A few months ago, I saw an article circulating on Facebook about how the left could take a tip or two from the Tea Party movement. As I read the article, I noticed how it was laced with privilege and lack of awareness for the central convictions of the Tea Party Movement and its part in creating the current political realities or surrealities of Trump's administration. It was truly disheartening to hear a similar piece that NPR aired on Thursday morning, "What the left can learn from the Tea Party."
The central point of your piece was how the left can organize as the Tea Party did in order to demand change. At least Mr. Steinhauser acknowledged that the Tea Party was actually following on the left's footsteps in taking to the streets and organizing.
"MARTIN: There's a lot of talk these days about how the Democratic opposition to President Donald Trump is reflecting some of what we saw in the Tea Party movement. Do you see it that way?
STEINHAUSER: I do see reflections of the Tea Party. You know, what's interesting is that we in the Tea Party really borrowed some of the street protests and organizing from the left, with mass rallies, with getting out in the streets, with signs."
Then, Mr. Steinhauser makes his central point:
"But the thing that we did also that I see the left borrowing from us is actually taking that activity and turning it into direct legislative contact in the form of thousands of phone calls and emails and posts on social media."
Separating what the Tea Party did from their central motive is the oppressor paradigm. When you question your own oppressor status or are in a position of being oppressed, you see clearly that separating what was done from why it was done is not an option. The Tea Party's main motive behind their action was "othering" and "scapegoating" to rally people around a central action: oppression. Being that the Tea Party was largely made up of people in the white heteronormative majority of this country, it is easy to forget that their central motive was to further oppress the already marginalized populations of our time. Tea Party members were already predominantly in conscious or unconscious oppressor roles. They were comfortable in being anti-immigrant, anti-Blackness, anti-abortion, anti-diversity, anti-taxes, or whatever anti- was the flavor of their choice.
As a supporter of NPR, I would like to bring to your attention that "othering" for activism is not a pillar of the Left's activism. When you tell the story of activism using only the Tea Party as a teacher for the Left you dismiss all of the other powerful activism that has happened throughout the history of this country, activism not founded on scapegoating the oppressed. Let us not forget the tireless, courageous, and fierce activism of the freedom fighters of the Civil Rights movement, the brave men and women who navigated the underground railroad who were resistors of the horrific system of slavery, the intersectional feminist movements of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and so many more movements started and sustained by the brave marginalized men and women of this country who were willing to risk everything for their right to first-class citizenship. As much as I support NPR and truly value your reporting and reporters, in this case you missed the mark by propping up the Tea Party which epitomizes the standard dominant white male heteronormative culture of oppressive "othering" in the name of activism. When we tell a single narrative such as you have here, you side with the oppressor.
Sincerely,
Patricia C. S.
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