Before Ann Coulter’s visit to Indiana University on April 1st, controversy spread across campus. Why was she coming? Who brought her here? Is there going to be a protest? And for some, who is Ann Coulter, and why does what she has to say matter?
In order to understand the controversy behind Ann Coulter, we want to first understand who she is and why her speech, ‘Conservatism: Let’s look at the evidence’, was the talk of the town and campus days prior.
Ann Coulter is a conservative media-pundit, someone who often appears in media outlets to discuss a topic they are well versed on. She is an author of many books, including In Trump We Trust and How to Talk to a Liberal: If You Must. However, Coulter is most well known for her appearances in the media, her social media profiles and her website where she posts opinion columns regularly. What she says matters primarily because she is so prominent in the media. Her voice is boosted by her own party, and she is considered a voice for other conservatives.
But what in particular makes her so controversial? Coulter is a self proclaimed ‘non-moderate’ conservative.
Clips of Ann Coulter from her speech “Conservatism: Lets Review the Evidence”.
Coulter is often described by others as a ‘right-wing extremist’, which she has not denied. This brings into conversation the question being asked by students across campus; why, if at all, is bringing controversial speakers to campus important?
While some students and faculty members agreed with Coulter, there were some in attendance to her speech that were there to protest her presence on campus. While the protest was, for the most part silent, students had a lot to say about Coulter and her presence on the IU campus.
Bingo cards created by student protesters were handed out to those who situated themselves in the back. Cards had slots that students could mark off throughout the speech as Coulter said them. Some slots read ‘ANTIFA’ and ‘Disney bad’. There were whispers among the groups of someone getting a ‘Bingo’ toward the end of the speech.
This is, in fact, not the first time Coulter had been to IU’s campus. Kyle Reynolds, the IU campus Turning Point coordinator, was the person behind bringing her back.
Clips from interview with Kyle Reynolds.
Freedom of speech and right to protest on college campuses is a big deal, and something that has been debated for years. On one hand, people ask if someone who is saying something that could be harmful should be allowed to say them to a group of impressionable people. On the other hand, the argument stands that students should be able to hear ideas not readily presented to them in order to make their own informed decisions.
However, to some, Ann Coulter goes beyond these ideas. Some label her perspectives as ‘extreme’ and her speeches ‘bordering on hate speech’.
When we look at IU compared to school like the University of California – Berkeley, which was supposed to have Coulter come to speak in 2017, and later in 2019, IU handled her presence with considerate respect, and still allowing her the right to speak even though may disagree with her and her political perspectives.
Campuses are, or are supposed to be, a safe haven for free speech. But we must ask ourselves, when, if ever, should we draw the line?
