Ann Coulter's Psychological Profile?

My Brain | today | Al Simmons

[Al Simmons]

OK gang. Time to put the old iconoclastic part of the old thinker to work.

Yeah, I have enjoyed Ann's acidic barbs and laughed out loud at some of her more outrageous pronouncements over the years - though frankly, her act is getting a bit old with me - but that is not what this vanity is about.

I suspect that we are all secretly aware that her public persona displays more than a little evidence of exhibitionism and narcissism....the woman clearly has some personality issues. I personally think that she likely has a low sense of self-worth, which her public persona would appear to compensate for....

I would like to hear opinions on this topic from any FReepers who are psychologists or psychiatrists.

Oh, and in case some of you didn't get it, I'll repeat myself:

THIS VANITY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MS. COULTER'S POLITICAL VIEWS. It is meant to provoke some thought about her method of promoting them (and herself).

I suspect that few Freepers would want their daughters to behave as Ms. Coulter does - both in terms of her outrageous rudeness and her never-married lifestyle.

[Al Simmons]

OBTW, who is the dude?

[JCEccles]

Why don't we do a personality bashing of Al Simmons instead?

That ought to be just as fun and maybe even more enlightening, particularly because we can safely allow Al Simmons to serve as a stand-in for all the other erstwhile FReepers who apparently cannot tolerate no-holds-barred criticism of liberalism and its outrageous tactics of deceit and manipulation.

Why is it that posters like Al Simmons and sinkspur are outraged by fearless outspoken conservatives such as Ann Coulter and relatively silent and accepting of the vileness that is liberalism?

Here's an idea, Al Simmons. Why don't we leave Ann Coulter be and concentrate our energies and posting space against the real enemy, the left, as Ann has done?

[Rockingham]

You assume that one's public persona as an author always reveals the true person. Sometimes that is true, of course. Truman Capote was a flaming homo, Thomas Wolfe as troubled as his novels suggest, and Norman Mailer is actually the blustering windbag he seems to be.

Yet there are other cases, such as Willa Cather's covert lesbianism being unrevealed in her writings, which movingly described the love between a man and a woman in "My Antonia" and a saintly pioneer priest in "Death Comes for the Archbishop." And Einstein, the prototypical modern scientific sage, ditched an inconvenient wife and retarded child for brutally selfish reasons and sometimes embarrassed himself with other physicists by getting his own theories wrong.

As for Ann, I know her background and have seen her speak in person and on TV, and have read most of her books and many columns and articles. She seems utterly consistent, sincere, and well thought out in her rhetorical strategies. I believe that her sharp-tongued and uncuddly public persona is the natural result of being an open conservative at University of Michigan and Yale Law School. Boot camp lasts six weeks and changes, but Ann had seven years of practice in take-no-prisoners, against-all-comers argumentation in hostile terrain. After that, she was a federal law clerk, a lawyer at the conservative Center for Individual Rights, and went through Stan Evans' finishing school for conservative journalists.

With Ann, I am reminded of the learned and humane Samuel Johnson's lifelong love of coffeehouse arguments. After one particularly long and contentious evening, a satisfied Johnson commented to Boswell on the way home that he had enjoyed himself immensely. "Yes," Boswell replied, "you tossed and gored all comers." Do not let the piles of tossed and gored liberals make you think that Ann is somehow an aberrant personality. I have no doubt that the private person would be of different manner and well worth knowing.

[Al Simmons]

Your signature line is hysterical given the topic of this thread - and your posts thus far:

"Evil preys on civility"

So, is your answer yes or no?

[Al Simmons]

I think you're projecting here. Can you just answer my question? Would you want your daughter behaving like Ann does? Yes or no?

[Larry Lucido]

P. J. O'Rourke. Every bit as outrageous and sharp as A.C., but no one psychoanalyzed him or called into question his sexual habits.

Some quotes, for comparison:

"I'm a registered Republican and consider socialism a violation of the American principle that you shouldn't stick your nose in other people's business except to make a buck."

"Neither conservatives nor humorists believe man is good. But left-wingers do."

"A Conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality."

"Politicians are interested in people. Not that this is always a virtue. Fleas are interested in dogs."

"Personally, I believe a rocking hammock, a good cigar, and a tall gin-and-tonic is the way to save the planet."

"Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys."

"I like to think of my behavior in the sixties as a 'learning experience.' Then again, I like to think of anything stupid I've done as a 'learning experience.' It makes me feel less stupid."

"The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then they get elected and prove it."

"A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them."
"Drugs have taught an entire generation of American kids the metric system."

"The French are a smallish, monkey-looking bunch and not dressed any better, on average, than the citizens of Baltimore. True, you can sit outside in Paris and drink little cups of coffee, but why this is more stylish than sitting inside and drinking large glasses of whiskey I don't know."

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 450SL."

[Al Simmons]

Who the heck is 'sinkspur'?

[Al Simmons]

Wow. While you literary allusions are embarassingly lost on me the remainder of your post is very wise and though-provoking.

But kindly answer my question: Would you want your daughter acting like Ann?

[Al Simmons]

"Al Simmons....(is)... outraged by fearless outspoken conservatives such as Ann Coulter and relatively silent and accepting of the vileness that is liberalism?"

JCEccles, this is slander plain and simple. If you had visited my home page or read anything that I have posted around here for the past 7 years you would have known that the words "silent" and "accepting" do not exist in my vocabulary. (And I would be telling you this from about 6 inches from your face - of course I'd have probably to bend down given my height - if you had the impertinence to say it to my face).

[Northern Yankee]

Actually I like Ann.

John Murtha can accuse our troops of being Nazis and no one bats an eye.

Ann skewers the Jersey girls for going on exhibition, using their husband's deaths as part of the attack, and the MSM and liberals are outraged.

Bill Clinton can rape and sexually assault women repeatedly and he's fetted as a "great man". Ann's single and she has "issues"?

[Al Simmons]

OK, so you are yet another poster who is disingenuously ducking the question:

Would you want your daughter behaving like Ann does?

A simple question. Has NOTHING to do with ANY political issues or with liberals.

I'm waiting.

[Northern Yankee]

Yes... I wouldn't mind my daughter behaving like Ann.

Now... we know that what people see on television is not what we usually see in private.

Ann shows an aggressive personality, and often I think she does it for effect.

She's also very articulate, and can be very thoughtful.

She also knows that the way she goes on the attack has been her bread and butter to success.

[ECM]

I am saying she's a good showman, with a razor-sharp wit and, like all good showman, she turns it up a notch when needed (

Beyond that, she simply states what a lot of us are thinking--warts and all. That she has the fire to say it loud is impressive in and of itself, even if some consider it gauche.

[YCTHouston]

The answer is quite obviously "no," but I'd probably keep my mouth shut if she was supporting me in old age with the proceeds from her schtick (sp?).

[Just mythoughts]

Ah ah, so why were you NOT intellectually honest in your warped attempt to belittle Ann. Maybe you are the one in need of a psychological profile!!!!

[Al Simmons]

"I am saying she's a good showman, with a razor-sharp wit and, like all good showman, she turns it up a notch when needed ( Beyond that, she simply states what a lot of us are thinking--warts and all. That she has the fire to say it loud is impressive in and of itself, even if some consider it gauche."

Fair enough. But don't you think that the way she goes about doing so smacks of exhibitionism - you can practically see it in her eyes when she is being interviewed on TV? Would you want your daughter acting that way?

[Al Simmons]

"The answer is quite obviously "no," but I'd probably keep my mouth shut if she was supporting me in old age with the proceeds from her schtick (sp?)."Yes! Finally a poster who actually answers the question instead of trying to change the subject or going into ad hominem mode! Bless you for your honesty.

All I am doing is asking you folks to be honest with yourselves. Sad that, like many liberals I have debated, some conservative members of this board appear unwilling to do so.

[Al Simmons]

So, would you want your daughter behaving like Ann?

Yes or no 'mythoughts', yes or no?

(Your Honor, kindly direct the witness to answer the question...)

[dakine]

My Grandpa saw "Ol Bucketfoot" play...

[Al Simmons]

I am envious....