrong or do most of the pundits today seem like total idiots?

Usually I agree with that, and it's the logical, I believe, behind the calls for ignoring Coulter. Usually I love it when fundies rail against "obscene" movies, art, or video games. But I think in the case of Coulter that old saw might not actually apply.

... 100%.

This is the equivalent to any political attack - it's an attack on all Dems rather than a specific Dem, but the effect is the same.

If it is not countered strenuously, it will be accepted as truth by a lot of stupid people.

One of the lessons of judo/jujitso/aikido is a physics lesson.

When an opponent pushes, it requires an equal amount of strength to stop them, kinetically speaking. It is not efficient, and only the physically strongest opponent can ever win. It is far better to add a bit of your own kinetic energy to theirs, multiply their action, and deflect their range of motion or get out of its way. Keep you center of gravity below theirs, and pull when they push, push when they pull, and pitch their nasty asses on their head.

The other lesson is that human joints and tendons have a fixed path of articulation. If you can make a joint play against itself in your opponent, they lose the ability to press an attack.

So with the Coulter beast, pull a bit. Get her to say some more. Keep her off balance, prod her, get her to defend herself by making even more outlandish statements, and then get her to agree that she represents mainstream republican and conservative thinking everywhere, in fact challenge her and force her to vigorously defend that assertion.

No Coulter handy? Use every conservative and republican you find. Get them to agree that shooting liberals in the head and rounding up queers and putting them in concentration camps is mainstream conservative thinking, make them proud of it.

Because they're not, but if they're off balance, they're going to have to pick a side or fall. There are long lessons, but the first one is "agree" with what they're saying. Then take it further, as a thought experiment, neutral face and see how far they're willing to go. Don't give away your position, until they figure out they're tumbling in freefall and its too late. She has an anger problem. Get her angry. Anger leads to irrationality, bloviation, and one-up-manship. Let her win the one-upmanship.

Then drop her from shoulder height. It's easy.

And is ripe for a little judicial jujitsu. However, us shrieking about what a harpy she is, or bitching about what a bitch she is, or snarking about her presumed gender and orientation is not helpful.

And I don't see people setting her up for the fall as you suggest. Is there anyone out there who'll devote themselves to tripping her up?

She should not be unchallenged.. this is what has been wrong with Dems and Liberals for many years. Our tendency to turn away from evil rather than engage it.

All it takes is a political shift and the anrgy nutcases will take power and do everything we thought was a ridiculous joke.

These people must be taken seriously and attacked, or we will regret it later

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" is a great and meaningful quote -- but in fact evil can also triumph because good people waste their limited time fighting back in idiotic, non-effective ways.

The Annhole is just a hate-babbler for the head-bobblers: when she babbles her hate, they bobble their heads up and down. The Annhole's head isn't too firmly attached, either -- but if her head suddenly fell off, the people promote her would promptly provide another morally and intellectually empty hate-babbler for the head-bobblers. Nobody, who doesn't already agree with her, is convinced by her crap, and the nitwits who believe her are impervious to reason.

We need Middle America on our side: Middle America doesn't even like to think about the Annhole, hence won't like us being focussed on the Annhole. If we must bring unpleasant matters to the attention of Middle America, at least let's choose issues that matter.

is to counter her arguments while making NO reference to her.

I say, FIGHT her stupid ideas. Ignore the windbag bitch.

If Coulter is a product of Creation, I have have some serious questions about the nature of the Creator...

...go down on her it would be like humping a bag of clothes hangers. :puke:

I now understand the wisdom of this saying, and therefore I realize that A.C. and its ilk must ALWAYS be fought tooth and nail!!!

Thank you for the wake up call. :hi: :thumbsup: