A few weeks ago, Justin asked me if I could go to Barnes & Noble to pick up a book for him while he was at work---and I was more than happy to oblige. B&N, you see, is one of my favorite places here and I'd take any opportunity to wander through its long aisles of books and books and more books.
As I searched for the book Justin wanted, I came across a whole shelf dedicated to the works of Ann Coulter. My lips curled into a sneer and my hands balled into fists at my sides. Ugh. The she-devil! I quickly grabbed Justin's book and immediately headed to the cashier, bolting away from Coulter's vitriol as fast as my feet could carry me.
I don't understand why Ann Coulter---or Rush Limbaugh for that matter---is famous. Every time I see her on television, the only thing I hear is an endless droning on how Democrats are stupid and weak and anti-American and who should be packed onto a boat and sent to Abu Dhabi. There's never any substance! Just ranting and raving and frothing at the mouth---and she gets paid millions of dollars to do this every year.
Perhaps it's just the historian in me, but I can't stand it when someone speaks with so much bias. When I want to learn about history or politics, I try to find sources that are as balanced as possible, like books written by esteemed university professors or well-known journalists. I don't head to "liberalsarethecoolest.com" or "republicansrock.org" to feed my mind. I want to read something that doesn't come with a predisposed platform.
To be fair, I hate liberals who do the same thing. (Hello Bill Maher!) Back during the height of the presidential election, I really wanted to read a book about contemporary politics so I did a quick search on Amazon and discovered the title, "What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America." I perused over some of the reviews and thought this could be an interesting read.
Uh, no. I was wrong.
I made it about two pages before I put the book down. I was hoping for some kind of analysis as to why the Republicans had swept so many elections in the past fifteen years. You know, an in-depth study on the subject. Nope. The book was merely an answer to the tomes that Coulter and Limbaugh have written for years. The same angry rhetoric and fist-pumping---just written from the opposite point-of-view.
Honestly, I really want to deport people like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter and Bill Maher. Send them to Abu Dhabi!
