Tim Wise: Imagine if the Tea Party was Black

[ProSense]

Tim Wise: Imagine if the Tea Party was Black

by gatorbot

Tim Wise has penned a useful thought experiment: "Imagine if the Tea Party was Black". From the piece:

Imagine that hundreds of black protesters were to descend upon Washington DC . . . armed with AK-47s, assorted handguns, and ammunition. And imagine that some of these protesters —the black protesters — spoke of the need for political revolution, and possibly even armed conflict in the event that laws they didn’t like were enforced by the government? Would these protester — these black protesters with guns — be seen as brave defenders of the Second Amendment, or would they be viewed by most whites as a danger to the republic?

Wise continues to imagine what would happen if black protesters surrounded and intimidated white Congresspersons. He imagines if a famous (black) hip hop artist said of a white president, "He’s a piece of shit and I told him to suck on my machine gun." Would Sean Hannity invite that performer onto his show and call him a "friend and frequent guest of the program"?

Wise continues:

Imagine that a black radio host were to suggest that the only way to get promoted in the administration of a white president is by "hating black people," or that a prominent white person had only endorsed a white presidential candidate as an act of racial bonding, or blamed a white president for a fight on a school bus in which a black kid was jumped by two white kids, or said that he wouldn’t want to kill all conservatives, but rather, would like to leave just enough—"living fossils" as he called them—"so we will never forget what these people stood for." After all, these are things that Rush Limbaugh has said, about Barack Obama’s administration, Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama, a fight on a school bus in Belleville, Illinois in which two black kids beat up a white kid, and about liberals, generally.

Marc Ambinder<edit> noted (both new and old media's) growing-consensus adjective for the conservative base in America today (i.e., "epistemic closure"):

It is absolutely a condition of the age of the triumph of conservative personality politics, where entertainers shouting slogans are taken seriously as political actors, and where the incentive structures exist to stomp on dissent and nuance, causing experimental voices to retrench and allowing a lot of people to pretend that the world around them is not changing. The obsession with ACORN, Climategate, death panels, the militarization of rhetoric, Saul Alinsky, Chicago-style politics, that TAXPAYERS will fund the bailout of banks -- these aren't meaningful or interesting or even relevant things to focus on. (The banks will fund their own bailouts.)

I think that Tim Wise's piece more eloquently explains the reason for this "epistemic closure" -- many whites' vision of their race's superiority is severely threatened. Facts will always give way to such deep-seated and long standing racism. Would that Mr. Halperin and other members of the media unapologetically call much of the Tea Party what it is: racist. Of course, then they would have to analyze their double-standard when it comes to protests. For example, just recently thousands of people right here in Seattle rallied for immigration reform, but from my perusal of the tradmed it's as if it never happened. How would CNN cover thousands of white people gathering to protest "socialism"?

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Edit in italics.

[villager]

1. If they were black, then their Fred Hampton would be assassinated by police

n/t

[KT2000]

6. Absolutely!

History has already told that story in horrible detail.

[midnight]

2. Can you imagine?

[FrenchieCat]

3. They'd be so far under the jail,

one would need a shovel to visit.

[The Magistrate]

4. Saw That Movie Forty-Odd Years Ago, Ma'am....

F.B.I. and various local police v. Black Panthers....

[boppers]

5. I thought the same.

They were hunted down and assassinated in many cases.

[The Magistrate]

8. That They Were, Ma'am

One of my two votes ever cast for a local Republican was entered against 'Mad Dog' Eddie Hanrahan, who as a state's attorney arranged the murder of young Mr. Hampton and several others, when some years later he made a run for state-wide office.

[PJPhreak]

7. For a long time I did'nt take the Teabaggers seriously...

And I have NEVER wanted to own a Firearm....Till now.

And this scares the shit outta me,as for the first time in my 51 years on this planet I am beginning to feel the need to start to think of ways to,of all things,defend myself and my family against the possibility of violence from some of my own Countrymen.

I am a Deadhead,Peacenik,a firm believer in 'Be and let Be",My personal creed has been for the last 30 or so years has been "Live Simply so others can Simply live".

Truly,This shit is beginning to scare the Hell outta me.

[political_Dem]

9. Don't you know that is the nightmare of the RNC and their minions?

They're afraid that with a black POTUS, that a "reverse Jim Crow" would happen. The white Teabaggers have demonstrated this fear of being threatened in such a way on their signs and shouts of protest.

In reality, Black folks together and armed with guns would provoke an immediate response by the police in this country. The cops would have this "rally" surrounded and the SWAT teams would be brought out to "stop" the disturbance. The black "Teabaggers" would be shot down to quell the horror and fright of the white populace. Jail would not even be part of the equation. The "opposition" has to be put down for good.

Can't have an armed "revolution" of people of color, can we? The "way of life" must be protected. :sarcasm:

[tblue37]

11. Remember the way Latino protesters were assaulted by cops in riot gear in LA in 2007?

Latinos were protesting for fair immigration reform, and the cops came out in huge numbers, armed to the teeth, and swept through the park, assaulting everyone, including families having picnics:

http://www.rwor.org/a/089/lamayday-en.html

On May 1st this year, immigrants demonstrated across the country demanding an end to the government raids and deportations, and for the legalization of more than 12 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. In Los Angeles, what started as a day when tens of thousands marched in the streets demanding to be treated like human beings ended with the LAPD viciously attacking the thousands of people who attended an afternoon immigration rally at MacArthur Park. Many families with young children, elderly people, and others were in the park when battalions of armed police charged in and brutalized protesters and journalists. TV news crews and photographers captured images of the police swinging their batons near children as their parents shielded them with their own bodies. People were beat right and left with batons. Police pushed street vendors off the sidewalk. The cops shot over 150 rubber bullets into the crowd, injuring numerous people. Many, including a camera woman who suffered a broken wrist after she was pushed down and hit by the police, were taken to a local hospital for treatment.On Youtube.com you can watch news coverage with unedited video footage of the attacks in the local Fox News LA clip called "5-1-07 LAPD ASSAULTS MAY DAY DEMONSTRATORS" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFDNKXJMH9A)

In the hours after the police swept through the park, hundreds of people from the surrounding Pico Union neighborhood came out of their homes and apartment buildings. There were bonfires at an intersection before the police finally dispersed the crowds.

The LAPD rampage against May Day immigrant rights protesters has fueled further outrage at the persecution of immigrants by raids, vigilantes, and police. There is widespread indignation and anger at this unprovoked and inexcusable police attack throughout broad sections of people across society—including Black people and many sections of the middle class. People are asking, “Why did this happen?” and “What can we do about this?”

<snip>

An elderly man from Mexico said, "They were looking for an excuse, they were ready to hurt just about anyone, and they did. came here to protest for the legalization and the police took advantage of that to attack even the reporters. There was no reason for them to do what they did. Nobody thought this was right. Even the white reporters didn't like that the police were just attacking anyone… are afraid. They know that we're not afraid to die and that's why they're attacking us. We're united, and there's a lot of us. I'm not afraid of the police anymore."

<snip>

In other words, when people of color protest, they are violently attacked by the autorities, no matter how peaceful their protests.

[political_Dem]

12. Oh yes, I remember. The LAPD lived up to their reputation that day as SS thugs.

[BeyondGeography]

10. No shit

K&R

[Phx_Dem]

13. They'd be referred to as Black Panthers, and police would be out

in riot gear at all of their rallies. I think we can all agree that the media and Republicans would not be talking about 2nd amendments rights if several hundred blacks showed up at a rally carrying hateful signs and firearms.

[butterfly77]

14. Too bad it took ...

this long for many to even see it..Many still don't but start crying once they think it will something will effect them. Now, teabaggers are upset because they claim that the government isn't fair.

[ProSense]

15. Too many still don't see it.

Pointing out stuff like this upsets them.

[angee_is_mad]

16. They would be called THUGS

and their rallies would be called riots.

Best case scenario when the police see the guns in their belts, they would haul their azzes to jail. A likely scenario would be one of them would be shot because the cop THOUGHT they were being threatened.

[Cha]

17. I guess just old ugly

ignorant White people get away with that. Actually, there're some ignorant young baggers running around all over the country screaming their heads off about absolutely nothing.