Are Tea Party people more racist than other parties?

[ForrestBlack]

I've seen a fair amount of press, mostly based on anecdotal observation and unsubstantiated claims, that the Tea Party movement is significantly comprised of racists (and/or whackjobs). I'm not opposed to believing this, but the notable lack of support for what is really a strong charge precludes my buy-in. Do you think Tea Party folks are any more racist than people you can find identified with Democrats or Republicans? I don't think any party can really claim to not have pockets of unfortunate racism and ignorance.

[Aza]

The proof of Tea Party racism is inherent in their demands to see Obama's birth certificate... and of course in the bigoted signs and shouts they wield in every single piece of video footage I've ever seen from their rallies.

True, racism hidies in every subgroup ever invented... but Tea-Partiers seem almost proud to display theirs as blatantly, and as often, as possible.

[One Eyed Cat]

I don't believe the Tea Party is a completely cohesive movement. They attract a fringe element, but I think many are simply concerned about the size and scope of government. I think it is unfair to paint them all with one brush. I definitely believe racism exists in the major party er parties.

OEC

[Amelia G]

The proof of Tea Party racism is inherent in their demands to see Obama's birth certificate... and of course in the bigoted signs and shouts they wield in every single piece of video footage I've ever seen from their rallies.

True, racism hidies in every subgroup ever invented... but Tea-Partiers seem almost proud to display theirs as blatantly, and as often, as possible.

Aren't the birthers a different group entirely from the Tea Party groups demonstrating for smaller government and lower taxes?

[Ajax Knucklebones]

I just think they're mostly Republicans who are unhappy with their own party. With that...Sure, they're racist. Haven't you met Republicans before? I think they're what you'd call PC racists, which means they'll be racist as shit as long as they're surrounded by white people and no other colors of skin are present.

[ForrestBlack]

If anyone is PC racist it's the Dems with their sanctimonious 'help' for the 'minorities' they genuinely classify as underprivileged, i.e. second class citizens.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Ahhh...I can't stand either party's to tell you the truth. Over the years, they just seem more and more interchangable. I'd like a STRONG third party created...And I haven't seen it yet. As far as minorities are concerned...They, for the most part, are still second class citizens in my eyes. Being a white male, I can honestly say, I have it alot easier as far as gender and race goes. I do believe I have more opportunities than any other race and gender, BUT...I also don't think that means we have to coddle minorities and give them a lifetime of welfare and free medical. What I do think is we should have certain programs that people on welfare have to take that would help them, help themselves i.e. learning a trade and getting them a job that pays better than wlefare. If they can't pass those classes, I say, enough is enough, and it's time to cut the strings tying them to humanity. I have no problem helping someone who's down-trodden. I have ALOT of problems with helping the down-trodden who STAY down-trodden on purpose.

[ForrestBlack]

I have no problem helping someone who's down-trodden. I have ALOT of problems with helping the down-trodden who STAY down-trodden on purpose.

I certainly agree with that. I think we need a trampoline, not a safety net. Projecting people who've had setbacks back up into productive positions would be good for everyone. As far as the PC thing goes, it's like holding doors open for women. In a way it's nice, but on another level, it's kind of patronizing and sexist. There is a fine line between help and hindrance, and I think you hit it on the head mentioning the issue of timeline and trajectory. Giving someone a leg up when they need it is good, simply holding them up because you think they are weak is ultimately not good for you or them.

[Raza]

If anyone is PC racist it's the Dems with their sanctimonious 'help' for the 'minorities' they genuinely classify as underprivileged, i.e. second class citizens.

'Class' implies designation, not just observation. Ignoring the mechanics of privilige won't make it go away, although whether adressing them will remains equally doubtful.

I'm inclined to agree that it's not something for a government to fix, but mostly because governments aren't known for fixing things.

[Mr Karl]

just out of curiosity.....how much of your income goes to taxes down there?......and yeah, they're racist......and for what they're points appear to be they don't really have to be and if they just changed a few words they might be taken a bit more seriously

[Ajax Knucklebones]

From what I hear, not close to being as bad as Canada, yet, you also have to take into consideration, state taxes, and California has one of the worst(highest).

[Mr Karl]

probably about 50% of our income goes to taxes........now that they're harmonizing a few taxes it'll probably be a bit more, have to wait and see over the next half year.

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Yeah, 50% is very high. You guys should have a tea party and make it all better. lol.

[ForrestBlack]

probably about 50% of our income goes to taxes........now that they're harmonizing a few taxes it'll probably be a bit more, have to wait and see over the next half year.

We didn't dump all that tea into the harbor to have slightly lower taxes than other nations.

[ForrestBlack]

It just seems to me that media outlets are doing the equivalent of interviewing mostly skinheads at a punk-rock show. It skews the public impression of the group. There are factions within any group, particularly newly forming groups, but 'that guy has a stupid sign' just isn't news to me. It's a distraction at best and social manipulation at worse. From what I know, I'm not even nuts about the new Tea Party thing, but the poorly done coverage still makes my skin crawl for being so spun.

[Mr Karl]

that's the problem with a lot of news coverage....unless you see for yourself you'll always wonder what the whole story is, and there's always more to the story

[nathanmbailey]

Politics in the news works the same way as tornado stories. They'll find the dumbest, fattest, most inbred person and have them talk about how their trailer got "blowed away" for the third time that year. If they went up to one of the more articulate people who talked calmly and made valid points, they'd lose their ratings to Fox.

[Cafe_Post_Mortem]

How many racist signs and actions do you need at a protest before you can call a group racist?

Really though, the teabaggers are not a unified movement. Opposing a black president will draw out a lot of racists, and the teabaggers don't do much to distance themselves from them.

The tea party is getting the same treatment as other groups do, and they are looking more racist. I have to lean towards them being at least racist tolerant.

[Aza]

Look, I'm all for allowing everyone to have their say... and it certainly isn't the Tea Party's fault that they've been portrayed in the worst possible light by the very media organizations claiming to support them... but that just adds truth to what Jon Stewart (one of the only still-living humans whom I'll willfully admit is a hero of mine) said: "If these Tea Parties ever want to be taken seriously, they're going to have to distance themselves from these... Republicans."

[Morning Glory]

No, they are just less articulate.

As for media spin, on May Day there were about 3 - 5,000 people here marching against Sb-1070 (to be clear it was a solidarity march and not a protest/petition to the government) and around 20 Tea Baggers protesting against them. The news said that there were 50 "counter-protesters" (they must have been counting the cops protecting the Tea Baggers) and devoted more air time talking to them than to the pro-immigrant groups. I even saw one report that was just a blip saying that people were gathered there and showed only the Tea Baggers and didn't' mention any numbers for either side.

The typical media hype might make them sound crazy, but it also strengthens their cause and they get much more spotlight than any radical leftist groups, that usually get zero coverage.

[One Eyed Cat]

The real problem I see: They are using dubious portrayals of the "Tea Party" to avoid argument on the serious crisis in government we face. A majority of Americans have opposed some or all of recent government spending. Factions that support the spending tie everyone in together. I see no difference between supporters of Obama's policies than I did with Bush's. They just aim the same bullshit silencing tactics through different forms of ad hominem attack.

OEC

[Amelia G]

No, they are just less articulate.

As for media spin, on May Day there were about 3 - 5,000 people here marching against Sb-1070 (to be clear it was a solidarity march and not a protest/petition to the government) and around 20 Tea Baggers protesting against them. The news said that there were 50 "counter-protesters" (they must have been counting the cops protecting the Tea Baggers) and devoted more air time talking to them than to the pro-immigrant groups. I even saw one report that was just a blip saying that people were gathered there and showed only the Tea Baggers and didn't' mention any numbers for either side.

The typical media hype might make them sound crazy, but it also strengthens their cause and they get much more spotlight than any radical leftist groups, that usually get zero coverage.

Actually this really points out the problem with current media coverage of citizen protest. The other day I went to get some carnitas tacos and the place where I get them had a Spanish language station on. I had seen almost no coverage on TV of the protests against Arizona's un-American show-me-yahr-paperrrrrrrrsssssss law. I had see a lot of people on the internet complaining about all these people marching around waving Mexican flags. Watching the Spanish language station, it was clear that the actual protest, at least in Los Angeles, was peaceful, was a huge number of people, was not all people of one skin color, and most importantly they were marching with the red, white, and blue American flag. It was pretty much a sea of American flags. Not one other flag in there. So I went home and checked MSNBC and CNN and FOX. MSNBC was making the protests look teensy and unimportant and CNN had some inexperienced reporter I've never seen before interviewing random people from like the state legislature or something unrelated and filming away from the center of the protest. And FOX was, I kid you not, showing a big fire in a building in Van Nuys. (For those non-Southern Cali folks on here, Van Nuys is very far away from downtown Los Angeles where the protests were.)

Lastly, America desperately needs a viable third party and the media coverage of anything potentially not Republican or Democrat is extremely mocking and uneven, in order to preserve the status quo. It is a disservice to our country if any potential third party is immediately overrun by lunatic racist morons.

[Amelia G]

The real problem I see: They are using dubious portrayals of the "Tea Party" to avoid argument on the serious crisis in government we face. A majority of Americans have opposed some or all of recent government spending. Factions that support the spending tie everyone in together. I see no difference between supporters of Obama's policies than I did with Bush's. They just aim the same bullshit silencing tactics through different forms of ad hominem attack.

OEC

Amen to that.

[Raza]

most importantly they were marching with the red, white, and blue American flag

Well, that settles the matter, it does. They can share our space, but they better not bloody mess with the color theme!

[Amelia G]

Well, that settles the matter, it does. They can share our space, but they better not bloody mess with the color theme!

Actually, there were some Californian high school students who got sent home from school this week for sporting the red, white, and blue, which is certainly raised tensions here. But the point is that there were all these people ranting online about these immigrants waving Mexican flags -- only the crowd was not just immigrants or just hispanic and they were waving American flags. In an argument where some people question the patriotism of new immigrants, I think it is a really huge big deal that they were carrying the red, white, and blue.

And, be honest, you know color scheme matters to you ;-P

[nvrsetl]

Why do we never never never hear of Obama's white mother? White aunts and uncles, white grandparents? Its always black this and black that, black black black black. Holy shit the man has one half of his family and ancestry being completely ignored. Those poor white family members are being racially ignored And for the love of Christ will some one please initiate a party that will stand up for Obama's white family members because they are not receiving their just scrutiny!

[Raza]

And, be honest, you know color scheme matters to you ;-P

It is true. When I finished typing that I had one of those '...wait' moments.

Then I thought about suburban home owners associations and figured newcomers still needed the freedom to mess with color schemes if they so please.

[Minxy Mordacious]

In all honesty I think they're the equivalent of chickens with their heads cut off.

[Raza]

Those're pretty neat, though. I'm not sure that's a good comparison.

[Amelia G]

It is true. When I finished typing that I had one of those '...wait' moments.

Then I thought about suburban home owners associations and figured newcomers still needed the freedom to mess with color schemes if they so please.

I like my neighbors to be quiet and basically in no way obtrusive to my existence when I am inside my home, but I don't care if they mow their lawn or glue antlers and sequins to their house or paint it a color I don't care for. In fact, one of the things I love about city-living is the increased variety in the landscape. Just feels better on the eyeballs.

I suppose the city-living answer to suburban homeowners associations is the New York coops, but I don't think I could ever stand one of those. A friend of mine bought one a couple years ago and they even scrutinize and need to approve who can sleep over at his place. I'd say I don't know how he has sex, but I think the answer is he always go over to the chick's place.

[Morning Glory]

Why do we never never never hear of Obama's white mother? White aunts and uncles, white grandparents? Its always black this and black that, black black black black. Holy shit the man has one half of his family and ancestry being completely ignored. Those poor white family members are being racially ignored And for the love of Christ will some one please initiate a party that will stand up for Obama's white family members because they are not receiving their just scrutiny!

Because you touch yourself at night.

[Amelia G]

Because you touch yourself at night.

Against, doesn't sound like Morning Glory. Are you claiming to be the same person?

[Morning Glory]

I guess so?

It's a Family Guy reference. It's this thing called a joke. See the way that this one works, in theory, is that a person asks a stupid question that isn't really a question and isn't really intended to be stupid, and then it is answered with a stupid answer that is not really an answer, but is intended to be stupid for the purpose of pointing out the stupidity of the original query.

You may think that I've changed, and maybe I have... but this board has changed a lot as well when someone can make such an outrageous claim as "it's always black this and that, black black black." and no one else seems to have any problem calling it out.

I really don't want to just come on here and tear people down, but that's all that I've felt like doing lately because there seems to be a shortage of the fun and creative stuff that this place used to have and just the same mean-spirited browbeating that you'll find on every other forum. Maybe this isn't the place for me anymore, and after what, like five years? that's a shame.

[Buster Friendly]

I really don't want to just come on here and tear people down, but that's all that I've felt like doing lately because there seems to be a shortage of the fun and creative stuff that this place used to have and just the same mean-spirited browbeating that you'll find on every other forum. Maybe this isn't the place for me anymore, and after what, like five years? that's a shame.

Did someone say "mean spirited brow beating"?

[Raza]

I guess so?

It's a Family Guy reference. It's this thing called a joke. See the way that this one works, in theory, is that a person asks a stupid question that isn't really a question and isn't really intended to be stupid, and then it is answered with a stupid answer that is not really an answer, but is intended to be stupid for the purpose of pointing out the stupidity of the original query.

You may think that I've changed, and maybe I have... but this board has changed a lot as well when someone can make such an outrageous claim as "it's always black this and that, black black black." and no one else seems to have any problem calling it out.

I really don't want to just come on here and tear people down, but that's all that I've felt like doing lately because there seems to be a shortage of the fun and creative stuff that this place used to have and just the same mean-spirited browbeating that you'll find on every other forum. Maybe this isn't the place for me anymore, and after what, like five years? that's a shame.

Meh, the 'has your account been hacked?' angle was kind of a low blow, tbh. I wouldn't sweat it; you were never that zen.

Did someone say "mean spirited brow beating"?

Sup?

[inox]

It's amazing how many conservatives from the sticks call Obama a socialist without having any idea at all what socialism actually means. It's like they found a new way to say the n-word without actually saying it. Coded redneck references.

[Preacherbilly]

It's amazing how many conservatives from the sticks call Obama a socialist without having any idea at all what socialism actually means. It's like they found a new way to say the n-word without actually saying it. Coded redneck references.

Well, I'd say that the current attempt at shifting the tax burdens so that more than half of the population pays nothing, we all hate "the evil rich" and tax policy is based on "redistribution of income" and "fairness" as opposed to actual revenue targets, hell, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

I'm a redneck and I can tell you most of us don't code our references at all. Y'all go to Dahlonega or Ellijay, someone doesn't like "the coloreds", he'll damn well say so.

I just think they're mostly Republicans who are unhappy with their own party. With that...Sure, they're racist. Haven't you met Republicans before? I think they're what you'd call PC racists, which means they'll be racist as shit as long as they're surrounded by white people and no other colors of skin are present.

This is getting old.

The thing with the Tea Party is, neither damn party is interested in the biggest problem the government has - its SPENDING. Both existing parties are coming up with plans to tweak the taxing side to get more money, but the core problem is how much money the government spends out. Ain't rocket science. You make $10,000 per year and spend $25,000 per year, eventually you're gonna end up living under the highway in a box.

But when you end up with radical ideas and a group trying to fundamentally change the way the government works (e.g. STOP SPENDING, as opposed to deciding in which direction to grow Big Government) the nut jobs are gonna come crawling out of the woodwork, drawn to the idea of putting their own ideas in the mix.

Are there racists in the Tea Party? Absolutely! But y'all need to remember, for the longest time the racists, especially here in the Great State of Georgia, were all Democrats because By God they weren't goin' to be no part of no party that freed the slaves.

[Buster Friendly]

I'm a redneck and I can tell

. .

No you ain't.

You ain't no redneck.

No neck of red you.

You are an' astroturfin' smurf.

This will never get old.

[Preacherbilly]

I don't follow your line of speech. But I'd like to thank you for being the first to presume that coming from Georgia, I'm NOT a redneck.

[Buster Friendly]

I don't follow your line of speech. But I'd like to thank you for being the first to presume that coming from Georgia, I'm NOT a redneck.

Puh-Leeze, we can all tell that you're a whigger from BAAAH-ston.