Extremely Racialized Language and Memes in the Teabagger Movement

Are Teabaggers racists? As usual, it’s an interesting question.

Teabaggers are just Republicans. 8

I’ve known quite a few California Republicans, and not all are racists. Out here they are more about hatred of government and liberals than about race. California Republicans have close friends, date and even marry people of other races. It’s often a White Republican male marrying an Asian (often Republican) male. I’ve known young Republican males who openly dated Black women.

Many of these people would support the Teabaggers, and some were so nuts they would probably go to their rallies.

So the situation is complicated.

Nevertheless, I am on the list for a major Teabagger mailing list. The list owner is the founder and owner of one of the larger Teabagger groups (something like Teaparty USA). Anyway, I get this guy’s mails on a regular basis.

I must say, in all of my years following US politics, I have never seen such blatant racial language, imagery and code words used by any major US political movement. The racial language in these mails is palpable, open, obvious, and clear. It’s actually pretty shocking in the context of US politics.

TEA PARTY PEOPLE DON’T ACT LIKE THE BLACKS DID IN PHILADELPHIA, DETROIT AND WATTS IN THE 1960’s!

Whoa! That’s the headline of a recent Teabagger mail to me. Included was an ad for the Glenn Beck Show. Beck’s racial language these days is really shocking. I swear he sounds more like a White nationalist every day. He’s using the language, imagery and tone of the White nationalist movement on his program regularly. What’s he trying to do?

VOTE EVERY “BABY KILLING” DEMOCRAT OUT OF OFFICE IN 2010, 2011, 2012..MOST DEMOCRATS ARE LIBERALS, JEWS, RACISTS, pro welfare BLACKS AND IDIOTS!..DOES NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE HE’S OR SHE’S…DOES NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE BLACK, WHITE, YELLOW, PINK OR BLUE…DOES NOT MATTER IF THEY ARE CHRISTIANS, JEWS OR…

This one is even worse. Note the anti-Semitism and racism, followed by projection of racism onto non-racist Democrats, followed by the denial of the racism and anti-Semitism later on.

This is pretty typical.

One day I will get a blatantly anti-Semitic email, then the next day, I get a mail accusing Obama of being an anti-Semite for selling out Israel. I get a racist email bashing Blacks, then the next day, I get a mail accusing liberals of being the only real racists, and accusing Blacks of being racists. Then it quotes MLK favorably to top things off.

US White racism is a funny beast these days. It’s really progressed from the days of Bull Connor.

Christians against Abortion; Black Politicians Racists?; Anti-Obama Care; Anti-Give Away to BUMS; Abortion & The Bible; We The People Michigan; Tea Party – Michigan+; Free Speech, 1st Amend; Fire OBAMA & Congress; Election Fraud; Don’t Trust Obama; Discrimination on Race; Free Speech,1st Amendment; Against Welfare 4 Immigrants; Against Welfare Fraud; American 4 Tax Reform; Angry White America; Anti-Give Away to BUMS; Anti-Socialism-Racism; Get BUMS off Welfare; Fleecing White America; Fleecing of America; Fed up with Barack Obama; Fair Reporting; Equal Rights & Social Justice; End Slavery Taxes; End Affirmative Action; Defeat Amnesty

Those are some of their affiliated grouplets.

The Michigan groups are heavily involved with the Michigan Militia movement.

Note that they are calling all Black politicians racists.

Anti-give away to bums means anti-giveaway to Black bums.

Note the strong Christian fundamentalist and anti-abortion sentiment. This runs through all Teabagger posts.

Election fraud means that Obama is not an American, therefore he has no right to be President.

Discrimination on race means discrimination against Whites, the only kind of discrimination these guys care about. The implication, taken straight from the White nationalist playbook, is that all discrimination against non-Whites is over now, and the only remaining discrimination is against the majority.

The anti-tax rhetoric runs through all this stuff. It’s tied in with the anti-Black and anti-immigrant stuff. White tax dollars are going to Blacks and Browns, who don’t deserve it. That’s the subtext.

Note the calls to get rid of affirmative action. That’s not racist per se of course, but in the midst of all this stuff, it’s just one more piece of the puzzle.

Note the attacks on the media. The media is run by liberals, supposedly. No matter how rightwing the media is, it’s never far right enough for Republicans, who keep calling the media liberal in order to keep moving the goalposts and pushing the media further to the Right.

Equal Rights and Social Justice

It appears that White Politicians must look after all the voters but there seems to be a different set of rules for Black and Latino Politicians.

I noticed that retired Florida Senator Mel Martinez did little to nothing about all the illegal immigrants in Florida, the same Martinez retired the day after he voted for Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor, also Latino.

What I want to know as a White American Citizen is how do I know that Francisco Rodriguez, running for Florida State House, District 83 or Marco Rubio running for Florida State Senate will look after “All the People”?

I know these are sensitive questions, but they must be asked. These Politicians must be held accountable for their promises while campaigning and stop the lying to get elected!

Thank you, The Christian Patriot from Florida. April 10, 2010.

Whoa! That’s some pretty racialized language against Latinos!

What’s interesting about Teabagger mails is that there are many open references to White Americans. In US politics, that’s usually beyond the pale.

Equal rights and social justice is a play on the use of those terms by the Left. These guys are for equal rights and social justice, but only for Whites. They’re also implying that there no longer exists equal rights or social justice for White Americans. That language is from White nationalism.

THE “N” WORD IS WRONG, JUST LIKE THE HONKY WORD AND WHITE DEVILS WORD IS WRONG!

MAYBE WHITE AMERICA IS TIRED OF PAYING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND WELFARE, TIRED OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION, TIRED OF ALL BLACK COLLEGES, ALL BLACK NEWSPAPERS, ALL BLACK UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND, THE NAACP, RACIAL AGITATORS JACKSON, SHARPTON AND WRIGHT?

Maybe White America is very unhappy with the Democratic Party forcing them to support illegal immigrants so that the Democrats get the Latino vote?

WHITE AMERICA MAY BE TIRED OF CAREER BUMS ON WELFARE FOR 50 YEARS OR MAYBE THEY ARE TIRED OF PAYING FOR OTHERS PEOPLES REPRODUCTION ACTS?

Maybe White America is tired of all the Black violence and crime?

MAYBE WHITE AMERICA IS TIRED BECAUSE PRESIDENT OBAMA AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER, BOTH BLACK, DID NOT PROSECUTE THE BLACK PANTHERS FOR BREAKING VOTING LAW ON ELECTION DAY, NOVEMBER, 2008…WHEN ARE THESE TWO POWERFUL BLACK MEN GOING TO END AFFIRMATIVE ACTION?

MAYBE THESE ARE REASONS THAT THESE THREE BLACK CONGRESSMEN ALLEGEDLY HEARD THE “N” WORD!

Whoa! That’s some really racialized language! Darn. I can’t remember the last time I saw that coming out of any major US political movement. That sounds like it’s copied from the commenters at American Renaissance .

American racism has moved way beyond Nordicism. The guy who sends me that stuff is an Italian guy from Florida.

The Teabagger movement is more about US White politics versus US Hispanic or Black politics. As such, they are dying for Black traitors to go to their racist parties and line up behind this White racist movement. There have always been Blacks who were willing to sell out their race and line up with the enemy.

Less ferocious forms of White racism (less virulent than say Jim Crow, segregation or slavery) use anti-Black Blacks to further the White racist project. In this way, they don’t hate all Blacks per se, and the racist nature of the project becomes foggy and hard to see.

All in all, based on the extremely racialized language they are using (shocking in the context of a major US political movement), I must say that this is one of the most openly and virulently White racist major US political movements I’ve seen in a long time. By virulent I do not mean to equate them with segregationists, slavers or Jim Crow folks. US White racism has moved beyond that for the most part and has evolved into a more benign, though still very racist, movement.

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25 thoughts on “Extremely Racialized Language and Memes in the Teabagger Movement”

  1. Disgusting.

    I’m glad Apple decided to pull their ads from Fox News due to Beck’s comments. Starting with the Bush era, this country has become more polarized than I remember in my 33 years.

    1. Yeah, I don’t like to promiscuously throw the racist word around, but you know, sometimes the shoe fits and you just need to call a spade a spade.

      US White racism is pretty sophisticated stuff anymore. It’s sneaky and devious and hides its motives a lot. It also claims to be anti-racist and accuses antis of being racists. All pretty weird psychological stuff going on there.

      Anyway, I would say that this movement is hostile to US Blacks and Browns politically. I don’t think Blacks and Hispanics should be supporting these guys, no matter what their politics are. No sense in supporting your enemies.

      1. Did you ever see that image of the black teabagger carrying a pistol and assault rifle outside of an Obama speech in Arizona?

        http://www.thepoliticalcesspool.org/jamesedwards/2009/08/18/black-man-shows-up-at-obama-speech-with-assault-rifle-media-blames-white-people-with-guns/

        These are some surreal times! On one hand I think it’s a healthy development that you start seeing a diversity of political opinion amongst blacks just like you see amongst whites, but I think this dude is taking it a bit far.

  2. lol. According to your logic, when Tom Metzger and Louis Farrakhan loosely collaborated in a “more virulent” age…Louis was doing so as an anti-black black. Ditto Marcus Garvey. (Dis)Honorary Mention to Black nationalist James Meredith, who worked awhile for David Duke.

    And again, Bob,-impossible for Euro-Americans to be acting racially unless they’re anti-wars for the Jews. And Sheldon doesn’t see much of that.

    http://fff.org/comment/com1004i.asp

    “Moreover, the Tea Partiers complaining about too much government say almost nothing about the three murderous wars of empire (Pakistan included) Obama is fighting. He didn’t start them, but anyone who understands the connection between peace, prosperity, and individual freedom should be opposing Obama for the violent occupations and bombings he’s continuing. His Cheneyesque civil-liberties record would also be at the top of the agenda of any genuine movement to roll back government power.”

  3. Dear Robert
    Don’t you wish sometimes that you lived in an all-white country? It would make a lot of things much easier. How can you still refuse to admit that diversity is a curse rather than a blessing.
    Regards. James

    1. There are plenty of countries that are almost entirely white. Russia, Ukraine, Ireland, New Zealand, Argentina, Uruguay, Scotland, Wales, just about all of E. Europe, most of Australia, probably most of Scandinavia outside the couple large cities. Have you considered relocating to one? Didn’t David Duke relocate to Ukraine for that reason? Is there anything stopping you?

      1. This is the thing, though. With diversity comes strife, on all kinds of levels. Isn’t this called “life”?

        I get the point people are trying to make, but I don’t see how any diverse society is going to un-diversify.

      2. This is the thing, though. With diversity comes strife, on all kinds of levels. Isn’t this called “life”?

        I get the point people are trying to make, but I don’t see how any diverse society is going to un-diversify.

        Yeah, I admit that Pandora’s Box has already been opened on that front. While I’m very worried about diversity in western societies, I realize that separation isn’t exactly realistic.

        However, something needs to be done to resolve these conflicts, and anti-racism Robert Jensen style isn’t going to work.

        Closing down immigration and ending foolish attempts at integration would be good ways to reduce the strife. Driving a stake through the heart of PC Cultural Marxism would also be good.

  4. Dear Tulio
    I live in Canada. I have no animosity toward any race. I was merely pointing out that racial diversity, or any other type of diversity, is not a blessing, as the political correcties so stubbornly insist. Most armed conflicts nowadays ocur within and not between sovereign states, and the cause of over 90% of them is diversity of some sort. Long live homogeneity.
    Regards. James

  5. Hey Robert, I thought the Tea Party was pro-Jew, pro-Zionist. Yet they sent out a letter that mentions the word “Jew”?

    1. Yeah, that was actually kind of an anti-Semitic letter I got from them.

      But then a few letters later, they bashed Obama as an anti-Semite for being too hard on Israel.

      Weird.

  6. To Alpha Unit:

    I get the point people are trying to make, but I don’t see how any diverse society is going to un-diversify.

    Unfortunately there are numerous examples in the last 70 years. Ethnic cleansing of Jews and Gypsies in Central and Eastern Europe. Expulsion of Germans from Eastern European countries at the end of WWII. Partition of British India into Pakistan and India. Formation of Singapore. Expulsion of Asian Indians from Uganda (and other African countries..) Dissolution of the former Soviet Union along ethnic lines. Dissolution of the former Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. Dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The foundation of many conflicts in Africa are predominantly ethnically based.

    1. I know exactly what you mean by this. An attempt to un-diversify a society is known otherwise as “war.”

      1. Hey, no one said it was going to be easy.

        Of course, I think there are much better ways to un-diversify societies. It doesn’t necessarily have to come to war.

        However, in order to find these solutions, we have to cut all of the anti-racist (as in the Robert Jensen sense, not the Robert Lindsay sense) and PC cultural Marxism crap.

      2. Bay Area Guy, I’m not entirely sure what your philosophy is. Are you a white nationalist? A racist? A separatist? Segregationist?

        When you say you want to “un-diversify” the country, what does that mean exactly? Are you wanting an America that’s completely white? Are you looking to break the U.S. into separate racial territories?

        What do you think about having a black president? Or interracial friendships and marriages? I’m having a hard time pinning down your position on race.

      3. Tulio, since you’re wondering where exactly I stand, I’ll tell you.

        I am a white advocate, which is different from a white nationalist. White nationalists seek to completely redraw territorial boundaries and espouse racist science. They believe in the genetic inferiority of non-whites and many adopt this whole notion of “pure races.” They simply despise those not like them.

        White advocates, on the other hand, simply fight on behalf of whites. After all, since I’m white, why shouldn’t I fight for whites and be pro-white? How can I not be pro-myself?

        As a result, I am strongly opposed to large scale non-white immigration, government attempts at integration (ie. diversity training, busing, etc). I’m also opposed to he prevailing notion in academia and much of the media that whites are the bane of the world, and that everything will be so much better after we become a powerless minority or go extinct. I’m certainly not looking forward to the day we become a powerless minority.

        And on a non-race relations note, I believe in purging the white community of its ills and vices (though that’s another debate for another time).

        Of course, I’m a “racist,” since I’m pro-white and am opposed to the displacement of whites. Heck, according to anti-racists, all whites are racist and participating in oppression (and I’m not calling you a radical anti-racist).

        When you say you want to “un-diversify” the country, what does that mean exactly? Are you wanting an America that’s completely white? Are you looking to break the U.S. into separate racial territories?

        What I mean is that this nation needs to cut off most 3rd world immigration. What I mean is that government attempts at integration and forced mixing need to be abandoned. What I mean is that whites need to stop wallowing in self-loathing and take pride in the west again.

        While I find separation and partition unrealistic and potentially problematic, I am not beyond endorsing separation as a solution. Of course, I don’t want to make America an all white nation, because the only way to do that would be through war, genocide, or forced deportation. However, I’m willing to work with separation.

        What do you think about having a black president? Or interracial friendships and marriages? I’m having a hard time pinning down your position on race.

        I’m not necessarily opposed to these changes themselves, but rather the way people push them.

        While I’m no fan of his policies, I have no problem with Barack Obama, whether it’s Barack Obama the individual or Barack Obama the president.

        However, when I hear that Obama “represents the new America” and when I heard most of my fellow young people drooling over him, I couldn’t help but feel insulted. I could say the same about peoples’ romanticization with interracial marriages and mixed race kids.

        In other words, when people talk about how wonderful race mixing is, or how Obama represents the “new America,” they’re basically happily anticipating the demise of guys like me. When people say we should “embrace diversity,” all they’re really saying is that there needs to be fewer whites. After all, whites are not considered diverse.

        So why should I embrace diversity? Since I’m not invited to the diversity party, why should I accept these egalitarian and leftists beliefs on race?

        I don’t say this as some sheltered white kid living in Oregon who has never left his bubble. I came of age in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 21st Century, and many, if not most of my friends and acquaintances were/are non-white. In high school, I was the only white guy in my friend group.

        In many ways, being a white minority heightened my racial consciousness and led me to embrace white advocacy and ethnocentrism. As Robert once said, white ethnocentrism feels so much better than self-hatred!

        I’ve witnessed first hand the conflict that too much diversity invites. I had a minor taste of what would happen to whites should we become a powerless minority.

        In conclusion, I’m not a genocidal segregationist who wishes to relegate blacks to the back of the bus and forcibly drive everyone out.

        I simply care about my people and am worried about their future.

      4. Thanks for being understanding about it. I admit that my position is very complex and it provokes some angry reactions (I was branded a white supremacist over at Abagond, which is why I left, seeing that any future debates would do little more than devolve into insults and fiery rhetoric).

        To clarify, I am not completely opposed to integration or harmony. However, if I am to embrace those ideals, then the radical anti-racists and PC cultural Marxists will have to cut their crap.

        Attempts at reconciliation have to respect all sides, and not just involve non-whites and anti-racists lecturing whites in a condescending manner.

        I hope I’ve better clarified my position. You at least seem to understand where I’m coming from.

      5. I doubt that the radical anti-racists and PC Cultural Marxists are going to “cut their crap.” I don’t know why you would place so much emphasis on what they say and do instead of simply arranging your life to your own liking.

      6. I don’t know why you would place so much emphasis on what they say and do instead of simply arranging your life to your own liking.

        Well, what exactly would you have me do? The only way to avoid these people and their influence is to create an unrealistic bubble for myself. So, are you saying I should separate myself from the world? How exactly should I arrange my life to my own liking?

      7. Maybe you’ll have to separate yourself to a certain degree, if you expect to have any peace of mind and not fret all the time over cultural Marxists, Tim Wise, Robert Jensen, and the like.

        Waiting for other people to cut their crap can be a losing proposition. Your own satisfaction in life can’t depend on that.

      8. Waiting for other people to cut their crap can be a losing proposition. Your own satisfaction in life can’t depend on that.

        You’re absolutely right. Wallowing in anger and frustration hurts nobody except myself.

        However, I hardly think that people like me are absolutely powerless when it comes to guys like Jensen and Wise.

        We can educate our people and inoculate them against the venom of the far left, and we can make efforts to get more people like us in the media and academia.

        But you’re right. Ultimately, we are responsible for our own lives, and all we can really do is focus on ourselves.

  7. To Alpha Unit:

    I know exactly what you mean by this. An attempt to un-diversify a society is known otherwise as “war.”

    In many cases yes but not so with the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. For much of the Former (with the major exception of Chechnya..) Soviet Union, the formation of Singapore, and the partition of India, there was some violence but it did escalate to full blown warfare.

  8. Pretty ignorant and misleading “writings.” You portray the Republican Party as “racists,” while failing to point out the fact, there is much supporting documention to back up the fact the Obama’s are the most racist couple ever to occupy the White House. You also fail to mention facts that the Democratic Party has a long and traditonal history of Racism. The KKK was a Wing of the Democratic Party. Do you want to try and re-write this fact our of American History? The KKK hung 4,500 innocent Americans. 1,300 of those lynched were White Republicans. Why were they murdered? The Democrats called them “radicals” becaue they were figting for the Equal Rights of Balcks and minorities. The Docratic Party started the Civil War and killed for the right to keep slavery legal. Abe Lincoln was a “radical Republican” according to Democrats. It took the Democratic Party well over a full decade to elect a Black person to Congress…after the Republicans by that time had already elected over 130 Black Republican Members to Congress. Civil Rights Act? Penned by a Republican, which 80% of Democrats Voted AGAINST. Martin Luther King? A Republican killed by a Democrat. Abe Lincoln? Mudered by a Democrat. Reagan? Shot by a Democrat. Both the Kennendy’s (JFK is the only Democrat who could remotely be called a decent President) who were Democrats? Both shot and killed by a registered Democrats. Serial Racists such as Louis Farrakan, Michael “Moore Lies,” The “Reverends of Racism” Wright, Sharpten, Jesse Jackson, Farrakan…all Democrats. You can continue to be in denial and play the “blame game” as to which “party” is the party of racism and racial divide, but clearly, any student of American History and Politics knows the truth does not lie…DEMONcrats have made a living off of Racial Divide….

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