- November 3, 2011 • 5:30 am PDT
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When conservative flamethrower Ann Coulter appeared on Sean Hannity's show a few days ago to defend Herman Cain, she uttered a particularly cringeworthy sentence: "Our blacks are so much better than their blacks." But after that, she said something interesting:
To become a black Republican, you don't just roll into it. You're not going with the flow. You have fought against probably your family members, probably your neighbors. You have thought everything out.
In a way, she's right. Herman Cain didn't grow up conservative (the church he's been attending since he was 10 is a liberal bastion in Atlanta), but even if he had, black Americans overwhelmingly vote Democrat. Cain likely had to deal with fallout when he became an anti-abortion activist and, later, a conservative candidate for president. Ann Coulter's explanation that an outsider has "thought everything out" is a common refrain from anybody who's switched teams, not just conservatives. Many progressive leaders claim their views are more credible because of their strict Catholic upbringing or rightwing hometown. When you break with the norm, you can alienate your family or a larger community. But you gain respect from the new crowd by "earning" your politics. The zeal of the converted.
Of course, going against the grain sends a different message depending on where you're coming from—and which side you choose. For a former porn star who's now a born-again Christian, it's a way to condemn counterculture. For Warren Buffett, it's a way to transcend privilege. A rural Texan-turned-radical leftist can claim intimate knowledge of her enemies. Regardless of whether "not going with the flow" is opportunistic or genuine, defying convention gets attention. Here are a few prominent examples.
Illustration by Dylan C. Lathrop
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