To the editor:

As I sat in the balcony of the Lied Center, watching (Ann) Coulter’s comedy routine, I grew increasingly jealous of her following, the people who cheered even her most baseless claims and accusations. I grew jealous because I wanted so desperately to be one of them. In response to her twisted reality, my heart pounded violently and my face burned hot, and I yearned to be free of the burden of truth, the facts and their consequences, and free of the compulsion to question. I wished that I, too, could live in ignorant bliss, cloaking myself in patriotism, following the majority and refusing to question glaring misrepresentations.

Though their behavior has garnered criticism from some, I commend the dissidents who misbehaved during Coulter’s appearance, for they acted accordingly. I applaud them for refusing to give into the temptation to acquiesce, even though acquiescence is easier. They could have sat in the audience, minded their manners, played the roles of polite little Progressives, but to what end? Critics of the “hecklers” argue that their “bad” behavior changed no one’s mind, but I argue that sitting quietly, without resisting her racism, sexism, homophobia and war-mongering has consequences that many, even those who claim to be Progressives themselves, refuse to acknowledge.

Those who value human rights, fairness, justice and peace do not have the luxury of acquiescence; rather, they have an obligation to respond appropriately and sometimes “inappropriately” to threats to those values, even if it makes the well-mannered among us uncomfortable.

Kimberly White,

Lawrence