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xiphiasOn April 14th, the "Tea Party" right-wing movement is going to be holding a rally on Boston Common, and Sarah Palin is rumored to be planning to attend.
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kpht has suggested the perfect response.
Hold a tea party.
Let's make this happen. On April 14th, when the Tea Party Bus arrives at Boston Common, let's greet them with people having tea and cookies and little finger sandwiches, beautiful china, and frilly hats. Can we get hundreds of people on the common to drink tea in a deeply civilized and refined manner?
I want this to happen.
Who's with me? Who can take some time on April 14th? Who has access to nice china, good tea, and beautiful clothing and is willing to wear it in a good cause?
The suggestion has been made that we're going to need battery-powered boom boxes playing classical music, but I'd rather have real string quartets there.
Let's make this happen.
kpht has suggested the perfect response.Hold a tea party.
Let's make this happen. On April 14th, when the Tea Party Bus arrives at Boston Common, let's greet them with people having tea and cookies and little finger sandwiches, beautiful china, and frilly hats. Can we get hundreds of people on the common to drink tea in a deeply civilized and refined manner?
I want this to happen.
Who's with me? Who can take some time on April 14th? Who has access to nice china, good tea, and beautiful clothing and is willing to wear it in a good cause?
The suggestion has been made that we're going to need battery-powered boom boxes playing classical music, but I'd rather have real string quartets there.
Let's make this happen.
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satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 06:53 pm (UTC)I would like to warn you of a potential problem. I'm not at all confident there won't be actual tea-partiers wearing frilly hats and drinking tea on the Common. It's HARD to make fun of a group as far off the deep end as the tea partiers. It may not be possible to exaggerate their silliness to show disapproval or disagreement, when their silliness is so all-encompassing.
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 07:09 pm (UTC)There is that.
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 07:15 pm (UTC)I'm having some wonderful memories of the Gatsby Tea that was part of the Napier Art Deco Festival: http://pics.livejournal.com/vvalkyri/gallery/0000kxd2
Xiphias: A couple other worries, one of which is whether you might run into Issues with Police, given that the teabaggers likely have a permit and the drinkers mightn't. (I don't know the laws there. ) How safe do you feel with good china interacting with crazies?
I love the idea of the common being filled with card tables and tea drinkers such that the baggers don't have a very good place to gather. But I guess the common /is/ bigger than that...
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 07:54 pm (UTC)A thermos of hot water is not at all an acceptable solution. This concept requires GOOD tea, and that requires enough hot water at a high enough temperature. For the teas that I tend to like, that means boiling water.
Still, I am convinced that this is a problem that can be solved.
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 08:01 pm (UTC)I don't know of many battery operated teakettles, but I used to have a battery thing that could jump the car and also had a plug for short term otherstuff use. (I still have it but have somehow lost the charging cord.) Anyway, a bunch of those might let folk plug in electric kettles. The solar things that can charge a laptop -- are they strong enough to power a kettle? I'm sorta figuring not...
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 09:23 pm (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 10:30 pm (UTC)For me, it's a chance to drink tea and wear nice clothes and eat sandwiches. Honestly, for me, the more I think about this, the more it's about having a tea party, and less about protesting The Tea Party Movement. Look at this! People I like, from my LJ and from b0st0n, are all talking about showing up to the Boston Common, dressed nicely, drinking tea, eating sandwiches.
At this point, the presence or absence of Sarah Palin is totally secondary to how much I'd enjoy myself there.
Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 10:46 pm (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-02 12:05 am (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-02 11:52 am (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-02 12:07 pm (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-02 02:31 pm (UTC)Re: satirists cannot work under these conditions
Date: 2010-04-01 07:47 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 06:58 pm (UTC)I have a fucking top hat and tailcoat.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 07:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 07:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 08:04 pm (UTC)It is within the realm of the possible that I could catch a lift to the T in the morning, and would have to pack enough baby supplies to manage whatever time is in the interim.
I am thinking hard.
Also pondering petits fours.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 08:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 09:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 10:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-03 01:02 am (UTC)Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Time:
10:00am - 1:00pm
Location:
Boston Common
That's all we've got so far.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 07:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 07:23 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 07:55 pm (UTC)Timing? I'm working that day, but work a 10-minute walk from the Common, so might be able to make it over for some window of time.
What level of signal-boosting is OK for this? Folks-we-know? Mailing lists/public posts? Random people on the street?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 08:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 08:17 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 05:55 pm (UTC)... I wish I was in Boston. XD
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 09:10 pm (UTC)1. I have not the proximity to Boston, being in Tennessee.
2. I have not the wardrobe.
3. I have not the liking of tea. Even the smell makes me vaguely nauseated.
However, I think it is a brilliant idea (albeit with complications as noted by
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 09:49 pm (UTC)But *if* I could get there, I could bring our silver tea service, and a couple of pounds of Khalami Assam tea. I would also wear proper formal morning attire, early Victorian style, with the frock coat and the striped cravat, and striped trousers, and a top hat.
I will keep an eye on your preparations, and see what I can do. It'd be wonderful.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 10:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 10:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-01 10:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 02:49 am (UTC)One thought: coffee instead of tea? I actually prefer drinking tea, but one thing that's been amusing me about the Teabaggers all along is that (as you know, Bob) the Americans drank coffee to be patriotic at the time of the Revolution. The Tea Party people claim to be harking back to the Boston Tea Party--but (unless my recollection of US history is entirely off) that was about throwing tea-as-symbol-of-Britain into the harbor. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on that.
(And yes, I've seen a little about the Coffee Party that's been forming recently. I'm not connected with that in any way, and haven't decided whether I want to be.)
(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-03 12:05 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 05:56 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 03:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 07:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 10:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-04-02 11:57 pm (UTC)