I Will Now Have to Beat Someone with a Privilege Stick

tea bag, tea party, teabagging, privileged, asshat

I would like to preface this by reminding all and sundry that we on the left didn't appropriate the term "teabagger/teabagging" to describe whatever the fuck goes on at odd little protests against ill-defined stuff. Teabaggers were quite proud of their cleverness until someone happened upon a liberal blog and discovered that OMAIGAWD, TEH GAI DOES WHAT?! and hilarity ensued. Of course, it's our fault for being so dirty. And mean. We're very mean. To which I can only say, so long and thanks for all the lulz.

I can understand the teabagger's consternation (actually, both sets. I'm sure people that enjoy the sexual activity of the same name don't like being associated with wingnut asshats), but comparing "teabagger" to "ni**er" is not acceptable, and Jay Nordlinger is an entire fleet of douche canoes for suggesting it.

To “teabag” or not to “teabag”: That is not the most pressing question of these times, but it is a question to consider. Routinely, conservative protesters in the “tea party” movement are called “teabaggers,” and those calling them that do not mean it in a nice way. Many conservatives are mulling what to do about this term: fight it, embrace it, what?

You started calling yourselves that, don't blame us if you opened up a crate of hilarity worms.

Now to the question of what to do. How should conservatives handle this matter? Should we challenge the language, let it slide, adopt it? Many conservatives — most, I would say — are of a mind to fight. According to this point of view, people who use “teabagger” and such should be called on it, especially if they smirk. “What do you mean by that?” one might ask. “What do you mean by ‘teabagger,’ and why do you smirk?” In other words, conservatives want to introduce a little shame. And the responses of liberals could be kind of interesting.

Well, then, don't ask me because I'll actually tell you, then I'll show you how to use Teh Googlez to avoid such hilarity in the future*. Well, maybe not that second part, because I'm a big fan of the Teh Funnee. For the record, I've never smirked about this issue. I laugh right out loud.

What about a special case — the worst word in American English, as some of us see it, namely the N-word? When I was growing up, in Ann Arbor, Mich., there was a little debate: Should school officials try to prevent black students from using the N-word? I don’t believe the issue was ever settled. And this brings up the question of whether “teabagger” could be kind of a conservative N-word: to be used in the family, but radioactive outside the family.

Here's the quick and dirty on such things: do not presume, as a white guy with all the privilege that brings, to come to a decision regarding what minorities may choose to do with epithets aimed their way.

Also, the "n word" has a very long, vile history and has been used for a very long time to oppress a certain minority group, what makes you think that is at all comparable to the sexual slang you chose to label yourself with? Asshat.




*To which I expect fully 1/3 of teabaggers to protest, "But I use AOL!"