That’s a very nice, folksy, comforting video. Very well done, for amateurs. Maybe a little too well done. What do people think of this Coffee Party USA movement? I was enthusiastic about this group in a post below. This group just started — in fact they are “kicking off” officially today. But then doubts set in. I wonder what is value of getting people to vote and agree on some issue, as they did in this video. The end result is basically someone giving up their principles to reach a consensus just for the point of doing that. After quite a bit of thought, I don’t see the point of it. It’s not a political event, it’s like some psych-out therapy exercise. Who wins when you give up everything you believe in, just to agree? This is also my argument against this pointless quest for bipartisanship in the Congress.
This Coffee group makes members sign a “pledge of civility” on their website. I don’t like the Civility Pledge. It requires you to respect people who you disagree with on things — gay marriage, homophobia, bigotry, racism, whether Obama is mad socialist, etc. Why would I respect someone who thinks Obama was an illigitimate baby born in Kenya to Muslims? I don’t respect people who refuse to use their brains because life is easier that way.
Maybe the Coffee Party USA people haven’t yet actually met people in the Tea Party movement like I have. I have been shouted at by them in public, so I suppose I’m biased.
It’s unwise to try to force politeness in a newly developing major political movement/ group — especially when there are right-wingers on their website insulting liberals and progressives all over the place. The reason is simple — enthusiasm. People never volunteer for anything unless they are enthusiastic, and they stop being enthusiastic when you tell them they have to be civil and never insult people, or that they have to be open and inviting and lovely to people they can’t stand. Take away the idea of freedom to complain freely, and where would the enthusiasm come from — the thought of having a polite country? The pursuit of eternal middle-of-the-road consensus? Ridiculous.
I used the phrase “tea bagger” on Youtube (how shocking) in one of their video threads, and someone from the CPUSA group reprimanded me. A CPUSA official personage informed me that “tea bagger” was an insult (yeah, that’s the point) and that we can never talk with each other if we insult each other. Imagine that. This info was like a thunderclap from the heavens, let me tell you. I had an epiphany the moment I read that, and immediately un-fanned myself from their Facebook group. I just really don’t like to be told I shouldn’t insult greedy racists who want to destroy the government. Seriously, this is good advice for Palestinians and Israelis, but not for people who have a serious problem with right-wingers who are trying to stop health care reform while people are dying. And the tea baggers wave around their insulting signs and angry displays at rallies and townhall meetings and show no respect for anyone. They don’t deserve my civility. I also have a problem being nice to people who lie to people about climate change just because they want lower taxes. I also have a problem respecting haters, bigots, homophobes, and idiots in general. Civility? I think not.
Also, I have no intention to be sweet and pleasant to right-wingers who are so far gone they attend Tea Party rallies carrying loaded weapons to gawk at Sarah Palin or Michele Bachmann and shout about killing liberals. These are not people I respect. Those people are not even part of the orbit of most people’s normal worlds — they are “outsiders”, and in a bad way. Tea Partiers are not grassroots either, they are intent on destroying the country, and I despise them. I personally will take no civility pledge to talk with racists who hate liberals, then attend a meeting with them and come to a consensus with them on big issues. Are you kidding me? I am still stumped as to what would be the point of that. But this civility thing is being emphasized hard by the Coffee Party USAers.
Then, I read last night that they are a GOP front group. Then I read they are an Obama front group. Then I read some other weird rumors about them. All in all, it doesn’t seem they’ re inspiring a lot of trust. They grew too fast, way too fast for a grassroots group, and they have a very professional looking website. It looks like a professional political website. Are they really an answer to the Tea Party groups, or just another excuse to join something and pretend we’re doing something important, while coal plants and the CIA and Blackwater are killing people right under our noses. Nothing like being distracted and believe you are doing some good by joining a group that requires a “civility pledge”. In other words, if you are not nice to right-wing corporate-loving angry haters, you are not welcome here in our civil bubble.
One last point, beside the point — nobody trusts anyone anymore in the U.S.
Conservatism is a mental disease. I thought that recent studies had borne that out. Maybe you can shed some light on the details. A disproportionate number of homeless people were found to hold authoritarian outlooks was one of the findings of one of the studies. Nothing against homeless people, but some might be homeless due to being mentally ill. Being of no fixed abode seems contrary to those who desire absolute rule.
It is safe to say that conservatism is a mental illness.
The Teabaggers called themselves that. It wasn’t a name given to them by liberals. The Teabaggers insist on saying Democrat Party when it’s Democratic Party.
After 2006 when the Democratic Party gained seats because they promised to end the war in Iraqistan and now they’ve gained the leadership and have failed to do either that or to reverse the Patriot Act and keep extending it while spitting on Cindy Sheehan, none of these people are trustworthy.
It is also safe to say that betraying people is pretty sick, too.
Good point! They have been saying “Democrat Party” for years, which is inaccurate and they do it on purpose. They also bring the disrespect on themselves with their signs and their actions. My attitude is that if they continue to act like anti-social jerks, they deserve whatever names their behavior warrants. In private I call them much worse things than “Tea Bagger”. And if people don’t like it, don’t read it.
The Coffee Party groups want everyone to get along and be civil, which is a utopian fantasy. It’s also a trap.