How much do Ann Coulter and Marilyn Manson have in common? On the face of it, nothing: The former is an attack instrument - or more appropriately, tool - for the right, and the latter an inspiration for awkward youth who hate their dads. One wears dresses and offers nonsensical accusations at the drop of a hat, and the other wears dresses (OK, so they have this in common) and performs scarcely enjoyable songs about alienation and other topics that might make your grandmother uncomfortable.
But if you dig deeper, you'll find plenty of evidence that the two share a very similar claim to fame: Both public figures rely entirely on shock value to bring attention to their causes, no matter how different their desired ends might be. They both shamelessly pander to the lowest of the low - Coulter: Dimwitted reactionaries on the right who are easily manipulated into hating minorities and homosexuals; and Manson: Reactionary, social-retarded middle and high school kids from the suburbs who aren't very good at sports.
They're both smart enough to pull it off. And they are extremely successful.
Much like Manson, Ann Coulter first made waves in the 1990s. In a debate on MSNBC, she insulted a Vietnam veteran by saying, "No wonder you guys lost." And she claims to be unapologetically pro-American, but sees absolutely nothing unpatriotic about viciously insulting its servicemen. Since then she has gone on to achieve major success as an extraordinarily biased writer and political syndicated columnist who insults widows who lost their husbands on 9/11 referring to them as "broads" and saying, "I've never seen people enjoying their husbands' deaths so much" and laments the shortcomings of terrorists - publicly maintaining they should kill more Americans ("My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building"). Ultimately she proves that an individual can ferociously attack veterans and victims of terrorism while simultaneously calling for terrorists to kill additional civilians of her own country - and still call herself a patriot of that country.
I have no idea how she sells so many books.
Much like Coulter, Marilyn Manson first appealed to the bottom of the barrel on national television - his only medium was MTV. His first hit was a "scarier" version of the Eurythmics' hit "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)," causing mass panic in soccer moms and straight-laced conservatives (Coulter's minions) all across the country. And though Manson possessed the intellect and public speaking prowess to defend himself and his artistic persona, his fans were confused rejects who took everything he said at face value, which is a dangerous message to give to kids who feel they have nothing to lose. Though no connection was ever proved, he has been blamed for the shootings at Columbine High School and getting countless adolescent boys beat up for wearing eye makeup.
I have no idea how so many kids felt alienated enough to buy his albums (and I was a huge loser in high school).
There is a serious repercussion to the gospels of Coulter and Manson: people actually take them seriously. This isn't as big of a problem for the Manson fans, since most of them will grow older and realize they were just young and angry. But Coulter's followers will continue to grow old and bitter and their hazy minds and increasingly physically impaired existence will perpetuate the fear, hate and bigotry Coulter plants, which can only lead to more wars and homo-hating.
That is, unless Coulter and Manson render their brand of attention-getting obsolete. Which brings us to the truly pathetic characteristic of the Coulter/Manson model of fame: Since they rely entirely on shock value, they constantly have to outdo themselves in order to stay relevant. They have to say and do increasingly outrageous things to stay in the headlines. Coulter has to call presidential candidates pejorative homosexual terms like "fag," and Manson has to simulate copulation with his 19-year-old girlfriend on his new video. Honestly, it's getting harder and harder to willingly give these people our attention. They're on the cusp of becoming a footnote in history of American offensiveness. And I can't wait to see both of them on a tacky VH1 clip show called "100 Things to Hate About the 2000s."
Intransigent reactions from both sides of this debate:
A token conservative reviewing Marilyn Manson's new video, "Hearth-Shaped Glasses" "Wow. He's really done it this time - crossed the line with his outrageous behavior. How could he show himself copulating with his girlfriend, (with of course, a whole lot of blood and horror thrown in for good measure)? Having sex in pools of blood? Get right out of here. Not in my country! What Manson needs to do is respect the conservatives of this great nation who are profoundly American - people who actually care about this country. This is uncalled for. It's unfair! What we need is a committee that will denounce this conduct! It's un-American. I will not sit idly by and let this happen. Because I, as a God-fearing Republican, refuse to accept Mr. Manson's attempt to turn my great nation, my home, into a bastion for such indecency. If only Bill O'Reilly could have him on his show and restore dignity to us real Americans! God bless the United States of America (and its firemen)!"
A token liberal reviewing Ann Coulter's Accusation that John Edwards is a "Faggot" "Wow. She's really done it this time - crossed the line with her outrageous behavior. How could she call John Edwards a faggot (with of course, a whole lot of snideness and pseudo-hip conservatism thrown in for good measure)? Questioning sexual orientation? Get right out of here. Not in my country! What Coulter needs to do is respect the liberals of this great nation who are profoundly American - people who actually care about this country. This is uncalled for. It's unfair! What we need is some sort of committee that will denounce this conduct! It's un-American. I will sit idly by and let this happen. Because I, as an open-minded liberal, refuse to accept Ms. Coulter's attempt to turn my great nation, my home, into a bastion for such indecency. If only Michael Moore could make a movie about this and restore dignity to us real Americans! May evolution see fit to rid of us this menace."
Be the first to comment on this article!