A Case for Teabagger.
(Moved from "Community Talkers) - http://thenewstalkers.com/group/the-newstalkers-community-group/forum/topics/a-case-for-teabagger
To start this out, allow me to quote the from the lexicographers at Oxford University, home of the quintessential Oxford Dictionary, which is the standard-bearer for the English language;
It should be noted that the term "teabagger" appears on Oxford's list because of the usage cited on that list, not because of any other meaning. Citations for the political sense were found in a number of legitimate sources throughout the year. As a reference to members of the currently active Tea Party, the word has been used in speech and print by both liberals and conservatives. In this context, the term "teabagger" is a reasonably conceived informal name for an affiliate of the Tea Party, and as a word in the news, it earned a mention for the year 2009.
Having deliberated carefully over the word-usage evidence, Oxford's lexicographers are confident in their judgment that "teabagger" the political term stands distinctly apart from "teabagger" the vulgar term" . - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/18/teabagger-added-to-oxford_n_362504.html
This alone gives credence to the word, which is used disparagingly and derogatorily to describe members of the tea party. The word teabagger, was used by tea party members to describe themselves, prior to discovery that the word had another meaning.
The etymology of the word teabagger, within its political context and as a derisive term for the tea party, has been so frequently used by the public, it has reached a point where the word has not only become colloquial but has worked its way into informal and formal discourse. To wit;
Flashback: Obama mocks Teabaggers Fox Nation
Senator Barbara Mikulski Calls Cruz Supporters 'Teabaggers ' Breitbart
Elected Teabaggers Astonished That Not Everyone Loves Teabaggers Wonkette
Growing number of Republicans fed up with House teabaggers who caused government shutdown Daily Kos
Dem Sen: Cruz Delayed Vote For C.R. Because Of The "Teabaggers In His Tea Party" Real Clear Politics
The Way The Teabaggers Talk There Is No Deal They Will Accept Democratic Underground
Enough with the whining! 'Teabaggers' actually introduced the term they now claim is a slur Crooks and Liars
The Koch Brothers, Superstorm Sandy, and the Teabaggers Buzz Flash
Teabagging Alan Grayson Mother Jones
Maher: Reagan was the original teabagger The Raw Story
Thank a Teabagger OpEdNews
The New Teabagger Line In The Sand: Are You Man Enough To Impeach The Kenyan Interloper? Before Its News
Andrew Jackson, original teabagger Salon
My point is that these are quoted and respected sites and all of them used the word teabagger in the title of their articles and all within the political context of the word teabagger. None of these were censored.
When it comes to the use of vulgar words on this site, I can easily go back and provide a list of other such words, including the word fuck but I lack the time.
While I personally try to avoid the word teabagger (its a bit too provincial for me), censoring its use because of a minority of easily hurt feelings, is still nonetheless PC and goes against the mantra of this site; Speak Your Mind.
I guess that's it.
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I'm glad that AP has published this . The sensibilities of the female NT members was probably the reason for the decision to ban the word from discussions [my best guess ] .
My suggestion to resolve any possible conflict is to capitalize the 1st letter when used to refer to the political entity .Thus "the Teabaggers gathered in Washington DC to protest ___ " is clear in its meaning .
The problem with ALL of the examples you came up with [except Teabaggers] is that the groups referred to do NOT refer to themselves with those terms .
As you will note from the top, I moved the tread out of "Community Talkers" into "Others" at the behest of that groups Admin, as I promised. The entire thread and replies will be deleted from CT by December 14th.
Thanks for asking and for the record, the non-derogatory use of teabagger has already hit mainstream usage. Deal with it.
Fucking Sticks and Teabagging Stones fucking can break my goddamned bones, but panty-waisted words read from a fucking ass computer screen can never fucking harm me, beeatch. As such, say what you want. If you can't control your emotions, that is just fucking too bad.
We now resume are regularly scheduled pontification. Thank you.
Excuse me but you are assuming again. The admin and I discussed this the DAY AFTER I posted this and agreed it was NOT the correct venue. I promised I'd move it in about a month and it is now about a month (+/-). "Other" seems appropriate to me.
To me, this is a dead issue, unless of course the readers here see it otherwise.
Happy Holidays
MiG--
If you can manage to connect 'Teabagger' with "carpet munchers", you're more confused than I thought...
I really like that Bf-- is there a website where Liberal Slut machines and/or Legspreading Marxists hang out? I'd be interested...
Outstanding, MiG... kudos and a tip of the Swami's turban!
Gotta say the whole debate is kind of a storm in a... teabag.
There wasn't a sexual connotation to the term for me-- I'm far enough out 'out of the loop' on sexual slang terminologythat I'd never heard 'teabagger' B4 the TeaFarty foistedit on themselves (wasn't hip to 'superman' either). Therefore I don't associate 'Teabagger' with some type of 'unusual' sexual behavior, but rather with a peculiar political aberration.
I'd agree with Aeon (and Brolly) that the issue is PC run rampant (and I find it totally ironic that JR weighs in on this one in view of the shit-storms he's been involved in over 'politically correct' speech/topics...)
But hey, far be it from me to derogate TeaFarty supporters by tossing out a label that they now find offensive... how about "Kochsuckers" instead?
Let's all join hands a sing a few verses of Kumbaya.
The real crux of this debate is allaboutwhether 'insult' or 'disrespect' can be 'policed out' of social media interactions (or anywhere else for that matter). I simply don't believe that's even possible, and I'm notconvinced that such a policy is really desireable if it could be done. "Ugly talk" is an expression of "ugly emotion", and whether we like it or not, ugly emotions are part of the human condition;that 'ugly' sidedoesn't really 'go away' by ruling that some word or phrase is beyond the pale. All that happens is that folks become more inventive at expressing insult or disrespect in ways that don't 'break the code'.
"Fuck you"-- not OK (Comment removed for CoC violation, then restored. I know it was satire, but it is awfully close to the edge... MTM); "Fuck people like you"-- oooh, that's much better
"You're an asshole"-- not OK; "That's an asshole opinion"-- well that's not 'personal'
I checked into a few rounds of dialogue between John Russell & various NA posters in what I think of as "The Irish & Indian Wars", and there was a plethora of personal insults, derogation and disrespect, all of which was A-OK...
I was going to ask that same question... then thought it was some kind of lingo on the order of lol, so I just left it alone...
lol:If you want to call someone a Teabagger fine, but don't complain when they call you a liberal cum dumpster.
Liberty: Keep it if you can.
Tnx Bf. The most humorous part for me is that TeaParty supporters/teabaggers/Teabaggers/whoever-the-fuck-they are,always rant about 'the nanny state', and here we are... fifty or more pages of Meta commentary to try and establish 'nanny state NT'
I think an important aspect of the whole debate is about people's frustration tolerance during discussion. Everyone, whether liberal, conservative, or gay or straight or whatever-- everyone is subject to frustration in dialogue w/ folks who disagree, and we reach a point where that frustration begets disrespect and then insult. Yeah, 'tit for tat' exchange is usually pointless (and usually gets boring after a couple of lines), but constant tail-chasing and debate about how to keep A from insulting B and hurting somebody's feelings is about equally pointless.
If someone wants/needs/chooses to display disrespect and insult, they'll find a way to do it... people are clever.
My problem with all of this foolishness is answering the question, "Where does it stop?"
People can be offended by virtually anything: Sexual references, the political leaning of a tree, whether you eat at McDonalds, but in general, the rules for polite engagement make for more productive engagement if followed.
If those rules are not followed, the conversation has the potential to degrade into labeling, but it takes the reaction of the first person who is labeled for this escalation or degradation to occur. If the label/labeler is ignored, then there is no problem. Even with subsequent attempts at labeling, one can generally ignore the offending party.
There is no need, in my estimation, to go running to a moderator whenever someone may call you a name. Ignore the name or label, and if you feel you must reply, attack the issue that the labeler was raising, not the person, no matter the temptation to get down in the mud and roll around.
If you must deplore, ignore. Or not. It is really of no consequence to me, personally, whether people rip each others assholes out, because they are using only words, and words have the significance that the reader attaches. If someone gets known as an asshole, they will likely find there articles and posts ignored or attracting others of like mind.
So grow some balls or put your big girl panties on, whichever may apply, instead of running to the mods every time someone offends your sensibilities, however stuck on yourself you may be.
Nail on the head, Brolly-- precisely because it doesn't stop, it simply evolves...
That would be your opinion, which doesn't square with the facts. Teabagger is now a word in the vernacular and it's meaning is contextual.
If everyone has had their say, cool. I'll now close this article to further comment. It was not my intention to launch a "necro thread,"