Conservative pundit Ann Coulter's post-debate "retard" slur aimed at Barack Obama sparked an incredible amount of partisan outrage earlier this week, but a thoughtful open letter penned by a Special Olympics athlete urged readers to think about the word itself.
More than 3,300 people retweeted her latest misstep after Monday's final presidential debate:
Among the people who saw her tweet was John Franklin Stephens, a 30-year-old with Down syndrome and an athlete at the Special Olympics – a separate games from the Paralympics – who tried to grasp the point of her message with the following letter, which the organization published Tuesday:
After I saw your tweet, I realized you just wanted to belittle the president by linking him to people like me. You assumed that people would understand and accept that being linked to someone like me is an insult and you assumed you could get away with it and still appear on TV.
I have to wonder if you considered other hateful words but recoiled from the backlash.
Well, Ms Coulter, you, and society, need to learn that being compared to people like me should be considered a badge of honor.
No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much
Coulter has tended to excuse her history of hate speech as "stirring the pot." She once called called then presidential candidate John Edwards a "faggot" and told a Muslim student at the University of Western Ontario to "take a camel" as an alternative to flying. Coulter has yet to address her latest offense.
The Special Olympics was formed by Eunice Kennedy Shriver in 1968, and is the largest organization of its kind for children and adults with disabilities. It is not connected to the Paralympics, which focuses on elite sport. The Guardian has contacted Stephens and the Special Olympics for further comment, but in the meantime, tell us:
Is Ann Coulter's use of "retard" offensive?
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