Have you ever noticed how greedy a typical republican crowd looks like?

[quinnox]

I mean, just take a look at any typical republican crowd on tv, at a debate, or their protesting, whatever. There is a certain greediness and ugliness that is always present in their faces. Am I the only one who notices this?

Yes, its a bit shallow observation, but I think its a true one. Very greedy and selfish people seem inexorably drawn to the republican party for some reason. Its always there in the background when they are interviewed in their answers for tv or just asked what a random republican thinks in the crowd. The answer they give can be traced back to greed or "me me me".

[Bragi]

1. "a bit shallow observation"

Yes, it does seem shallow. Can you perhaps describe the differences you see between a greedy, and a non-greedy, looking crowd?

[Broderick]

2. It's all in the swarm

and the crook eyes they give. haha. Oh, and the fine linens they wear, that seem to sparkle in any light.

[slackmaster]

3. First phrase of opening sentence of second paragraph nails it.

Yes, its a bit shallow observation...

So, just what does a "greedy" person look like? There is a long history in this world of judging people by their appearance. It's an ugly history.

How about focusing on words and deeds rather than on what people look like?

[KharmaTrain]

4. That's How They Get Elected...

Our system is the best money can buy...it's a perpetual political cycle and industry to itself. To play you don't need ideals, just money and lots of it...or the access to it. The greedier the better, especially if you're a rushpublican. We saw a classic example of that with Parry's $5,000 response the other night. He's not ashamed of his greed...in fact, he was offended that his greed was so under rated. And, of course, later we learned that he had a valid reason for that "outrage".

[grilled onions]

5. How About Hate

Many have that look of anger(suffer peasants!). It does seem odd since so many of them seem to have it all. They have money enough for life yet it never seems to be enough and they want to take the scraps that those at the bottom clutch on to. They have switched the phrase from We the People to MEEEEEE The ONLY People.

[LWolf]

6. No.

I think one's perception of the crowd is colored by one's own point of view about them.

[Mimosa]

7. Yes. And your point isn't all that far-fetched.

Quinnox, I've looked at Tea Party type gatherings quite a bit. Your perception may be coloured a bit by your thoughts about their 'ideas' but you are probably noticing a couple of things you're describing as 'greedy'.

In Tea Party groups there is no true diversity. You will almost always (maybe with an occasional exception of a token black or Asian) be looking at all white largely Anglo-Saxon people from the ages of 40 through 75. There may be some people with some Nordic or german ethnic heritage in the groups, but all in all you're looking at chubby middle-aged prosperous white people. They are fearful the brown people are going to take away their money and their culture (such as it is).


The men and women in Tea Party/Republican activist crowds don't seem to be people who dress with style and imagination. They're not the rich, they're certainly not the working class or the poor. I think you're noticing a close-minded conformity of looks and attitudes. ;)

[quinnox]

9. yes, you put it better than I did

I think you are right about what I'm seeing.

[OneGrassRoot]

8. I agree with the "me, me, me" mentality, and will add narrow-mindedness and short-sightedness......

While I think the one thing most people share is a desire for what's best for them and their loved ones, the Tea Party crowd (in general) operates out of fear. They take the me, me, me (and mine) so far as to not consider how their loved ones are impacted by their choices.

They are short-sighted and narrow-minded, in my opinion. One example is that they care only about jobs NOW, even if those jobs destroy the environment and affect people's health in the very near future as one example.

Of course, they have had that viewpoint even before the job situation became critical. They don't look ahead as to how decisions now affect them and their loved ones -- not to mention the rest of the community or world -- down the road, even in the near future.

Most of them don't really care about the rest of their community or the rest of the world, though. Again, that's very ignorant thinking, as what happens in their community and the rest of the world DOES affect them and their loved ones.

Completely different worldviews between those who think that way and most progressives.

EDIT TO ADD: Actually, the one thing they DO seem to care about is how decisions now affect the deficit. Of course, if it was a decision that benefited them and their loved ones NOW, I have a feeling they wouldn't care so much about the deficit...

[mwb970]

10. Well, be fair. The religious nuts sometimes look zealous rather than greedy.

But seriously, you're exactly right about republicans. They seem to live in tiny worlds centered on themselves. The only time they feel anything for a human being it's for themselves or their immediate family. The guy down the street, screw him.

Case in point. Right-wingers are solidly against gay rights, no? But what about arch-right-winger dick cheney? Turns out he's OK with gays. What gives? Oh, that's right. HIS DAUGHTER IS GAY.

Case in point. It is a dogma of the republican religion that waterboarding is not torture. They are so sure of this that a number of right-wingers (don't have the names handy, sorry, perhaps you recall) had themselves waterboarded to show what a joyride it was. Every single one said afterward that no, I was wrong, it is torture. Why the change? BECAUSE IT HAPPENED DIRECTLY TO THEM. Of course, none of the other right-wingers changed their minds about it as a result. It didn't happen to them.

I could go on. The ability to generalize from one's own life to that of the stranger down the street, what we call empathy, seems largely lacking in today's republicans, even (especially?) the ones who call themselves "Christians". Considering that empathy and intellect, which is also scorned by anti-science republicans, are what separates humans from the animals, it makes me wonder just what we are up against here.

[OneGrassRoot]

11. Yep, what you said. :) n/t

[Erose999]

12. Back in the day they wore white hoods to hide those ugly mugs.

True story.