books with friends, commuting with tea partiers

[anotheranon]

Yesterday I had a pleasant catchup with dustdaughter over lunch. We chatted books and exchanged a few as well, and she was kind enough to accompany my getting lost in a nearby used book store - anyplace with outdoor shelves that say "everything for $2" is like a magnet :P

Like many of the liberal persuasion I enjoyed a few appalled and spiteful yuks at a Tea Partier's guide to DC, but didn't actually expect to run into any given that we were meeting well outside the safe zone. Nonetheless I found myself in a packed metro train full of them on the way home, with ample chance to observe.

Not much to see, really. On the whole they didn't seem any more or less tired, sweaty, and eager to get to their destinations than anyone else. Lots of American flag paraphernalia - t-shirts, folding chairs (! isn't it unpatriotic to sit on the flag?), mini-flags used as hair sticks, the odd pro-life button or large crucifix. The "restoring honor" shirts with the Founding Fathers on them bewildered me - whose "honor" is being restored, and was it really ever lost in the first place? I gather that Glenn Beck holding it at the Lincoln Memorial was an attempt to ride the civil rights movement's coattails which is laughable, but Beck is a blowhard - who knows if he actually believes the bilge he spouts?

Nah, the overall impression I got of my fellow commuters (sartorially, at least) was that they feel threatened in some way, and have something to prove re: patriotism/"Real American"ism. If the writer of the tea partier's guide linked above is representative there's a lot of fear of change and those different from themselves. What a sad, defensive way to view the world.

When I was finally able to sit I read "Girl Genius" and didn't pay them much mind - I reckon they'd be far more afraid of a liberal, feminist, bisexual agnostic than I could ever be of them.

Comments

[semmie17.livejournal.com]

How accurate was the Tea Partier's guide to "safe zones" etc? I'm not naive enough to think that every city is safe -- I feel comfortable in San Francisco, but not in South Oakland or Hayward, etc. Canton, OH, has been described as not being a "safe" city, but to me it looks awfully ordinary and middle/working class. Aberdeen has no ghetto to speak of, and no street people (too damn cold!). I've been mugged and accosted, so I know it can happen.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

The Tea partiers guide is partly racist (most of the areas decreed "no go" are minority white) and also terrifically out of date (I'm thinking particularly Prince George's county and U Street, though all of NW has been considered safe the whole time I've lived here). Those who get into town more often than I do might be able to be more specific.

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

The one thing I can say, is that the ones I encountered were fairly well behaved. Clueless as to the ways of Metro but all in all kept to themselves and didn't cause any more problems than any other horde of tourists. I wish I could say the same about their beliefs.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I echo you on the clueless Metro riders, but that's to be expected of anyone from out of town.

Didn't really speak to or overhear anything annoying, though I found the ubiquitous flag-wrapping of everything on their person kind of jarring.

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

Especially when you consider the flag rules.

From the little I saw on Sat., I got the sense that too many of the people involved didn't truly understand American History or flag rules. And they act the arbiters of both. The ignorance and arrogance makes me shudder.

I kept my head down and mouth shut because I wasn't certain I'd be able to keep the snark in control.

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I am learning to keep my own snark in check. I think maybe I'm finally realizing that my "itching for a fight with conservatives" is just me wanting to be right, dammit, and I'm not going to convince anyone of anything by starting something.

I admit I may have been prejudging (see my reply to fearga downthread), but one of the things I may not have made clear in my post was just how non-confrontational the actions of the people on my train, no matter the flinch-worthy flag-wrapping.

[fearga.livejournal.com]

I think, perhaps, if you had engaged all these "other" folks, you would have had some interesting and friendly conversation. I'm struck by how much you define them as "other", "threatened" "fearful" and "defensive" without making any attempt to find out if that was actually the case--you judged, without actually knowing anything about them, really. They're just "other"....so just ignore them.
Really? It was a pretty cool event, celebrating MLK's legacy & those who have served in the military, and the unique history of the USA, hence the flags. A bit too religious for me, as I'm agnostic as well, but I have no issue with people wanting to celebrate their religion. And MLK's niece gave a pretty inspiring speech. What's wrong with that?

[anotheranon.livejournal.com]

I think, perhaps, if you had engaged all these "other" folks, you would have had some interesting and friendly conversation.

As a general rule, I try not to talk to anyone on public transport. Most people are just trying to get from A to B and don't seem to want to engage. A couple of people did ask me about metro stops and I tried to tell them what train to get.

I will admit I may have prejudged any visiting tea partiers based on the rhetoric spouted by Beck and Palin, who I perceive to be stupid at best, inflammatory at worst - I fail to see the appeal of going to an event featuring either one of them, and it does make me wonder about those who find their rhetoric appealing. For all I know though, maybe many of the attendees just saw it as a nice day in the park with likeminded folk.

If they were genuinely celebrating MLK's legacy and honoring the military, good on them, but I am skeptical given the speakers. Perhaps you can explain to me?