A look from inside the America the Tea Party doesn’t believe exists.
Dear GOP, Tea Party, John Boehner, and anyone else who’s angry and White,
Hi. My name is Greg. You don’t know me, but, you should. Why? Not because I think what you and your crew (The Republican Party) are doing with this government shutdown is insane, because it is. You shouldn’t know me because the Speaker of House, the de facto (very tanned) face of your party, repeatedly embarrasses my home state (Ohio).
You should know me because I’m Black. And young. Your children dance to my music, speak my slang, and wear my clothes.
You should know my gay friends. You wear fashions and hairstyles designed and created by them, and your kids look up to them (even your brawny, straight sons and grandsons), and you take part in a pop culture they heavily influenced.
You should know my female friends with careers and influence. Because they’ve changed the idea of gender roles, and wielded power in new, brilliant ways.
You should know us, because we are America. The current America. The new America. America for the foreseeable future.
I have to admit, I find the fact that you guys (the “Right”) never took the time to get to know us pretty funny. You never saw “us” coming.
Why? How? Because the three races/sexual orientations/genders I mentioned are what you and your cronies have spent years building voting platforms on. You never took us seriously. These “groups” I mentioned are the very people you are trying to now, at this very moment, to hurt with your clumsy tantrum of a government shutdown. Your ilk saw us as germs with a pulse. You guys never took us seriously.
But, if you had been smart, instead of using us and our communities to scare the Red States into voting for you, you would have noticed the strides women, gays, and brown people have made. Hip-hop (and Black youth culture overall) became the most successful non-religious culture ever created. The gay community re-shaped American standards of beauty and aesthetics (gym culture, manscaping, men watching their waistlines, HEAVILY influenced by gay culture). Women ascended to positions of power within corporations and their communities.
Meanwhile, you guys, especially more recently the Tea Party, scared the shit out of everybody.
But, here’s where it’s really funny. Gut busting, actually.
We influenced the YOUTH of this country.
That’s right. Hip-hop spoke to a young White male growing up in Michigan, and told him he could escape his bleak life, and make something of himself as an artist. You might have heard of him. His name is Eminem. If you haven’t heard of him, your kids surely have. The gay community empowered homosexual youth thorough out the years, creating POWERFUL openly gay people. Where did you think “Glee” and “It Gets Better” came from? And the women who influenced this country? How many people do YOU think watched and were inspired by “The Oprah Winfrey Show?”
Speaking of youth…frankly, you guys don’t look too good on that front. I saw the Republican National Convention last year, and…damn. The average age at your event was, like, 68. From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t look like America’s youth is really interested in the Tea Party, or the GOP. Did you guys happen to see the Democratic National Convention? I’ll put it like this: The MTV Video Music Awards came on the same night. On one channel was a show full of young, sexy, dynamic people on stage and in the audience. On the other channel was the MTV Video Music Awards.
So, Mr. Boehner, you Tea Partiers, and the GOP. You can continue your silly, ugly halt of the government. You can continue to attack President Obama, and you can keep on spewing hate in the media.
Just know, that Jay Z can drop a new single online that can rally the masses…against you , in 24 hours. Understand that and Rachel Maddow can swiftly dissect anything you say, and Ellen DeGeneres can render you un-cool with a quip. And the ladies? I wouldn’t want to mess with a heavy hitter like Arianna Huffington, or even our First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Thanks for your time,
Greg Simms Jr.
P.S. You guys should smile more. Is it a right-wing requirement for conservatives to frown on every media platform? Like I said before, you guys honestly scare the shit out of people.
Photo—david_shankbone/Flickr
Can someone “cliffnotes” the tea party for me? I’m still unsure wtf they’e about?
“Ten Core Beliefs of the Modern-Day Tea Party Movement” – Eliminate Excessive Taxes, Eliminate the National Debt, Eliminate Deficit Spending, Protect Free Markets, Abide by the Constitution of the United States, Promote Civic Responsibility, Reduce the Overall Size of Government, Believe in the People, Avoid the Pitfalls of Politics, Maintain Local Independence.
I’ve got a feeling that the “Left” shouldn’t be so gleeful about the demise of the GOP in its current iteration. The GOP as it exists is a positionless body whose platform is basically meaningless. The “tea party” and groups like it are a response to an ideological vacuum. I’d wait and see how people react to the ACA. Early returns are pretty horrific. Quite a few people are getting very rude surprises when they see their costs. If young healthy adults DONT enroll (and why would they?) and this non-recovery continues things are going to snowball. Its quite telling… Read more »
@ CW “I think we’ll see taxpayers flocking to the limited government banners” I don’t know about this. Maybe upper middle income and wealthy taxpayers, but poor people pay taxes also and taxes are not relegated to just income taxes. As much as the super wealthy may complain about government expenditures, I highly doubt that they would want the government cancelling any multi-million dollar contracts it may have with companies these wealthy individuals may own. That’s just to say that most people’s politics concerning government expenditures is relative. If it helps me we need it. If it doesn’t it unnecessary… Read more »
My guess is that you don’t actually know any Tea Partiers, and are going on impressions you’ve gotten from watching Jon Stewart or some other comedian.
If you want to campaign for Obama and the cultural/political left, be honest about it, and quit hiding behind a bunch of cultural/demographic baloney.
It quite clear, based on the Tea Party’s own communication what they stand for. One of the things that characterize the Right (especially the Tea Party) is negativity and resentment. You – personally – clearly have no principles or plans, but only opposition. No solutions. All complaints. After you lost an election. Looks like immaturity and bigotry from here.
Me, personally? Sure, you disagree with my comment, and accuse me of ‘bigotry’ as a way of shutting me up. Yeah you’re real mature there. Keep making generalizations about the folks who disagree with you, and thereby elevate the quality of the discourse. Yessirree!
This is so spot-on it’s amazing. Thank you for this.
Every time I try to keep coming back here to read about GOOD MEN, there is more of this leftist leaning garbage. This article is nothing more than the exact kind of stereotyping that you say you are against. For you to not even know any of the core basics that are a clear distinction between the Tea Party and the GOP, even replying to you here is pointless. The Tea Party you are referring to, doesn’t exist. Get out of your bubble and take a chance talking to and listening to people who don’t parrot the exact same ideology,… Read more »
Then write the other side and see if they submit it – they do accept submissions. Here is another idea: speak of your experience and why you believe the way you do (in the comments section), rather than looking for conspiracy and being defensive. Since no one has actually attacked you by stating their experience and opinion, it would be a curious exercise for you to write about the Tea Party as you understand it – maybe answering questions like: when was the term coined, why was it created and why was it first embraced by the Republican Party (define… Read more »
Hi Tina
Well said:
“speak of your experience and why you believe the way you do (in the
comments section), rather than looking for conspiracy and being defensive. Since no one has
actually attacked you by stating their experience and opinion, it would be a curious exercise
for you to write about the Tea Party as you understand it “
I’m not claiming any conspiracy nor attack, no idea where that comes from… I have posted several other comments, without any bad language, nor any personal slam, that have not been rejected, so there is a clear and obvious bias. That isn’t an attack, that is simply a reality. I don’t even have a problem with it, but wish that it wasn’t so at a site that is supposed to be about “Good Men”. I was honestly surprised that my comment, this time, was posted… This entire opinion piece is just more of the standard line from the left. I’m… Read more »
totally Spot on Scott …maybe some people can learn some things.
Because the US shutdown is all the Republican’s fault…….Funny you didn’t mention ‘liberal’ Obama banging the war drum against Syria and Putin telling him where to get off.
a highly ineffective attempt at defleciton, Chris. The two subjects are unrelated. Shutdown is the fault of Republicans. This is obvious to everyone, including you.