When considering the political scene of the moment, it is difficult not to see how historical allegory plays an important role in the public spectacle known as the Tea Party movement. From the name itself, an acronym (Taxed Enough Already) that fuses current concerns to a patriotic historical moment, to the oral and written references by some of its members to Stalin and Hitler, the Tea Party appears to be steeped (sorry) in history. However, one has only to listen to a minute of ranting to know that what we really are talking about is either a deliberate misuse or a sad misunderstanding of history.
Misuse implies two things: first, that the Partiers themselves know that they are attempting to mislead, and second, that the rest of us share an understanding of what accurate history looks like. Would that this were true. Unfortunately, there is little indication that the new revolutionaries possess more than a rudimentary knowledge of American or world history, and there is even less reason to think that the wider public is any different. Such ignorance allows terms like communism, socialism, and fascism to be used interchangeably by riled-up protesters while much of the public, and, not incidentally, the media, nods with a fuzzy understanding of the negative connotations those words are supposed to convey (of course some on the left are just as guilty of too-liberally applying the “fascist” label to any policy of which they do not approve). It also allows the Tea Partiers to believe that their situation – being taxed with representation – somehow warrants use of "Don’t Tread On Me" flags and links their dissatisfaction with a popularly elected president to that of colonists chafing under monarchical rule….(Continued)
7 comments:
Read the article, and then take a look at the comments. A number of tea party types posit away, and of course there's the "but Keith Olbermann said bad things about Bush" sort of crap there. These people are infuriating.
Some observers have begun to speak of our "post-truth" era, so beyond correction are many of these roiling right-wingers. I do believe that, were God's hairy and Caucasian countenance to fill the sky and explain and declare the error of their ways (complete with charts and video dancing across the sky), they would simply squeal, "You're not God! You're a socialist! Nyaaaa!" --BvT
Seeing as how TEApartiers are, according to demographers, whiter and considerably older than other political groups,maybe they just forgot their history lessons--or maybe when they took history they were too busy partying with another sort of "tea" altogether!
Keith Olberman, are you kidding? That’s all they got? What about how the left behaves when they demonstrate? Burning of effigies of Bush and our flag, property damage, violence and incitement thereof, riot squads called in, many arrested, incitement of violence and murder against Bush & Cheney, calling them liars, Hitlers and mass murderers, etc, etc, etc… Funny thing: leftists are virtually the same as national socialists, sans the nationalism. Then there’s the attempt by the admin and their media lap-dogs to silence and marginalize the Tea Partiers by labeling them as racists, bigots, homophobes, the whacky right, the radical right fringe, etc… The peaceful Tea Party has been quite effective, otherwise the ones in power wouldn’t be stepping up the rhetoric and trying to silence them.
6:56, do try to focus. This post concerns the ignorance of history endlessly and thoroughly displayed by Tea Partiers, among others. The tax issue of the 1770s was taxation without representation and other mistreatments by a distant monarch. The taxes Tea Partiers carp about have come about with representation, i.e., in terms of duly elected officials. There is simply no comparison between the two situations, and to suppose otherwise is to be obtuse at best.
With regard to over-heated and racist rhetoric and sentiments, the excesses of the left (insofar as they exist) are obviously no excuse for the excesses of the right. You do understand that, right?
I have found that there are wingnuts on the right and there are wingnuts on the left. The excesses of the far left (and there are) are as painful as excesses on the right.
A key difference is the profound self centeredness of the right wingers. It's all about their money and guns, usually.
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