We live in a country where most of our citizens value and understand different views and opinions. We may not always agree with someone else’s standpoint on a certain matter, but those of us who respect the right to personal opinion discuss alternative views in a calm and politically correct manner.

However, not all of us take this standpoint on differences in both opinion and personal lifestyle. In fact, some people may even label someone holding an alternative viewpoint from our own with what

they deem as a negative

characteristic.

Unfortunately, one of these bigoted and offensive people is a nationally renowned journalist. I now introduce to you, Ann Coulter, one of the most offensive syndicated columnists I have ever had the displeasure and misfortune to read.

Recently, Coulter chose to label presidential candidate John Edwards as a ‘faggot,’ saying at a major conservative conference in D.C. that she was planning on talking about Edwards, ‘but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word faggot.’

Surprisingly, this is not the first time she has used an offensive and discriminating name against a fellow human being. She also called former Vice President Al Gore ‘a total fag’ on national television nearly a year ago, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

So what’s her explanation for the use of this blatantly ignorant and offensive term?

‘[The word] faggot isn’t offensive to gays; it has nothing to do with gays,’ Coulter said on Fox News’ ‘Hannity and Colmes’ Monday night. ‘It’s a schoolyard taunt meaning ‘wuss,’ and unless you’re telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person.’

I now ask the readers to take just a few moments of silence in order to fully comprehend what Coulter said in response to her word choice.

How can an educated and nationally renowned journalist even begin to say that the word ‘faggot’ has absolutely nothing to do with the homosexual community? To me, the statement is simply ludicrous.

Since deciding to write this column, I have kept track of how many times I have heard the word ‘faggot’ uttered around campus in a decidedly negative way against the gay community.

Unfortunately, I found that I heard the word clearly spoken on average roughly five times a day, and in such a way as that it could be taken in a demeaning way towards those who identify themselves as homosexual males.

Not only that, but after consulting The American Heritage College Dictionary, I found that Coulter’s definition of the term is found nowhere within the text of the book, although it does mention that the term is defined as ‘offensive slang used as a disparaging term for a homosexual man.’

Thankfully, I’m not the only one who picked up on the fact that the use of such a word is not only ignorant, but also unacceptable.

According to Fox News.com, ‘Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean demanded that the ‘Godless’ author apologize for her ‘hate-filled and bigoted’ remarks.’

And amazingly enough, the political parties seem to be in agreement on the Coulter case. Republican presidential hopefuls Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Sen. John McCain and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani publicly denounced the remarks, according to Fox News.

Not only are political parties speaking out and protesting against her language, but actions are also being taken by the average person to denounce Coulter’s ways.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, ‘at least four newspapers have dropped Coulter’s syndicated column, and 40,000 people signed an online petition to Universal Press Syndicate, which distributes her column, demanding that it release her. Three corporations, including Verizon, stopped advertising on Coulter’s website after she made the comment.’

However, even after being publicly criticized and attacked for her language, Coulter still refuses to apologize to anyone, as she claims her joking comment was taken out of context.

Claiming that an apology is unnecessary just shows what kind of person Coulter is, how superior and flawless she thinks she is compared to the rest of us. Using such a derogatory term against a respectable presidential candidate not only is offensive to Edwards, but to the homosexual community as well.

In the words of John Edwards, the remark was ‘hateful, selfish, childish behavior.’

Coulter needs to realize that she is a public figure, one that has an impact on society through her words and actions. What she has said is not only damaging to individuals, but to society as a whole.

Thankfully, we have people in this great nation who are willing to stand up and attack something that they see as wrong.

‘What I’ve learned is that if you don’t have the courage to speak out against it – no matter who says it and no matter who it’s leveled at – then it becomes tolerable,’ Edwards said. ‘And it’s not tolerable, any more than the language I heard leveled at African Americans when I was young.’

Send comments to Kristen Vasas at [email protected].