Slick, Paranoid Tea Party Video Aims for Violent Insurrection

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http://www.alternet.org/tea-party-and-right/slick-paranoid-tea-party-video-aims-violent-insurrection

Attendees at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) were reportedly thrilled by a short sci-fi video depicting a dictatorial near-future government and the underground "Movement on Fire" that springs up to resist it. The video, a thinly veiled advertisement for violent insurrection from the “Tea Party Patriots" group, boasts professional acting and Hollywood production values. But underneath its bright, professional sheen lurk dark overtones of End Times paranoia that will resonate with millions of American fundamentalists. Its apocalyptic imagery is as ancient as Revelations, its glossy look as modern as a Revlon ad, and its near-subliminal barrage of rapid-cut imagery rings with the terror-fueled sermons of 1,000 preachers.

Here's the video:

It stands on its own as agitprop-cum-entertainment for the far right, which is filled with armchair revolutionaries whose favorite fantasies involve the same elements used in this video: attractive people, video-game-like locations, nightmarish bureaucracies and the world-changing power of their own oratory. “Let our lives be the spark that ignites the fire of liberty,” the protagonist shouts at one point. His words resonate with memories of historical heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice rather than yield to tyranny.

"I would so totally do that," a right-wing fantasy rebel might mutter in response.

[safeinOhio]

1. Tyranny is

overthrowing a democratically elected government because your side can't get elected.

[zbdent]

2. They love the revolution idea ...

until they realize that it's not a video game, and the "graphics" that are firing back sure as hell can kill them far more times and overwhelmingly more destructively than their "semi-automatic" can take out the "other players" ...

[CJCRANE]

3. "The government keeps giving us stuff"

is not a very convincing reason for a revolution IMO.

I'm all for dystopian sci-fi movies, in fact they're one of my favorite genres...

but this just seemed pathetic.

I expect it's just a trailer and there's no actual movie because there isn't enough in that concept to last for a couple of hours.

[JHB]

4. It's always fascinating how they caricature their opposition (us)...

These people project like a drive-in.

Is that John Voight as the tyrannical mayor of East Handoutburg?

[RevStPatrick]

5. I find it amusing that they see themselves as...

...multi-culti urban hipsters.

[zaireeka]

6. Booth 501

I hope Booth 501 has Dippin' Dots-the ice cream of the FUTURE!

[raouldukelives]

7. I was hoping for a Nugent cameo. "Come on kids! I'll use my explosive tipped arrows! Yee-haaaar!" nt

[Initech]

8. One thing I will give to the Tea Party: they talk a lot of shit.

But it's just that - all talk. They would pull a Ted Nugent and crap themselves before any shots were fired. They're a small lunatic fringe minority and they'll continue to remain so. The more they talk the more they alienate themselves from the rest of the country.