Historical Ignorance, Teabagging, and Other Lewd Acts

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 by Bill Swadley.

Back in the heat of the election last year, TV and online reporters forayed courageously into crowds of Palin/McCain supporters to  interview them about why they loved the Republican ticket and hated Obama. Never very clear about either, these sign-wielding, slogan-spewing, demonstrators rarely had more to say than the misinformed and/or disinformational talking-points issued by Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and the GOP leadership.

Today, teabaggers out in fairly meaningless numbers all over the country stand in impotent protest against a president who only took office a few months ago about problems in our economy that have been brewing  for 10+ years. As far as I can tell, these are the same people who blindly supported Sarah Palin last fall because she said the “right” words and all the anchors at Fox News all had a crush on her.

Never mind that the unfortunate term “teabagging” could have easily been avoided had anyone at Fox News or in leadership of the conservative groups hosting the so-called tea parties held even a 5th grade knowledge of the Boston Tea Party.

Like when it occurred.

In 1773.

Over 125 years BEFORE the tea bag was invented.

Remember American History class? Remember your classmates who didn’t do the homework, slept in class, doodled, traded notes, etc., and barely passed with a C? This is for them:

Now class. As I said, there were no tea bags back then. The tea at Boston Harbor was thrown into the water by British colonists from chests commonly used for tea exportation. That’s right,British colonists, not United States citizens. Why? Because the American Revolution was just being birthed and wouldn’t come to fruition for several years.  The colonists responsible for the Boston Tea Party were protesting taxes levied by their sovereign, King George III, without the consideration of colonial legislatures. That’s what set them off. Taxation without representation.  Is any of this ringing a bell? Oh, I forgot, you were asleep.

So, is there any significance to be drawn from a parallel between the Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773 and the Washington Teabagging of April 15, 2009? Let’s see…

1773 -  Dictatorial monarch in desperate attempt to raise revenue  levies taxes on remote colonies only to elicit a profound outcry from said colonies. Monarchy greatly concerned, but steadfast.
2009 - Democratically elected president in cooperation with representative legislature cuts taxes for 95% of all citizens only to elicit a profound outcry from those who stand to benefit. Federal government puzzled.

1773 - Protest motivated primarily by taxation without representation and the iron-fisted rule of a monarchy and ocean away.
2009 - Protestors mostly unclear why they’re protesting except that it has something to do with socialism and maybe fascism, but not sure how.

1773 - Some protestors disguise themselves as Indians to deflect potential legal repercussions from themselves onto an oppressed minority.
2009 - Some protestors dress as Indians because they don’t understand the bigotry behind the original motivation for the  Indian garb worn by some Boston Tea Party participants.

1773 – Colonial leaders know the gravity of their situation and understand that their actions will likely be met with serious consequences.
2009 – Any real impact or important message is lost in the snickering of pretty much everyone because of the use of the term “teabagging.”

1773 - Word of the protest and the monarchy’s extreme reaction gets out in a few weeks to other colonies and the American Revolution is under way.
2009 - Minute-by-minute coverage of the non-event fills the airwaves, cable news, and the Internet for endless hours.  Almost everyone loses interest by the close of the day.

It might have been much more effective to mirror a different tea party to draw attention to the current situation.

Wonderland – Alice sits, uninvited, at a tea table after a long and tiring adventure only to find it occupied by three psychotic characters. She attempts to apply logic to the insane jabbering of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare. Gives up. Leaves.
2009 – Obama brings to the table exactly what he promised during an extremely long and tiresome election only to find it dominated by the same jabbering, psychotic characters who opposed his presidency on unclear grounds all along. He tries to use logic to reason with the loudest opposing voices…

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