Remember in elementary school when you learned about the glorious and exciting American Revolution? I don't know about you, but every time the subject came around to talking about the Boston Tea Party I found myself feeling slightly parched. Parts of me would wish I was back in 1773 so I could jump into the Boston Harbor and partake of the freshly steeping salt-water tea. Mmm. Delicious.
I could imagine that my twenty-two year old self will probably psychologically connect the phrase "tea party" with this historic event into my elderly years. However, I cannot say that will be the case for the youth of this current generation. In my memory I pictured the words "tea party" something like this:
The image is familiar to most of us: A group of young American patriots in December of 1773 dress as Native American Indians to board three British cargo ships carrying tea from the monopolistic East India Company and tossed the load overboard into the waters of the Boston Harbor. The protestors wished to send a message to the British government: "We will only be taxed by our own elected representatives". An iconic event in American history, the event was key in the growth of the movement that would begin the American Revolution and the fight for American Independence.
It seems, though, that the original Tea Party may not be as iconic in the eyes of today's youth. The Tea Party we hear about in the news today is quite different than the Tea Party of 1773. The image of today's Tea Party looks something like this:
Perhaps you find the imagery here ironic. The same photo has been chopped, cropped, edited, and revised to depict a group of "Native Americans" dumping the logo used by Barak Obama in his 2008 presidential campaign. The correlation certainly makes a profound political statement, but are their claims legitimate? Who exactly are these people? What are they fighting for and where did they come from? Why do they call themselves the "Tea Party" and what does the movement have to do with political activism? To begin, a little background information is necessary to understand the Tea Party Movement in the context of 21st century American Politics.
Much like the Tea Party of 1773, the "new" Tea Party formed over disputes over taxes, namely those who were a part of the anti-tax and anti-big government movements in the 1970s and 1980s (particularly in California over Proposition 13). In contemporary politics, however, the estimated starting point for the Tea Party is largely dependent on who you ask. Many theorize the movement grew out of Ron Paul's fundraising event in 2008 for the Libertarian Party (traditionally anti-tax and anti-government influence) and others will cite CNBC editor Rick Santelli’s “Network Movement” criticizing mortgage subsidies in February of 2009. The first Tea Party protest, however, took place in late February 2009 and was followed by the Taxpayer's March on Washington in September 2009.
The position of the Tea Party Movement covers more topics than taxes. Traditionally, the Tea Party is just a very conservative version of the GOP, usually. Policy positions and general attitudes towards government are very similar to those of the Republican Party. Demographics of members (age, race, gender, income, ect) are also strikingly similar. The following data, graphs, and tables are credit to Dr. Peter Galderisi of the UCSD Political Science Department who gathered information from the NY Times and CBS News polls. You can click on the graphs to view a full size image.
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| Tea Party members (green) have very similar attitudes towards Obama as members of the Republican Party (red). |
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| Tea Party Members (green) are likely to have similar ideological positions to members of the Republican Party (red). |
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| Tea Party members are likely to have similar demographics as those who are members of the Republican Party. |
In general, there is a general fear of change amongst members of the Tea Party. There is a fear of economic decline, primarily. However, racial tensions and fears also propel very conservative anti-immigration views throughout Tea Party membership. There is a sense of entitlement, especially when it comes to Medicare. There is a resentment and a fear over those who used to be in control losing control to others, including young people.
So, what does all this have to do with activism? The Tea Party grew out of the Republican Party, although it wasn't completely grassroots. The Republican Party fostered the movement in hopes that it would support the GOP agenda. The Tea Party leader from Virginia, Jamie Radtke said "The Tea Party movement would not exist today if the Republicans had not failed under the Bush years". (Ironically, the formation of the Tea Party actually prevented the GOP from gaining as many seats as they potentially could have in the 2010 midterm election. The Tea Party split GOP votes, preventing the GOP from gaining a majority in many states and districts, including Nevada).
The Tea Party, like 'em or hate 'em, are extremely politically active. They are extremely vocal and very visible in the political and social sphere. It's arguable, however, that they often take their measure too far. The Tea Party is often cited as the center of violence and racism. Joyce Kaufman, a conservative radio host was heard echoing Malcom X's famous words "If not ballots, then bullets". Whether or not these claims of violence and racism are credible is up to you. It is notable, however, that leaders of the Tea Party should do more to condemn such activity within their group and promote a general cause of American patriotism.
The Tea Party's extreme conservative presence is a turn off for most and produces an environment of exclusion rather than of general comradery. Their name would suggest that they wish to formulate the same common feel of American patriotism that was felt by the early settlers of this country. "Everyone is an American"...Unless you're gay, black, Hispanic, or under the age of forty-five. Let's be honest...the Tea Party and many, not all, of its members have a sense of entitlement that this is somehow "their America". Talk to a Tear Party member and chances are they will really think Barak Obama is the antichrist and his democratic administration collectively make up the Whore of Babylon.
You may be asking yourself, "Is this supposed to discourage my involvement in activism?" Not necessarily. However, if you are going to be involved in social or political activism I would encourage you to do so in a manner that wasn't earning your and the rest of your particular group of like-minded people a reputation for violence. "If we don't win with ballots, we'll win with bullets"? This is not strategic activism. Pointing the finger and calling someone "un-American" because they disagree with your political ideologies is not strategic activism. It is our differences as well as our similarities that make us "American".
If you identify with the ideologies of the Tea Party, that's fine, even respectable. If you completely disagree, that is also acceptable. If you find yourself somewhere in between or identifying with some other ideology, then great. Activism is not about right or wrongs. Ideology is not about right or wrongs. Activism is about expressing your voice in an attempt to bring about change. If each of us expresses our voice and our goals, without all the hate speech or mudslinging, maybe collectively we could make this country and this world an even better place to live.
Thank you Dr. Galderisi for your help in obtaining background information and data tables for the purpose of this entry.
The views expressed in this blog are that solely of the author and do not reflect those of the University of California, San Diego, Sixth College, or any other student, organization, or faculty member of the aforementioned.
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