April 15, 2009
Underneath The Tea
I don’t know. There are all kinds of seductive symbolic elements (hammers-and-sickles, U.S. flags, Hitlers, pigs, Uncle Sams, Indians, Alfred E. Nuemans, George Washingtons, cows, underdraws, Don’t Tread On Me flags, tea bags — of course) running through today’s tea party protests. It’s just hard for me to look at it that seriously. …In my mind, it’s like going back and analyzing those Sara Palin election hate-fests rallies (well documented by Chin’s slideshow from Hershey and Shippensburg.)
If one image did draw me in, however, it was this one.
What it captures for me, in this woman’s “crest fallen” version of an anti-tax/anti-Obama/anti-Government/anti-bailout/anti-(fill in the blank) Lady Liberty, is that Americans truly are hurting, angry and depressed … and thus ripe for such cheap exploitation.
(image: Scott Olson/Getty Images. caption: Nancy Thorner, dressed as Lady Liberty, participates in a Tea Party protest at the Federal Building Plaza April 15, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois. Tea Party protests calling for an end to corporate bailouts and excess government spending were held in cities nationwide today, the day American citizens must file their annual income taxes with the federal government)
13 Comments Leave a comment
jtfromBC said:
I am ‘your tired’….
Nancy Thorner bears a striking resemblence to Mother Therese “I feel just that terrible pain of loss, of God (USA) not wanting me, of God (USA) not being God (USA), of God (USA) not really existing.”
Victor F said:
In my old college town, right after new years day up until the tax due date, local tax companies would hire people to stand outside next to the street in Lady Liberty costumes, waving placards advertising their companies. I forget the names of their companies.
The whole idea of these “anti-tax parties” is ridiculous, ill-informed, and fake. It shows how exhausted, physically and mentally, the Republican party is, and so does this picture. This lady looks old enough to receive a Social Security pension and government health care support. The state of her costume might be misrepresentative of her income but it certainly doesn’t look like she has the money required to be adversely affected by the current tax rates. Most of these people are being played as pawns by the rich, whose interests are already over-represented in congress. When the proles and the bourgeoisie become advocates for the aristocracy, there must be something amiss.
What freedoms have these people lost? What rights have now been revoked that they used to have last November? It is simultaneously scary, sad and hilarious to see how the insane Republicans are exposing themselves because they lost a couple elections. They used to complain that the Democrats were led by extreme, out-of-touch leftists, didn’t they? Will they turn that criticism towards their own situation?
paulo said:
Sad she wasn’t willing to wear it when her government was torturing people. But I guess when you’re talking money you’re talking real agony.
echo said:
jtfromBC, brevity is the soul of wit.
Extremely well played.
DanM said:
I wonder how she felt when she was told that it’s a French statue.
CatStaff said:
“Americans truly are hurting, angry and depressed …”
Welcome to my world of 2000-2008. Trying to recall how much Republicans cared.
Robin said:
I find it saddening that true journalism has been lost. The ethics of unbiased, fact-based journalism have been replaced by opinionated rubbish that people believe to be the truth because it’s what is being shoved down their throats by the liberal media. I don’t care whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, your political views should not spew over into your reporting. If you find that you’re unable to resist the urge, then it would probably be a good time to seek a career in another field.
Rima said:
Limp, wilted, depleted…it’s not easy bein’ green.
Hariman said:
My first, second, and third reactions to the Tea Party photos were that these people are dangerous nut jobs. I was especially appalled by those comparing Obama to Hitler–and I’d bet the farm that they would be the first in line if another Hitler were handing out brown shirts. But then something else began to seep in: I couldn’t help but think how pathetic they were, and how much they have been abandoned and exploited. The photo above–and Michael’s compassionate reading–leads me further down that road. We don’t all have to go there, but I’m glad to have been pointed in that direction.
Hermetically Sealed said:
“In my mind, it’s like going back and analyzing those Sara Palin election hate-fests rallies…”
Of course… and that’s because a large percentage of those “teabaggers” are also those very same Palinites.
DanM said:
…and the rest are Pharisees
vcInCA said:
my reaction to these ‘tea parties’ is not about this photo (i feel OK w/ such given that posts here aren’t always addressing the photo, and are sometimes addressing the events/thoughts, whatever is behind and/or captured in the image).
so, to me, these tea parties seem to be a news construct. i don’t know anyone that is doing such, i hear no murmurs about it/them in my social crowds–its not quite real in my circle of 20-40somethingers connections in the bay area of CA. by real, i mean, ‘ok, maybe somewhere someone is doing this, but its not interesting/engaging enough, and we’re not involved.’ Not to be selfish, but many of my community aren’t rich (or even financially stable/solvent), are paying their taxes, and are completely disengaged with this ‘event’ as it is happening.
to me, this dissonance can be interpreted two ways: first, you can say, well, maybe its just media hype–not big anywhere, but MADE big in the news. not sure if it is or isn’t, but i’m suspicious. second, you can say that this is reporting on ’somewhere else.’ OK, possible, but odd, honestly. financial pinches are hitting everywhere, and if this tea party business is a ‘good’ outlet, expressing what the ‘masses’ feel, then we might expect it to be taken up in areas like the bay area, and its not. so to deal with how populations that are not engaging with this are feeling, maybe what we have here are ppl who are pinched for money, but not ‘blaming’ obama for their taxes, maybe feeling like their taxes serve a purpose, maybe happier that their tax dollars are being spent by this administration, not the last one. maybe this is the counterstory to these tea party folks..
ahpook said:
I’m reminded (as I often am, given my namesake) of William S Burroughs, and this line from his Thanksgiving Prayer
(Thanks) For decent church-goin’ women,
with their mean, pinched, bitter,
evil faces.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8m_J6sXj_0