Tea Party Community, Facebook, & Censorship
Conservatives Persecuted?
Some conservatives feel they have been discriminated against and unfairly evicted by the social media giant, Facebook.
Americans for Prosperity, a well-known conservative political action group, had their advertisements removed from Facebook after users claimed the advertisements were misleading. Facebook reinstated the ads later, saying a moderator had mistakenly removed them.
The Council of Conservative Americans, a pro-white organization, had their Facebook group completely removed after complaints.
Facebook is Censorship Happy
It should be noted that Facebook censors many groups, pictures, and posts unfairly. It has censored paintings of nude people by the old masters. People reporting on the Occupy Wall Street movement have had their postings removed and blocked.
Apparently, women using their breasts for nature's intended purpose are completely taboo. The most demure photo of a woman breastfeeding her child is banned, but highly sexualized photos of huge breasted women in skimpy tops are okay.
Everyone, liberals and conservatives, are being banned. But conservatives seem to always feel picked on - listen to Sarah Palin or Rush Limbaugh talk - and have decided to "take their ball and go home."
Facebook's Newest Competition?
Facebook's newest competitor, the Tea Party Community, officially announced it was open for business on February 2, 2013. It claims to be the place for conservatives to congregate and socialize without fear of censorship. Ken Crow, a Tea Party Community co-founder, says the new website will be a safe place where conservative Americans can share ideas and meet with like-minded people who are sick of Facebook's constant harassment and warnings.
In December, WePluribUs was also launched as a conservative alternative to Facebook. It hasn't fared as well. Details are here.
Tea Party Community Website
The Tea Party Community pages have the look of Facebook. There is the familiar colors and formats - even the "thumbs up" symbol. The site is so similar to Facebook that I am surprised Facebook hasn't sued for copyright infringement. Can you imagine the outcry then? The media giant is picking on the poor conservatives again.
If you browse the groups on the Tea Party Community website, you'll see the usual conservative groups: homeschooling, fundamentalist Christian,uber- patriotic, survivalists and the ever present conservative favorite - conspiracytheorists. The group Gun Rights contains these threads: "We are being LIED TO........Obama ORDERED the murders in Connecticut", and "Civil War Coming? You Betcha.... " This explains why a good friend who was visiting family in North Carolina found it just about impossible to find ammunition for his gun so he could practice target shooting. This is the kind of mindset that leads to kids being held against their will in underground bunkers.
Censorship at the Tea Party Community
This new community sounds like a great place for people who believe that there should be no muzzling of the freedom of speech - but will the Tea Partiers be supportive of fellow members with differing points of view with which they don't agree?
Apparently not. I came across a written conversation on a page called Patriotic Ninjas. A young woman was asking why her mother had been evicted from the Tea Party Community. Her mother, a fellow conservative, had put up a poll asking other members if they thought the people, not the federal government, should decide the question about gay marriage. She was apparently booted from the conservative community without any warnings.
I myself have been banned from their website. I didn't make any posts or comments; All I did was "friend" some colorful people. The Tea Party Community apparently doesn't care for the company I keep. My IP address has been blocked, and I get the message "You have been banned from the site." Irony at its finest.
The Tea Party Community did have problems with their website on the day of its launch. There was a lot of speculation that hackers were causing problems. Maybe they think I am some evil computer genius who was mucking up their site, not just a harmless computer neophyte. This is another example of the paranoia that runs rampant through the ultra-conservative community. Everyone is out to get them!
Tea Party Community and Exclusion
It is highly ironic that the website that was formed because of their distaste of censorship and love of the First Amendment has become what they claim to hate: the Big Brothers that ban any thoughts and actions which don't conform to their beliefs.
I am very doubtful that the Tea Party Community will have even a fraction of the global impact that Facebook and its one billion+ members has. I doubt other conservative groups such as Muslims will receive a warm welcome at this site.
I am afraid that by blocking out every other dissenting opinion, the neo-conservative people will become even more afraid and exclusive of their fellow American citizens. We, liberals and conservatives, may not agree on a much, but we all love our country. We will always be the United States of America.
Ken Crow Responds
Mr. Crow, co-founder of Restoring America Project, a contributing author to The Tea Party Tribune, and one of the Tea Party Community website's co-founders left a comment in response to this article below. After confirming it was indeed Mr. Crow, I have added the comment as his personal rebuttal to my article.
Ken Crow's Comments
For the record; There are only 3 reasons Tea Party Community will ban a person.
1. Posting Pornographic material.
2. Issuing a threat against the government or an elected official.
3. Issuing a threat or being abusive to another member.
This is not my opinion, this is in our Terms of Service agreement. We embrace free speech. We do not even ban members that are on the more liberal side or political beliefs. But understand, this is a "Tea Party" aka Conservative site for those with leanings toward conservative political beliefs. Facebook for instance is in fact a site for everyone, however; in the last several months they have in fact been suspending or deleting accounts that are in fact as they say "overtly political or conservative". We had hundreds of patriots come to our site because of this practice by Facebook.
A political site in nature will attract peoples passion for one subject or side or another. It is natural. But know this, we are not banning people for their viewpoints. If you did accidentally get banned, please come open another account. That was not our intention to ban you for posting your belief on a topic, unless you were abusive about it.
Have you heard of the Tea Party Community?
Tea Party Reading
- Tea party gives no TV help to GOP hopefuls - POLITICO.com
TV viewers in battleground Senate states have been bombarded with ads the past few months from virtually every group under the sun. All but one, that is: the tea party. Several conservative outside groups that propped up tea party candidates and gave - The Tea Party Syndrome--Do you have it?
Tea Party Syndroms Here is a list which may be used to diagnose how far from reality an individual is. Holding six or more of the beliefs qualifies you for membership in the Tea Party. Ten or more is an indication that you have lost nearly all touch - Sarah Palin's Birtherday Tea Party
Related
On Principle and Pragmatism VIII - Understanding the Conservative/Tea Party-Liberal Philosophical Split
Paul Revere, Boston Massacre, and Boston Tea Party Lesson
Tax Protests and Tea Parties - An American Tradition
Justin Trudeau's Diplomacy vs the Conservatives Attack on Positive Politics
Tea Party Ideas: Hosting the Perfect English Garden Tea Party
Comments
Kiss my tea party azz.
OUR CHAT MUST BE- SHUT IT DOWN ( GOVERNMENT), SHUT THEM DOWN, WE ARE SAVING BILLINGS BY SHUTTING THEM DOWN, BACK TO THE BASICS, SHUT THEM DOWN, BACK FOR THE FUTURE, SHUT THEM DOWN
TEA PARTY COMMUNITY SCHMUCKS AND B=ITCH'S WEARING A MUSK OF CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM AND LOVE OF PEOPLES RIGHTS.. WHEN THERE REALLY WEARING A MUSK OF COMMIE=LIB DEMO=CRAP'S RATS...WHO DON'T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT FREEDOM....ONLY MONEY AND POWER.......THERE LAIRS AND HATEFUL SMUG AND JUST A BUNCH RIDING ARONUD IN THERE OWN POWER TRIP WORLDS.
And, can anyone tell me why you cannot delete your account? I did not want my name on there so I started deleting everything myself. I changed my name to no delete, because you have to have a name on there. I put up a different picture because I didn't want a picture of myself on there. Yes, I did use the symbol of censorship with a slash. I felt this site was full of censorship. This is when they banned me. I think it is because of the activity I was doing which I do understand but just let me delete my account the normal way! I think it is odd you cannot delete your account?Why would that be?
I was banned too. I was accused of bashing Christians when in reality they bashed me. On top of that I am a Christian but not a damning Christian that tells one they will be burning in hell. I was told to shut up, that I was a troll and a liberal. I am a staunch conservative that believes in free speech and never censoring someone's thoughts. I was disgusted. The people don't communicate, they don't hear what others are saying. They are just as dysfunctional on this site as those on the left. Maybe all Tea Parties are not this way but don't go on that website. It was an awful experience!
I'm what you might consider a "far-right" conservative and I could not stand Tea Party Community. And with all due respect to Ken Crow, in my opinion and experience his so-called explanation for the only three criteria that TPC bans for is totally fabricated nonsense. You can read my post about it here if you like.
- AUTHOR
I am not sure RG. I cannot access the site anymore.
So is there any possible way to delete my account on the TPC? I just signed on to check it out and don't want to stay, a little over the top for me.
Ooooh, that's like waving candy in front of a baby. I had NO IDEA and now I know about it there's a little voice in my head that's urging me to join just to screw with it.... I used to do that a lot when I was a young teen. I used to call it "breaking from within." People believed the BS I'd come up with.... like rats crawling over each other to get to the pied piper. But I'm an adult now... I really shouldn't. Thank you for an interesting read though. I LOVE your tea party hypocrite photo. Gave me a good chuckle.
- AUTHOR
It may be to keep their membership numbers looking better. Someday when I'm able, I'll have to log on from a different IP address to check how things are going.
Thanks for visiting, Tsayer. :)
The site has evolved. If you aren't banned, you no longer can delete your account if you want, instead they restrict your membership....makes me wonder why....
- AUTHOR
Thank you for reading and commenting. As I stated in my article, I posted nothing on the site. The only interaction I had was "friending" some liberal members.
Thank you for your invitation, but I cannot access the page anymore from my home, even after clearing my cache and using another computer. This leads me to believe my IP address has been blocked by your website.
Good luck with Tea Party Community. I always wish everyone success in their entrepreneurial endeavors, even if we have conflicting political opinions. :)
For the record; There are only 3 reasons Tea Party Community will ban a person.
1. Posting Pornographic material.
2. Issuing a threat against the government or an elected official.
3. Issuing a threat or being abusive to another member.
This is not my opinion, this is in our Terms of Service agreement. We embrace free speech. We do not even ban members that are on the more liberal side or political beliefs. But understand, this is a "Tea Party" aka Conservative site for those with leanings toward conservative political beliefs. Facebook for instance is in fact a site for everyone, however; in the last several months they have in fact been suspending or deleting accounts that are in fact as they say "overtly political or conservative". We had hundreds of patriots come to our site because of this practice by Facebook.
A political site in nature will attract peoples passion for one subject or side or another. It is natural. But know this, we are not banning people for their viewpoints. If you did accidentally get banned, please come open another account. That was not our intention to ban you for posting your belief on a topic, unless you were abusive about it.
- AUTHOR
Here is a link to the pdf file of Corn Pone Opinions if anyone is interested; http://dsc.dixie.edu/owl/syllabi/HumHomePage/Twain...
- AUTHOR
Jewel01, Thank you for you thoughts. I haven't been around long enough to fully explore the site, but have found a few hubs where differing opinions are discussed respectfully. I enjoy a spirited debate, and find the "opposing parties" have much more in common than we like to admit. I think we can all agree our government is bloated and wasteful, abortion should be rare, and children should not go hungry. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could just agree how to do it?
And I am off to read Corn Pone Pinion. Thank you for the recommendation. I do like Mark Twain. :)
@Jayewisdom, and Gcrhoads64, I am in the political hubs quiet a bit. You are correct in that, some are just mud slinging. The fact is there are some hubs out there that do want to communicate ideas. These are the ones I post in. I try to stress that I am neither party, but just a simple American. If we do not talk to these people and explain our position, and take the time to listen to them, we will never change their hearts. It is not everyone who has to be converted, just enough to make the rest uncomfortable.
Those that would attack an individual, like on the video, generally are unliked, by most people anyway. It is the fervor of the crowd that gives them the courage to do, as they do. If you were to find them alone, they would most likely, not be so bold. Many of us believe the U.S. should have a balanced budget, so this much we have in common. Not everyone is bad. Try reading Mark Twain essay, called "Corn Pone Pinion." I think you would get a lot out of it, if you ponder on its meaning.
- AUTHOR
Jayewisdom,
I think 9-11 did show the we as Americans are one when push comes to shove. I agree that the ridiculousness and extremity of those on the far right has seem to explode since the 90's. But it may be it's just more in our face and seems magnified with the advancement of the internet.
I did pop into a few political discussions, but quickly saw the purpose was not for discussion, but manure-slinging. If I wanted that I'd go to Fox Nation. :) Now when I see a question by certain "hubbers" I stay away.
There are too many of these people in the U.S., and I'm not sure you can definitively say we will "...always be the United States of America." There is nothing much uniting the polar opposites of right wing haters and progressives from the left.
I stay away from the political forums on HP and avoid several really nasty-minded (as well as close-minded) individuals who rarely publish hubs but are members only for the purpose of starting argumentative threads on the forums. They never make any attempt to have a reasonable discourse with other members, and I have no wish to read their parroted propaganda. I can do without reading mental manure!
- AUTHOR
Thank youfor your comments, LauraDo93. I first saw the video about a year ago, and it still sickens me.
Pagesvoice, you can't overcome that mindset. It has been 150 years since the civil war, and the southerners are still fighting it. They truly believe the war wasn't about slavery, and buy into the "happy darkie" singing in the fields. Maybe in another 150 years time and education will finally bring about change.
Amen! My granddaughter was in elementary school in North Carolina and actually started crying when I told her the north did NOT lose the Civil War. She kept telling me that I was wrong because her teacher said so. WOW...how do you overcome that?
Good hub and the U-tube video literally and liberality gave me nausea. A hate group is a hate group and hiding behind Christ or proposing Christianity as the only way to believe is ludicrous .
- AUTHOR
Pagesvoice, thank you so much for your kind words.
In regards to the mean-spirited people, I believe it is fear that drives them. That is why Fox News does so well in these areas. People are afraid of those who are different, or educated, or afraid someone else may be getting something that they themselves aren't. I truly believe if Jesus does come back as prophesied in the Bible, these same people would be the ones crucifying him again for his "liberal, socialist" teachings.
I am so glad I came across this article. After I comment here I will be gladly adding you to my list of those I follow. I found your piece to be informative, well articulated and eye opening.
I voted you up, awesome, useful and interesting, Furthermore, I've shared this on facebook, tweeted it, pinned it and finally I have shared this with my fellow hubbers.
The video in your story literally nauseated me. I am baffled and bewildered by the callousness and downright mean spirited actions by those on the far right. Where is the compassion for fellow human beings?
I too have family in North Carolina and there is something about the southern influence that espouses Christian values and yet turns so ugly towards race, gender and equality. For the love of God and Country I cannot figure them out.
- AUTHOR
I have family members who believe this way. I try to understand, but they are so angry at the world that sometimes it is best to avoid conversations about this. And yes, they consider themselves Christians. I do not understand it myself.
Thank you for commenting.
This extreme behavior is what gives Americans a bad name. I especially, appreciated the video. It completely explains their position. They are not Christians, because this is not what Jesus would have done. God, help us all. I would never want to associate with the likes of these people and am offended by their existence.
25