I was taking a look at a Tea Party website here, and I noticed that the banner at the top of the page including a John Trumbull painting (left) that depicts the Founding Fathers in some grandiose, revolutionary scene.
It struck me as a little odd and more than a little pretentious. I then came across a New York Times article here that perfectly and infuriatingly encapsulates every idea I had regarding the use of this painting by the Tea Party.
Despite our cultural, ethnic or religious backgrounds, there is one common mythology that we, as Americans, all share. The Founding Fathers represent the ideals upon which our very way of living is based. It is by no means perfect, but the imperfection, the clash of ideas and ideals that occurred at that time, has sustained the myth and aided in it's timelessness.
I find it somewhat sacrilegious for any political group to attempt to connect itself to this American myth as a way to further the group's agenda. It's reminiscent of the religious extremist that invokes "God" to justify imposing fundamentalist views on others.
It is the height of presumptuousness to claim a unique connection to a myth or a God, or anything that should be kept above the mortal din. Here's an extreme example from Rick Barber, a conservative Republican running for Congress in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District...
If it wasn't so silly and melodramatic, it would be scary. Almost as scary as it would be if he's elected.
This whole Tea Party thing makes me very uncomfortable. Why is this country so far to the right or left? Does anyone know how to compromise? Some people are not satisfied unless a witch is being burned at the stake. This holier than thou bologna is stifling and scary. P.S. I thought the Tea Party resulted from unfair taxes imposed on colonists without fair representation in Parliament. That being said, I am a bit confused. At what point did the Tea Party begin representing extremist views on social issues?
ReplyDeleteHere, here. This country needs to take a breath and make rational decisions. By following the latest political fad, we are just spinning wheels. Hard work made this country what it is, not fanaticism.
ReplyDeleteLizzardo - Thats a good point. The original Tea Party was as a manifestation of a real injustice, the whole "taxation without representation" deal. I think its disingenuous of the current Tea Party to adopt the name, as the current Tea Party is governed by those who were chosen by an electorate of which they are a part. Majority rules. And although, yes, the Tea Party claims to be a group concerned only with fiscal responsibility, it isn't hard to see a thinly veiled extremism on social issues.
ReplyDelete