Countering Coulter

The Moderate Voice blog writes about the latest controversy involving the conservative commentator: "There is a bigger issue here than an Ann Coulter (who enrages the left and some in the center) and a Michael Moore (who enrages the right and some in the center). The issue is the deterioration of public discourse in our country — and Coulter is symbolic of it. Somewhere along the line it became fashionable and in the eyes of some intelligent to simply dump on political opponents. Blast them. Insult them. Demonize them. Suggest that they rub the palms of their hands in glee, with a mad look in their eyes, and seek to destroy the country. Perhaps it's due to the general trend in America since the turn of the 20th century where entertainment moved from appealing to broader segments (vaudeville, early movies, radio, early TV) to smaller and smaller segments (cable, the explosion in the number of cable channels, the birth of the Internet and weblogs that seemingly appeal to specific ideological communities). The tone of news and entertainment started to change by the late 80s and 90s — where the Cult of the Outrageous Statement Or Act (best typified by John Belushi's character in 'Animal House') took hold. The thoughtful, more reflective 'on the other hand' commentary or personality became ZZZZZZZZZZZZ in this new age. News was impacted by both competition from tabloids (so news became more tabloid) and the spilling over of the talk radio culture (where confrontation and controversy became the overriding goal) into the way news was presented to consumers."