But hell, I need to say something and the Tea Party movement is still out there and even though this particular event has come and gone, this still matters.
There is a very good article on the issues of race and faith as they relate to the rhetoric of Glenn Beck.
My first comment on the article is this. Butler is right about the absurdity of comparing Beck to Malcolm X. Not because of their opposing ideologies, but because they are not anywhere close to being in the same league.
Brother Malcolm was a goddamn hero.
He was one of the great minds of the 20th century and comparing ANYBODY to him is a leap and there are very few people alive that are worthy of such a parallel.
And to compare someone like Glenn Beck to him is just fucking dumb.
Okay, let's move on.
I don't believe every single person who follows Beck or watches Fox News or goes to Tea Party rallies is racist or stupid. Let's just get that out of the way up front.
People believe what they do for a wide array of reasons.
There are plenty of Tea-party-people who are simply life-long conservatives, or truly believe they have to go out and protest to protect capitalism as if it were in danger.Having said that, conservatives who keep insisting there is no racism in the Tea Party movement are either in denial or they're lying.
On its face, the rally in Washington might seem innocent enough.
But given the subtext of the debate of whether or not the Tea Party movement is inherently racist, the act of holding a "Restoring Honor" rally on the anniversary of MLK's "Dream" speech in the spot where he spoke WAS an intentional "Fuck You!" to Black America.
It can't be interpreted any other way.
If one were to be extremely generous and give Glenn Beck the extraordinary benefit of the doubt which he hasn't earned, the rally was at the very least a deliberate "Fuck You!" to the NAACP.
But forget Glenn Beck for a minute. Right now, I'm talking to those in the Tea Party who are genuine in their principles.
I'm speaking to those of you who are conservatives and go to these rallies for ideological reasons alone, not for the adrenaline rush being part of a mob gives you.
Stop ignoring the racist signs. Stop pretending these guys are on the fringe. They represent a significant segment of your movement and you can't just close your eyes and hope we don't notice them.
When they are pointed out, you can't say the "liberal" media is singling you out and picking on you.
Stop faking that innocent, wide-eyed look when the NAACP tells you that you have blatant racism within your ranks and saying, "What the hell are you talking about?"
It makes you look stupid because you know what we're talking about.
I've talked to Tea Party people who have told me point blank that the "N" word has NEVER been used at a rally.Really? Never?
We see the signs at every Tea Party event.
Let's turn back the clock for some perspective.
When we protested Bush, we were unpatriotic. We hated America.
And when we assembled, we were arrested en-masse.
You have people coming out, literally talking and acting like the Klan and look the other way.
You deny that they're there.
When your people make violent threats, you brush them off.
Just a few years ago, you were screaming for the heads of any actor or Dixie Chick who dared question the leader of our great nation because doing so was unpatriotic.
We were seeped in yellow-ribbon McCarthyism.
Don't get me wrong, it's not your protests themselves I have a problem with. It's okay for you to hate Obama, or any leader for that matter.
As a Socialist, I am not happy with our President either because he's a rabid capitalist who's expanding free trade and dragging out both of the wars we're in.
I could list a few more reasons, but that would be getting off point. Let's just say that, like many leftists, I do not consider him a liberal.
But coming from the same assholes who, less than two years ago were telling us that if we love America, we couldn't criticize the President, is disingenuous.Imagine the uproar if a country music group came out and criticized Obama and as a result was pulled off of every radio station in the country.
My point is, you and your protests, by contrast are being treated with a lot of dignity compared to what we went through for eight years.
You guys have no idea how easy you have it.
I'm getting off topic again, aren't I? Sorry, it's late.
Back to acknowledging and denouncing the racists in your ranks.
I mean, they can't even come up with newer material than "Go back to Africa?" At least be original.
Jesus.
If you want us to take you seriously as a populist movement, at the very least admit that there are dissenting voices in your ranks and that a chunk of the people who show up might be racists.
Then denounce them.Until then, mainstream America is going to keep on thinking you're fucking idiots.
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