Hot Tea Or Cold Tea?

[Sovereign]

txen, Dreamwalker: I don't like tea of either the political variety or the beverage variety

Originally Posted by rapunzel77

Sovereign, I couldn't agree more. You bring up an important point concerning the Patriot Act. No one on the "TEA" party side spoke up against it when it came out. Now, they are up in arms afraid of what Obama will do. I know how this sort think. I have a friend of mine who I also work with who is deep in this and other "conspiracy" stuff. She gets herself so worried and paranoid. I think that a lot of this is generated by fear. There has been a great distrust of government for a long time. Many people still haven't forgotten Watergate. Any increase of power in the federal government is seen by some of these people as a very scary thing. Some of them look at what happened in 1933 in Germany and look at what is happening now. Some of these people honestly believe we are on the brink of another "nazi" or "soviet" style dictatorship where they will round up conservatives and Christians with some Jews in some sort of concentration camps and kill them.

A few moderates and quite a few liberals were busy comparing George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping, "free speech zones" and poking around libraries with Stalin, Hitler and other unsavory historical references. They were ignored, called loonies, unpatriotic and worse. The media pretty much pretended they didn't exist.

Now this conservative resurgence appears, and starts fussing? It seems like a case of (admittedly immature) "It's wrong when I disagree." I'm not going after you, rapunzel77, far from it. You're much more level-headed than any of these people. It just irks the heck out of me that any criticism from the "left" is harshly judged (hyperbolic or not), while these right-wingers are somehow given a level of credibility.

Originally Posted by rapunzel77

I know it might sound nutty but there seems to be a real fear of this out there. They feel targeted. Is there fear warranted? Probably not to the degree that they are feeling. The question is, what is to be done about this feeling? Some of Obama's advisors have said some very odd and nutty things off the record that has got many people frightened.

What, exactly has been said? I'm not going to deny things were said because I don't know what item(s) might have caused such a reaction in the first place. If you find any, please post them so I can do my usual fact-check (to make sure it's not more Tea Party fear-spin). This is legitimate (insofar as there may be actual statements and/or false information) since if someone honestly doesn't know whether something was said, the natural response to crazy is more crazy.

However, if they're feeling targeted because they're suddenly in the minority in terms of political power since the GOP was swept out (the Tea Party is generally whiter, older, more Christian and more conservative than the country as a whole), boo f---ing hoo. I'm sorry, but if this is simply a reaction to losing an election (which I doubt it is, but I'm sure it's part of the reason), deal with it. You don't win all the time. Those who beat their chests over how "This is a Christian nation" and what-have you need to realize that if this nation really existed in the image they've built in their heads, these electoral losses wouldn't happen because the majority would stop it.

Originally Posted by rapunzel77

It seems to look like, from certain corners, that Obama is after the conservatives and some Christians. At least, this is the thinking. I don't personally believe this but this is what I am hearing from some people.

Again, I wish to ask them why they feel "targeted." If it's because, essentially, their views are not in the majority in the halls of power, boo hoo. You lost. Now convince us why you deserve a shot at power. This is similar to what the Democrats were told by the same conservative chest-thumpers ("This is a conservative nation, deal with it"). If they think they somehow deserve special treatment (i.e. free shots at the Democratic President while holding attacking the Republican President was wrong), they're still being illogical.

Obama has not taken anyone's guns away. In fact, I don't think the Obama administration has made an issue out of gun control at all. For those who fear the nation is "slipping morally" because of things happening which disagree with your morals, this again brings up the "deal with it" line. Politics is a marketplace of ideas. If your product is being left on the shelf, you can't march people in at gunpoint to increase sales, or intimidate them into buying. You have to convince them using reason, rationality, and a little emotion.

I have to stress again rapunzel77, I'm not attacking you. I'm just sick of these crybaby types who feel like "someone's out to get me" because we have a black, liberal President. Fear begets more fear, and in that fear they find justification. It's just like the few liberals who were saying the world would end because of Bush.

I've heard so much about the sky falling from all sides that until a piece of it hits me on the head, I'm not even going to bother looking up. I know this fear is out there, but I don't get it. It makes no sense to me. What mental processes do these people go through? Where do they get their information?