Over the summer I chose the columnist, Ann Coulter. After taking the time to analyse Ann Coulter as an author and writer, I now understand that Coulter is an American conservative political commentator and author that is highly controversial. Coulter expresses in her statements about her beliefs towards her ideological opponents, democrats. I classify Coulter as a bold columnist with strong outspoken critical opinions. Coulter doesn’t shy away from talking about difficult harsh topics like most would. Coulter is a free speaking Republican that has a strong passion for what goes on in America.

 

Coulter wrote an article titled, “Trump is Still Right About Mexican Rapists.” This article displays very shocking and graphic details that are hard to read. The main idea of the column is about Mexican rapists and illegal immigrants getting convicted for raping young girls. Coulter is very bothered and frustrated by the subject of young girls being raped and believes that illegal immigration is influencing young girls. She states in her article, “2013, illegal immigrant Bertha Leticia Rayo was arrested for allowing her former husband, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, to rape her 4-year-old daughter, then assisting his unsuccessful escape from the police.” Coulter looks down upon Mexican and Latino culture because of illegal immigrant cases like above.

 

Discussion Question: Knowing that statistically there are higher child rapes occurring from illegal Mexican/Latino immigrants, do you think the government should interject now and start to further screen and investigate those who are here in the U.S. illegally from some of these countries bringing in criminals? Do you think it’s fair to have this opinion on one specific ethnicity even if there are cases out there?

During the summer I read many columns and articles written by American commentator and journalist Bill O’Reilly. He is 74 years old and studied his education at the colleges of Marist College, Boston University, and Harvard University. As of 1994 Bill O’Reily had been registered with the Republican Party in the state of New York. He incorporates his political standpoint in multiple of his writings. He anchored the television program Inside Edition from 1989 to 1995. O’Reilly joined the Fox News Channel in 1996 and hosted the news commentary program The O’Reilly Factor until 2017. Which he was then fired from. In 2019, O’Reilly returned to radio with a daily 15-minute series called The O’Reilly Update but, in September 2020, O’Reilly began hosting a daily radio show on 77 WABC titled Common Sense with Bill O’Reilly. Along with that Bill O’Reilly has written books covering topics such as politics, religion etc. His writing style includes sarcasm, some bias towards the republican party within reason,throws shade at the democratic party, and he’ll often share what he would change. He showcases these skills in the column titled “Gun Violence”
In this particular article, O’Reilly states that “if the left (democrats) have such a problem with firearms and the harm they bring to the world, why don’t do anything to stop it?” From the start you can tell he has a problem with democrats. He then goes on to say, “The problem is horrifying; you can’t even have a Super Bowl celebration without a mass shooting. School kids gunned down, shoppers at malls in danger.” He understands the danger of guns and weapons but, from his experience when he gives a suggestion to put the person carrying a firearm in prison or give them harsh punishment the democrats shy away and won’t support the decision later O’Reilly takes a shot at President Joe Biden, Sell an illegal gun, five years minimum. Carry an illegal gun, three years. Fire one, ten years. First offense, no parole. How about getting behind that, Joe Biden? He won’t. The left wants a phony gun ban, not accountability” ​Ultimately, O’Reilly’s argument strongly emphasizes the need for decisive action against firearm-related crimes, suggesting that without meaningful consequences, the cycle of violence will continue to be unhinged.

Discussion question: To what extent do you believe strict disciplinary measures can effectively reduce gun violence, and what alternative strategies could be considered for addressing the underlying issues related to firearm misuse?

This summer I chose to explore Ann Coulter’s columns. Coulter is a 62 year old lawyer, author, and conservative columnist who grew up in New York City. She graduated from the University of Michigan with her bachelor’s degree in arts, and furthered her education at Cornell university for her jurisdictional doctorate degree. Through reading her columns I have learned that she is very conservative and does not hold back on making her opinions known. She lets her personality shine through her columns in the form of sarcasm and often very condescending commentary which can often be seen as offending. Coulters direct writing style and lack of fear in voicing her opinions very easily pass on her message making her a very interesting author to dissect.

While Coulter has hundreds of very interesting columns to choose from, the most interesting one I read this summer was one she published in July of 2015 titled “Media hide facts, call everyone else a liar” In this article Coulter discusses examples of how the media will over exaggerate small details, in order to distract the public from bigger problems as a form of agenda. Specifically she focuses on the media portraying Donald Trump as a racist for saying “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems to us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people” while failing to disclose how many immigrants are commiting crimes yearly. Her article then consists of various things she believes the media fails to acknowledge because instead they’re focused on tearing down politicians or being involved in dramatics and gossip.

Discussion Question: Looking at the media you consume everyday, do you think there are certain agendas pushed on you? Do you think that there is bias in the media you consume, as well as certain information being withheld? And lastly do you believe the media today has become dramatics and gossip rather than fully factual?

Throughout the summer, I got the pleasure of reading from the perspective of Ann Coulter. Coulter is a very controversial and straight to the point writer. I loved her style of writing and her personality. She didn’t sugar coat anything, and said things exactly the way they were, even if it would upset others. In all of Coulter’s columns, she used sarcasm to further support her point and prove what she was trying to get across. She strongly believed that certain topics were not getting the attention of the media that they should receive. She made it a goal to discuss these topics and show why they are so important to hear about. In her article, “Trump is still right about Mexican rapists,” it shows Coulter’s personality and her writing style which will keep you intrigued while reading.

This article references a few of her previous articles that I read. More specifically, the article, “Refugees: Another one for the ‘not our problem’ file.” Illegal immigrants have been a serious problem in America and during the article, “Trump is still right about Mexican rapists,” Coulter discusses child rape from said immigrants. When Coulter was talking about a mother with a 15 year old daughter and how her boyfriend kidnapped the child and repeatedly raped her, she ended off by saying that, “all three were illegal aliens from Mexico, making this another case for the “Not Our Problem” file.” The mother suspected that the boyfriend had been raping her daughter, but didn’t do anything about it. Later in the article a different child rape story was told. A Mexican illegal immigrant, Luis, and his son had been repeatedly raping a 3 and 8 year old. When they went to court they said that they “have been working instead of getting involved with problems.” You know, besides that one thing. There have also been many pregnancies where the girl’s own father is the father of her baby as well. Coulter ends her column off by saying that, “in the entire American media, there have been more stories about a rape by Duke lacrosse players that didn’t happen than about the slew of child rapes by Hispanics.”

 

Discussion Question: All of the child rapes were very family oriented. Often, the mother would help the father with the rapes. Do you think the mothers were scared to leave the man or just thought the inhumane acts were justified? Do you think that this element of human behavior is largely ignored and considered to be “not my problem”? Is this a family issue or societal issue?

 

Over the course of this summer I have been reading articles from Larry Elder. He is a very blunt and passionate writer who is a very Conservative writer. Elder writes a lot about US politics and often ridicules many of the people in office. In this specific article he writes about how he believes that this assassination attempt brought Trump back into the running for presidency. How it not only could have been exactly what Trump needed to bring  himself back to the public view but also showed “How much he can endure.” However it is who Elder decided to point fingers that I found interesting. He thinks that there is a chance that this was Biden’s attempt at “Cooling down” the political atmosphere in America. He takes some of Biden’s quotes such as Biden posting on Twitter.

“Americans want a president, not a dictator.”

Essentially Elder argues that this was a plot set by democrats to try to kill off Trump before he could be elected, however instead this was the shot that reelected Donald J Trump.

Discussion Question. Do you feel that Elder is over complicating the situation by blaming The Biden Administration or do you feel that there is a chance that there is a conspiracy and that the current government is behind this assassination attempt?

Throughout the summer I have had the pleasure to learn of the columnist Michelle Malkin, and take a dive into her work as well. Malkin born in October of 1970, is a 53 year old skilled writer who excels in topics surrounding politics. Malkin graduated from Oberlin college with a degree in English. Through reading just a few pieces of her work you will come to see she is very open about her own political views. Malkin raves constantly about her support towards the Conservative Party also known as the “far-right”, and mentions it plenty in her writings. Malkin has a strong and assertive writing tone that exemplifies her confidence and gets her points across in a far more straightforward matter. Using a stubborn and enforcing writing style, Malkin works to get her points across and change the view of readers to see eye to eye with her.

 

In an article written by Malkin titled “Three Good Men; Three Great Kids‘ Books” Malkin focuses on the reputation held by men throughout society. Stating “They’re blamed collectively for rape culture, violence, war, poverty, climate change, and all other manner of global suffering.” Malkin then takes this opportunity to share stories written by three men that she knows, to debunk the reputation that is held by men. Starting with “Saving Montana” By John Paolucci, followed by “The Pepperoni Palm Tree” by Jason Killian Meath, and “Lulu Is a Rhinoceros” by Jason Flom”. Collectively, Malkin claims that through these writings written by men, you can see that their values and Morales aren’t all the same. That a man with such a bad reputation, couldn’t write such a good children’s book with such a good message. Malkin then goes on to explain how her shared Morals led her to meeting these three authors, presenting the possibility for bias to be present. As it makes it plenty easier to write positively about a man you know rather than a man you don’t. 

 

Discussion question: Do you think men hold a bad reputation in society? If so, why do you think that is?  And what would have to change for their overall reputation to change?

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Over the past few weeks I’ve spent my time reading Amy Akon’s columns. Alkon is a 60 year old University of Michigan graduate who writes advice to her predominantly young female audience. Since her audience consists mainly of young women, she holds a little bit of bias in order to lure away older men from more specific topics. However, this bias doesn’t prevent her from connecting with her male audience and giving them important advice. She’s very direct with her writing, but takes her time with investing us into it. Her columns almost always start with a humorous metaphor to give new insight into the situation, and then it goes into her opinions. Alkon also often uses psychology to defend her reasonings, devoting a paragraph of each column to it. Her writing style and tone is lighthearted, but direct, making it feel like Alkon is the type of friend that won’t hesitate to call you out. She’ll let you know if you are wrong, but will give you a way to fix the problem. Her nickname, the “Advice Goddess” leads you to believe that she gives advice, but according to herself, she doesn’t.

In her column Barking Bad Alkon is replying to someone who said that she should’ve told a previous commenter that “it’ll never work out and she should date someone else”. Instead of doing this, Alkon had given reasons why the two people might not be a good match. She backs this up by saying that using suggestions gives personal choice to the person, rather than direct orders which invoke a defensive reaction. Alkon says, “I’m an advice columnist who specializes in NOT giving advice”. In a later column, The Incredible Sulk, the situation at hand is about a guy who constantly wants to be with the commenter. He claims that she is dependent on her friends and is upset whenever he’s not with her. The commenter is asking for advice on how to let him know how she won’t give up her friends for a relationship without hurting him.

Discussion question: What advice would you give this woman? Would it be direct, along the lines of “tell him..”, or would it be mere suggestions just like Alkon? Which way do you think would work best for this situation?

Throughout the beginning of summer, I got the chance to read and understand the thoughts of Ann Coulter. Coulter is a 63 year old American conservative media pundit, author, syndicated columnist, and lawyer. Although she has been in the industry for a while she still is uploading work and providing her opinions. She is know for her very direct and controversial opinions. She writes it in such a stubborn and sarcastic way that really shows her confidence and belief for every single topic. This made reading about her very entertaining. She is a strong Republican and is very biased.

On October 30th, 2014, Coulter published a column “Hysterical media tells us to calm down”. At the time of this column there was a brand new deadly disease coming to the US called Ebola.  Most American citizens at the time didn’t know much about the dangers of Ebola and didn’t realize how much of a threat this disease was. But Republicans who did know what was going on, did the best they could to put an end Ebola and stop it from spreading. But the media just mocked this panic. In fact “MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow complained that the “hysteria” over Ebola was getting “stupider”. The citizens who didn’t know much of this problem just started to think of it as a joke. Coulter makes the statement that liberals have been terrified of a “slew of imaginary terrors: global warming, Alar on apples, breast implants, heterosexual AIDS, nuclear war, and Republicans taking away their birth control” but now are making a joke of a realistic deadly disease. This caused less panic and awareness in most citizens minds just from listening to what they see on the media. It’s obvious that there are a lot of times not to trust the media but it is very surprising to me how big news brands like NBC can be downgrading such a big problem in the world.

 

In Coulter’s example, people were easily wrongly educated due to the media. As a teenager, do you think it’s easy to believe everything we see on the media? Do you think there is times to trust what you see on the media?

Throughout the summer I have read a couple of article from the columnist Ellen Ratner who is an American politic commentator that is openly liberal and even says before each one of her articles “LIBERAL & PROUD”. Although in her article, Do we really need old presidential candidates? she is very critical of not just the republican nominee Donald Trump but of the Democratic candidate Joe Biden. In this article she brings up the idea that maybe  presidents are getting too old and are not really connected with today’s issues like someone who is younger may be.

While she does mention Trump she really focuses on whether Biden can win at such an old age. She also mentions the policies and other things Joe Biden has supported that have changed over the years since he has been in politics for so long. While she seems to support Biden, she also tells us her doubts on his age and his ability to beat Trump in an election. WIth her questioning of her policies she also mentions if he has really had a 180 change in opinion or is he just going with what his party goes with in order to win the election.

Discussion Question: Do you believe that their should be an age limit on government positions such as the president? If so what age should be the limit and should this also apply to other  government positions?

This summer I enjoyed reading and analysing controversial articles written by Ann Coulter. I now have a good understanding of not only Coulter’s republican political takes, but also her personality. Her opinions are straight to the point, and controversial. She has no shame in offending people with her opinions and really lets her stubbornness shine through her words. A unique writing quality that separates Coulter from other authors is her sarcasm. Coulter allows her personality to show in her writings which keeps the readers engaged. However, it also makes her articles very biased and opinionated.

 

Coulter uploaded an article called “IMMIGRATION — HEY, LOOK! A COP YELLING AT A BLACK GIRL IN A BIKINI!” This article portrays Coulter’s anger about the medias lack of focus on actual important topics. She talks about how the media is trying to distract from the real issues in the world such as immigration and child rape problems, by using unimportant news as a distraction. She says that the media’s stance is “If we don’t talk about immigration, it doesn’t exist.” Instead, the media likes to talk about topics that are irrelevant in comparison. Coulter mentions the attention that the media brought to an encounter that a cop had with a black girl wearing a bikini at a pool party. Coulter feels passionately that the government media is not using its publicity in beneficial ways. She feels that the topics that should be discussed and resolved are swept under the rug for less relevant,  threatening topics.

 

Discussion Question: Coulter believes the topics that deserve the media’s attention are not getting it. Do you feel the media is not using their platform to benefit and protect the country? Are there instances in your life where you feel the media is actually doing more harm than good in people’s lives?