don’t entirely disagree on the costumes. There is a place for it, for sure, and I have enjoyed see it myself, but we are in a position to start winning over friends, neighbors and coworkers now, and Beck’s concept that perception will impact our ability to win over non-ideologues is not off base.
I totally disagree on the signs, though. Otherwise, we’re just standing around. What’s the point.
Signs are good...but they should not be misspelled or have poor grammar or express things that can be construed as racist.
And I know it’s a tiny few who have had those signs...but some tea partiers have had those immature signs.
The movement needs to mature. And if you go to a tea party and you see someone with a stupid sign, you need to tell them. You need to say, “You misspelled something.” Or, “Look....that’s over the top.” You need to tell them to lose their signs before they wind up on left-wing media.
As far as dressing up...it works if you are putting together a Youtube video where you speak as a founder...but at a tea party...you are just calling attention to yourself rather than being a member of the crowd.
Catchy signs at Tea Party rallies end up in newspapers, TV, and the internet. The slogans are Tea Party 'talking points. A good slogan will go beyond a rally.
I say keep the signs.
I disagree with Beck that the Tea Party movement needs his or anyone else’s micromanaging! It is an expression of the people, totally organic. Leave it be!
The costumes have been pretty limited, what’s the big deal? They add a lot of festivity to the events and they are particularly wonderful for giving people, especially children, a snapshot of what this is all about and the historical roots of our country and the movement.
Pictures speak louder than words and that’s exactly what happens when a pic of one of these historical characters is broadcast around the world.
Many European articles now refer to the Tea Party movement as including a return to “Americanism.” This understanding, which is accurate and wonderfully named, was conveyed in part by the many American symbols Tea Partiers wove into their events and protests at the truly individual level. Nothing said more about how Americans want a return to Americanism than this.