Ever wonder who the "Tea Party" members really are?

Propaganda: ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause also a public action having such an effect.

Since the election of Barak Obama as the President of the United States there has been an angry uproar from a portion of the American population self identified as the “Tea Party Movement”. The American media seems utterly baffled by this group. Who are they? What do they want? And why are they so angry?


Surveys taken at “Tea Party” rallies, interviews with self-appointed leaders, and in-depth investigations show that they are mostly White, older (although all age groups are involved), and spread across the educational and financial spectrum. Their ideological and political attitudes appear fractured and only cursorily connected to established political parties or platforms. There are hints that they are tied to White Supremacists or violent militia groups but these accusations are vehemently denied even at gun-toting, all White rallies. So, who are they and why are they so angry?

Given the history of American social, financial and power structures the answer, to me, is obvious. The “Tea Party Movement” is more accurately described as the “White’s Rights Movement” or “the right to be superior because I’m White movement”. It is undeniable that throughout American history being White was perceived to be and, in fact, was a distinct advantage. This was their country and everyone else was simply allowed to partially participate. If the successes of social initiatives such as the Women’s Rights and the Civil Rights movements steadily eroded the myth of White entitlement, electing an African-American President completely demolished it and apparently was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They are mad as hell and they want their country back!

Fortunately or unfortunately, this “White’s Rights” attitude is not universal even among White people. Many, if not most, are perfectly willing to compete on an even playing field. Their accomplishments and positions were achieved through competence and effort and are well deserved. That leaves a certain percentage that benefited solely or primarily from the “White advantage” and they know it. I strongly suspect that if one could quantify those who actually need the “White advantage” one would have identified the “Tea Partiers” and their behaviors would reflect what we see almost daily in the news reports.

The graphic above is an attempt to illustrate this opinion. Fig. 1 is a typical illustration of a statistical bell curve of a population with a “normal” distribution as a point of reference. Fig. 2 attempts to illustrate that equality was historically far from normal in the U.S. Fig. 3 attempts to illustrate the progress over time as a result of social rights movements. There is no scale and nothing is being measured. It is simply for illustration purposes. The point that should be apparent is that nothing is actually lost by Whites. It just appears to be less because equality is perceived as an advantage only by the oppressed. The oppressor sees equality as an advantage sacrificed.

This opinion is from one perspective but seems to fit current events perfectly. If it is true, here are some harsh realities. Hey Tea Partiers, the free ride is over. The idea of being judged not by the color of your skin but by the content of your character now takes on a whole new meaning. You are, by definition, a minority group and will soon learn that being a minority in a democracy SUCKS! Whether you like it or not, the United States is becoming that multi-cultural melting pot it has long claimed. To argue for a return to the good old days of White dominance is akin to advocating a return to men abusing wives and children in the privacy of their homes with no government interference. No matter how you try to disguise it by attaching it to traditional conservative values of limited government and such, it simply is NOT going to happen. Many people benefited greatly from slavery but no one can hope to win the argument for its reinstatement. The genie is out of the bottle and it cannot be forced back in.

It is high time the “Tea Partiers” realized their irrational tactics of disruption, non-participation, and thinly veiled threats of violence are sure to fail (see The Civil War). After all, the 2nd amendment that protects their right to bear arms applies to every one. Even those the “Tea Partiers” believe aren’t REAL Americans. The 2008 elections demonstrated that the majority of Americans are not White, ultra-conservative, heterosexual, Christian, racists but they are Americans just like the “Tea Partiers”. They all want their fair share of the American pie. I suppose the real issue to be debated rationally is: What is fair? No single group, regardless of what they stand for, should expect or demand an institutionalized or inherent advantage. That’s what equality looks like.