Is the Tea Party racist? Why it doesn’t matter.

A favorite blog had this one:

Interesting, as I'd always thought of the Tea Parties as a middle class defense league against the urban, blue-state mentality. It may be we need to actually take them seriously long enough to figure out what they're on about.

 

Company a man keeps say a lot about them, that's why it matters.

 

I don't think this is an issue of people being good or bad. It's about political choices.

 

The Tea Party exists for only one reason, to promote legislation that will increase corporate profits. It's financed by corporate interests and fueled by Republican rhetoric. It's the party of dupes.

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Con

So Brett the bigot is back, with his bazaar, neo-fascistic sounding ramblings.

Once more what is being presented is a mixed bag which can often be hard to see clearly as it is hidden behind a burka veil of innuendo and doublespeak.

But let’s try and part the layers and see what we can see…

One argument seems to be that it is not racist to be against ‘‘multiculturalism’.

Well a culture is not racially specific until it is indicated as such; European culture is the culture of the Europeans, of the people who live in the geographical regions of Europe, but if someone says white culture or black culture that is a racial classification.

(an aside: The thing is that Europe has always been very ‘multicultural’ since the dark ages (if not before), with differing languages and traditions that have merged, divided and changed over many years.)

And what is clear is that the author believes American culture is racial in nature rather than geographical. To quote -

As soon as it was about “mostly-white” and others that are not “mostly-white” then it became racist by definition.

Brett is a racist because he thinks in racist terms rather than human ones.

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Thing is that to be against multiculturalism would seem to imply a favour for one cultural model, a single, homogeneous culture that allows no diversity or dissension.

It would seem to me that the only way to have one ‘American culture’ would be to impose a cultural norm, a set of cultural rules dictating what is or isn’t ‘American’ and the outlawing or persecution of those things dictated as been Un-American.

And the question is who gets to decide what that ‘norm’ should be?

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just because there are a couple bad apples doesn't mean the whole batch has to be thrown out

 

i'm sorry, what were you saying?

 

Good one,Gorilla. The tea baggers are polluting the political and social "atmosphere" with their epithets and slander of the president and the left and along with the radio blabbers are setting a tone or mood in this country much like the time in which MLK and RFK were taken out by James earl Ray and Sirhan Sirhan. This kind of radicalism can bring out the worst in those on the fringe who think they're doing something patriotic for the country by eliminating those with whom they disagree. I agree with them on the bail-outs ,but that's about it.------------(thanks for the B-day wishes)

 

i might agree with them on something if they weren't so hateful and racist. i'm shocked that anybody would be so openly racist nowadays as these people. i can't help but vehemently oppose everything they do and stand for. i thank them though, they made my apathy all but disappear.

(you're welcome )

 

if you guys think all tea party peoples are racist you are delusional, sorry

 

I doubt that all of them are racist, but their signs are proof that a considerable number of them are very racist; and the rest of them are judged by the company they keep and the signs they allow to be displayed on their behalf.

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"Birds of a feather flock together". Remember "get a clue,morans"? Classic.

 

I am not happy to see all the racism since Obama got elected, but it is good it is finally more out in the open. I know a dude from South Africa, and when he moved here he was so shocked. He said that here in America the racism is just as bad, if not worse, than it was/is in South Africa, because Americans did not want to talk about it. Just this scary mass denial that racism exists in this country to the extent it does.
Tea Baggers? If I see one in the street with their guts on fire I would not piss on them to put it out. Corporate fucking shills.

 

the tea party is rooted in racism. saying that racism is not a factor in the tea party is like saying slavery had little to do with the civil war. its a bunch of white folks scared of a diverse government... and that's all it is. whatever they say they are fighting for is a bunch of bs. these are the same people who blindly supported bush and his wars while he raised taxes for most and lowered taxes for the wealthy.

 

Dazedgypsy

Well as anyone who’s picked apples will tell you if you want to save the rest of the apples in a batch you take out the rotten ones otherwise they’ll rot the whole barrel.

The other comment I’d make is the problem of actually talking to tea party supporters, the majority seem extremely unwilling or totally unable to talk about their ideas and views.

If there are good and decent people involved in this movement wouldn’t they want to discuss their ideas rather than seemingly wishing to hide them, as if they were ashamed of them?

So instead of open and honest debate we seem to get slogans or empty rhetoric.

Try reading my criticisms of what I’ve found of tea party ideas and let’s talk about them -

The Tea Party Manifesto
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=391334&f=36

 

Yeah, because we have no way to say that diversity doesn't work -- and not be attacked, of course.

How's South Africa doing? In fact, what are the diverse nations on earth that have been stable as long as the non-diverse nations?

Can't think of any? Exactly. The problem isn't African-Americans, as racists allege; it's diversity. One nation, one tribe, one values system is the only way to go.

 

I wasn't aware that we have a "national value system," can you elaborate on this.

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Canada, America, Brazil, Cuba, Australia, New Zealand, actually every mixed cultured place in the world has done fine once people stopped being racist fucks like yourself Conservationist. The problem with South Africa is they had institutional racism up until only 17 years ago.

 

They’re racists under the guise of a political movement

There are many people who silently support the KKK but would never join up. by joining the tea party it offers them a membership while allowing them to keep their hands clean.

Hotwater

 

And which group of people are they "Tea Party" targeting with their racism?