Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:30:29 -0800

To: psysr-disc@yahoogroups.com

From: "feb7th71" <target@batstar.net>

Subject: Re: Understanding the Tea Partiers

Thank you so much. The client/survivors are accustomed to being treated as "behavioral objects" and the outside appearance of that is well-described by Bryant Welch as "gaslighting." At present the progressive activist community is not well schooled in how to engage our activism; they are coached in labor sensitivities, ethnic sensitivities, feminist sensitivities, and others - but not in ours. In other words, our "human rights issue" is not as advanced in its development as those others. Mostly we end up feeling marginalized and stereotyped rather than valued as beings of character.

Lakoff is in a special position because Chomsky insulated him from that "gaslighting" dynamic, so with his skills in psycholinguistics and his judicious marriage to a well-known feminist he "talks like us." We have discussed that at some length lately on the Social Accountability list S-ACC.

My sense is that the "Tea Party" fills a political vacuum created because the social change movement is as yet inattentive and insensitive to our concerns. They can "perform" and "do the 'gaslighting' thing'" and .. the act seems to come off. I don't think they will hold together so well when some of those social dynamics are engaged in a properly respectful and socially responsible way.

Thank you for this link, Egi.