# Fellow liberals, stop generalizing about the tea party **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 21, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893 "2010-04-21T18:03:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/21 "2010-04-21T20:28:08Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I think the root of the problem is that they don’t seem to ever speak out against those Tea Partiers who _are_ saying racist things, carrying racist signs, or maintaining that the president is a Muslim, for instance. > > That would go a long way to stopping the generalizations that they are all wingnuts. Another part of the problem is that, when they do, it tends to be ignored. > [@](#): > > [Thomas was organizing the Springboro Tea Party’s second rally when a racist comment on the group’s Twitter page prompted local and statewide candidates to distance themselves from his group, while maintaining support for the national Tea Party movement.](http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/springboro-tea-party-leader-now-accused-of-threatening-woman-653693.html) For some reason, it doesn’t seem to garner the same amount of attention. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/22 "2010-04-21T20:51:40Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Another part of the problem is that, when they do, it tends to be ignored. > For some reason, it doesn’t seem to garner the same amount of attention. > > Regards, > Shodan Shodan, if you’ll notice, the candidates then distanced themselves from that Tea Party group. It says nothing of “Tea Party denounces local wing nut”. In reality, it meant that Republican candidates put enough distance between themselves and the racist to be able to claim purity. Hardly surprising. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/23 "2010-04-21T21:07:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Last week I attended a Tea Party Can I ask you, did you see any signage portraying the President as a pimp, or a monkey, or any other racist sentiment? Did you see any signage at all that you’d be embarrassed to be seen carrying? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/24 "2010-04-21T21:43:22Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Can I ask you, did you see any signage portraying the President as a pimp, or a monkey, or any other racist sentiment? Did you see any signage at all that you’d be embarrassed to be seen carrying? The leaders of the groups have been actively trying to purge those kind of things from the rallies because of the negative stigma it was giving them, so what you saw last week was way different than whats been happening before. The nasty and rascist signs were out in force in the past - there are pictures all over the web. The same people who were carrying those signs are still there. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/25 "2010-04-21T21:44:17Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > Can I ask you, did you see any signage portraying the President as a pimp, or a monkey, or any other racist sentiment? Did you see any signage at all that you’d be embarrassed to be seen carrying? No signs of President as pimp or monkey or any other racist sentiments. Thank heavens. I did see one instance which was immature and embarrassing. Some young man carrying a sign which said something about taxes being followed by an older man with a sign which said, “Infiltrator” with an arrow pointing to the young man. A photo of these two jokers was the one chosen by our very left-wing local paper to introduce a brief notice of the event. At least it indicates acknowledgement that political parties are presently involved in trickery to defame other’s viewpoints. I’ve always thought of that kind of tomfoolery as being the domain of Right-wingers but apparently the dumbing down of America and the shredding of decorum has also infected the Left. I always hope for a little more from the party of tolerance. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/26 "2010-04-21T22:03:32Z")
Can I ask you if you had seen a racist sign, or one claiming the president was a muslim, or communist or something else truly foolish, would you have spoken up to the person carrying it? Would you have felt comfortable doing so? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/27 "2010-04-21T22:20:12Z")
Congratulations, conservatives, on forming your very own MoveOn copy-cat group. Beat your chests with pride, or hang your heads in embarrassment, as you see fit. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/28 "2010-04-21T23:07:53Z")
Huh? What’s this in reference to? And what’s a MoveOn group? ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/29 "2010-04-21T23:23:03Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Shodan, if you’ll notice, the candidates then distanced themselves from that Tea Party group. It says nothing of “Tea Party denounces local wing nut”. In reality, it meant that Republican candidates put enough distance between themselves and the racist to be able to claim purity. Hardly surprising. Good lord, **Shodan** , don’t you have any analytical skills at all? **ShibbOleth** ’s understanding is not only dead-on-balls-accurate, but patently obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/30 "2010-04-21T23:33:07Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > Question, Ender, is you please. Have you actually met or talked to us? Would you like to, or are you so certain of your correctness that you don’t feel the need? I went to a tea party rally actually. Not that I’m much of a liberal, but I’ll answer anyways. Without getting into individual member beliefs and speaking broadly, the tea party movement is stupid. That’s it. More specifically? The tea party rally I went to was nothing more than broad generalizations and empty slogans. Wow. You’re for freedom? That’s a bold stand there. Not only that but you’re against tyranny? Holy crap. I salute your courage. Lower taxes and smaller government too? Jeezy creezy! The only way you could be any braver was if you loved this country. OMG!! You do?!? :eek: What a political juggernaut. Now I’m aware that a political rally is exactly the same as a pep rally for high school sports, but from what I saw the tea party is at best nothing new or original and is at worst a prime example of the dumbing down of american politics. One of their local candidates best pitch on why he should be elected was that he was a trucker. That’s it. He’s a common sense trucker. Okey dokey. So yeah. I’ve “met you” and I’ve heard your case presented by you and found it lacking in substance. You’re the political equivalent of a hollow chocolate easter bunny. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/31 "2010-04-21T23:42:00Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > So yeah. I’ve “met you” and I’ve heard your case presented by you and found it lacking in substance. You’re the political equivalent of a hollow chocolate easter bunny. First off, the fact that we don’t feel the need to lay out a political prgram - or lay it out at a rally - does not mean we. We are, quite frankly, inventing an entirely new concept. We don’t all agree - and that’s OK. We have some broad agreement on some major issues (sound fiscal policy, honest government, end to special favoritism and favor-buying), and can leave the rest. The Tea party isn’t the Republican party. In fact, it’s using the word party exactly as advertised. It’s not a even political group per se, just concerned citizens, often protesting for the very first time. It means nothing more than what we say it does. It’s not about race and not about money, but about forcing the government to listen to sense for once. The Tea Party isn’t a political equivalent of anything, and don’t forget that nice dark chocolate bunnies look good, taste great, and contain many healthy nutrients… **Ender** , I suppose I can at least politely thank you for making your opinions clear, as well as that they are deeply-held and not interested in proof or evidence or even meeting us. I will leave you alone, since it’s pretty clear we can have no common ground to meet on. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/32 "2010-04-21T23:49:10Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > First off, the fact that we don’t feel the need to lay out a political prgram - or lay it out at a rally - does not mean we. We are, quite frankly, inventing an entirely new concept. Your first sentence is a fragment. As to your second, what is this “entirely new concept” you claim to be inventing? Because as far as I can see, there’s nothing new, and barely any concept, there. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/33 "2010-04-21T23:57:22Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > First off, the fact that we don’t feel the need to lay out a political prgram - or lay it out at a rally - does not mean we. We are, quite frankly, inventing an entirely new concept. We don’t all agree - and that’s OK. We have some broad agreement on some major issues (sound fiscal policy, honest government, end to special favoritism and favor-buying), and can leave the rest. > > The Tea party isn’t the Republican party. In fact, it’s using the word party exactly as advertised. It’s not a even political group per se, just concerned citizens, often protesting for the very first time. It means nothing more than what we say it does. It’s not about race and not about money, but about forcing the government to listen to sense for once. The Tea Party isn’t a political equivalent of anything, and don’t forget that nice dark chocolate bunnies look good, taste great, and contain many healthy nutrients… Excuses excuses. You want to be taken seriously as a political movement (or whatever the crap you want to call yourselves), start doing a better job defining what you are (concerned citizens?) and maybe you won’t have to spend so much time telling everyone what you aren’t. And “forcing the government to listen to sense?” Another pointless hollow slogan. I’ll be honest and say that you really are just getting caught in my general weariness of oversimplified politics aimed at the party base and the least educated among us by hurling out buzz words instead of talking to the electorate as if it were at least comprised of adults, but if you want to be treated as if you were something different, _you actually have to be different_. I did my due diligence. I went to a rally and spent an hour at it looking, not for racism or hate, but for anything of substance. What I saw was a handful of speakers doing nothing more than attempting to capitalize on a sense of vague anger at the state of politics while doing the exact same things that make me angry at the state of politics. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/34 "2010-04-22T00:00:12Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > No. > > Thanks, but no. I mean, I don’t do it myself (or I don’t think I do) but I really don’t have much of a problem when others do. > > The Tea Party isn’t the Republican Party. It is a wacky, loony fringe group created out of whole cloth by an Australian owned media conglomerate and brought to an unrighteous frenzy through billiionaire businessmen with agendas hiding behind stupid monikers like Americans For Prosperity. It has no hierarchical structure and no real goals other than to shout down debate, hurl racial slurs, and throw rocks through windows. It is populated by mouth-breathing imbiciles who couldn’t spell “cat” if I spotted them the “C” and the “T” and have no more intelligence than a flash mob but actually think they’re acting to affect meaningful social change. > > Oh. And they’re named the act of me placing my balls in their mouth. Want to try again and see if you can be even more wrong? They are not named after teabagging. They are named after the Boston Tea Party. You are familiar with that, I assume? It is not racist. It is not violent. It is, however, ordinary people like me who are fed up to the gills with the unresponsive attitude of our government. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/35 "2010-04-22T00:17:43Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It is not racist. It is not violent. It is, however, ordinary people like me who are fed up to the gills with the unresponsive attitude of our government. “Our government” has always been a tad unresponsive to the members of the party which lost the last election. No need to take the to the streets. You’ll get your chance in 8 or 12 years to be unresponsive to the needs of the poor and sick again. ---
**Author:** ![Amulet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Amulet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amulet)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/36 "2010-04-22T00:21:40Z")
So how come you only became fed up to the gills with the unresponsive attitude of our government after a black man was elected? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/37 "2010-04-22T00:28:46Z")
> [@Amulet](#): > > So how come you only became fed up to the gills with the unresponsive attitude of our government after a black man was elected? Because he is deeply, deeply racist and all of his political opinions are based upon his violent hatred of black people. Does that answer make you feel better? I really hope it does, and I’m not being the least bit sarcastic. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/38 "2010-04-22T00:39:04Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It is, however, ordinary people like me who are fed up to the gills with the unresponsive attitude of our government. You lost an election. It’s not the end of the world. It’s not tyranny. You don’t get to hold onto power forever. ---
**Author:** ![Amulet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Amulet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amulet)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/39 "2010-04-22T00:54:00Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Because he is deeply, deeply racist and all of his political opinions are based upon his violent hatred of black people. > > Does that answer make you feel better? I really hope it does, and I’m not being the least bit sarcastic. Not really, because I want to hear a Tea Party person explain it. It strikes me as one hell of a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893/40 "2010-04-22T01:00:32Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > We are, quite frankly, inventing an entirely new concept… I almost hate to tell you, but running from your responsibilities when your party fucks up in a major way is _not_ an entirely new concept. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-liberals-stop-generalizing-about-the-tea-party/536893.md?page=3)