Ann Coulter’s tweet during Monday night’s Presidential debate:
“I highly approve of Romney's decision to be kind and gentle to the retard.”
When I first caught wind of this tweet scrolling on my Twitter account (@specialneedsima), I optimistically thought that perhaps Gov. Romney had announced some new initiative to help people with intellectual disabilities while I was away from the TV and that Coulter was giving a snide, back-handed endorsement. Of course, I was wrong –she was talking about President Obama.
Why would she use such a nasty, mean and outdated term to describe Obama? Since her hateful words first appeared, many sane people on both sides of the aisle have said that her use of the word “retard” is simply unacceptable. Many Hollywood stars have also weighed in against the “r-word” as we parents call it and on the Special Olympics blog, a thoughtful open letter was posted by John Franklin Stephens, a 30-year-old Special Olympian with Down syndrome.
Among those of us who cringe everytime we hear the cruel and all too frequent use of the r-word, it sears as deeply as “kike” for Jews or “nigger” for blacks. As CNN noted, “Congress banned the use of the words “retard” and “retardation” in 2010 in federal health, education and labor laws in favor of using the words “intellectual disability.”
It seems to me that Coulter used the word “retard” for the same reason our teenager with intellectual/developmental disabilities unbuckles his seatbelt on the freeway—she really, really, really wants a whole lot of attention! And what’s the best way we can shut down that “attention-seeking” behavior as the experts call it?
I have two words: behavioral modification.
It’s as simple as ABCs:
A) Antecedent—As it says in the literature, “The antecedent is an event that occurs immediately prior to the behavior” Tough to nail down here. Did she feel ignored? Did she feel left out during the debate between presidential candidates?” Does she really think that President Obama scores low on standardized intelligence-quotient tests? We don’t really know exactly what led to this offensive outburst, but it’s clear that being outrageous is the way she has decided to “brand” herself in the marketplace of ideas.
B) Behavior- The behavior needs to be described in a specific operational sense. Here, it’s her use of the “r-word” to disparage anyone or anything she dislikes.
C) Consequence- Ah, the fun part. Coulter’s megaphone can be muffled if people stop buying her garbage. As Patt Morrison commented in the LA Times: “She (Coulter) is quoted and courted far and wide by the conservative media. She commands reported $20,000 speaking fees.”
It’s up to to all of us to make sure this intervention sticks.
