Words as Weapons

Yesterday, I posted about leftist agents provocateurs who had planned to infiltrate and discredit the Tea Party Movement. One who got a lot of attention was a middle school teacher named Jason Levin. Before that, I posted on the Democrats' fake hate crimes (also intended to discredit the Tea Party Movement). Today, James Taranto connects the efforts of Mr. Levin and the use of Words as Weapons:

Yesterday we examined the latest evidence and concluded that there is still no corroboration for three black congressmen's claims that tea-party protesters yelled racial slurs on March 20, the eve of ObamaCare's enactment. Today we'd like to step back and ponder the meaning of this alleged event.

Why are racial slurs such a taboo? . . . .

If racial slurs are weapons, in a political context such as this they are weapons only of self-destruction.

Opponents of the tea-party movement are well aware of this, as evidenced by this AP report from Valerie Bauman:

Opponents of the fiscally conservative tea party movement say they plan to infiltrate and dismantle the political group by trying to make its members appear to be racist, homophobic and moronic. 

Jason Levin, creator of http://www.crashtheteaparty.org, said Monday the group has 65 leaders in major cities across the country who are trying to recruit members to infiltrate tea party events for April 15--tax filing day, when tea party groups across the country are planning to gather and protest high taxes. . . .
Levin says they want to exaggerate the group's least appealing qualities, further distance the tea party from mainstream America and damage the public's opinion of them. 

"Do I think every member of the tea party is a homophobe, racist or a moron? No, absolutely not," Levin said. "Do I think most of them are homophobes, racists or morons? Absolutely."

Levin's claim is self-refuting. If "most of them" were "homophobes, racists or morons," there would be no need for exaggeration. Levin is engaged in wishful thinking--and what a creepy thing he wishes for.

Many in this crowd seem to be so focused on the compassionate intentions of their own ideology that they believe that people who don't agree with them MUST be either evil or stupid. They have never been challenged during their education to seriously consider conservative or libertarian ideas.  The are not exposed much to conservative ideas, especially, in a straightforward manner through the media.    This allows many of them to become provincial, narrow-minded bigots who promote vicious stereotypes about people they don't even know.  Conservatives have the advantage in understanding their liberal fellow-citizens because liberal ideas are so ubiquitous in the popular culture.

Read the whole essay by Taranto, plus the item after it, concerning the New York Times' difficulties understanding the Tea Party Movement.  Plus this by Glenn Reynolds:  

Yesterday, noting new survey data on Tea Partiers, I commented: “Old spin — they were dumb ignorant hillbillies. Predicted new spin: Just a bunch of overeducated fatcats!”

And, right on cue from Dana Milbank: At the ramparts with an elite brand of populism. . . .

Here's someone who took Jason Levin's advice on trying to make Tea Partiers look like morons: A lawyer named Justin Lewis. Given the ridiculousness of his sign, he doesn't seem like a very effective "hater", but I left this comment:

Imagine what would happen if a conservative lawyer, an Officer of the Court, pretended to believe that the moon landing was faked in order to make Democrats he knew nothing about look stupid.

Maybe he can become a Poster Boy for reducing the enormous influence of Big Law on the Democratic Party and vice versa. Current American tort law is a massive drain on the economy and on the vitality of the nation.

In a way, though, I kind of feel sorry for him. He was probably surprised to find that no one else showed up to ridicule the "morons" with him. And they reacted with good humor rather than violence. He looks a little sheepish in the photo.

Update:  From the comments - one of Mr. Lewis' areas of legal practice is False Advertising.  Getting a little real-world experience, I guess.  Heh.