Coca~Cola advert.

Coca Cola began in 1886, and since then their adverts have also included particular images and themes of the current time. From the beginning they have had adverts which show ladies smartly clothed in Victorian style dresses and similar decor, current themes continue showing typical American sports such as baseball. This shows the consumer does buy into the patriotic sense of these adverts, and other nations buy into the 'Americanisation' and desire of wanting to be part of American life.

This advert shows stereotypical American images such as; Elvis, Audrey Hepburn, Rolling Stones, American flag, hot dog, cars, baseball and so on, in the outline of a Coca~Cola bottle. This cult classics along with the slogan 'A classic never goes out of style' suggests that Coke is as symbolic and an iconic image along with these famous world wide known images.

The use of the red and white colour could either be simply as it is the colour of Coca~Cola or could be the colour of the American flag, which again supports the idea of America as a great 'classic' nation and the patriotic sense from Americans that all of these images, colours and the concept of Coke is American rather than British/European etc.

The Horatio Alger myth.

The Horatio Alger myth consists of people not believing in the American dream and the rags to riches story seen in Ragged Dick. In Fight back news - news an views from the people's struggle, they suggest that although dick does work hard and does achieve success in the end of the book this is more to do pure luck and help from wealthy individuals. They also suggest that even after WW2 people were able to succeed in life through buying houses and sending their children to college, however again like dick this was not necessarily achieved from hard work but rather from the strength of the unions who forces businesses to pay a sustainable wage to live.

Although today the story of Ragged dick is seen as a myth and of pure facts and figures that go against what the story tries to represent. As today the gap between the rich and poor is steadily widening and opportunities also seem to be dramatically descending, its estimated that only 10% of young boys with less educated poor fathers will succeed in life, but this means that a staggering 90% of young boys will stay in the 'lower class' citizens and will never achieve the American dream.

I then looked at a blog 'Discipline disciple-husband-son-brother-friend-teacher' this argued whether or not Horatio Alger's Ragged dick is a myth or reality. He also used many facts and figures to show how this isn't always true with many people still considered 'poor' in America. He uses this quote from the Treasury report in November 2007 that suggest that the rich are actually losing out on money and poor and gaining a 91% increase in their incomes. This goes against ragged dick as the 'rich' may have worked hard through out life to receive a well paid job however they are now losing out on the dream.

Overall i believe that for some people luck enables them to have the American dream and a successful life whether by chance or by them working hard, although there will always be a gap between the rich and poor which means some people will never succeed in life and will always be ragged dick Rather than Richard hunter.

"Face it, You'll Never Be Rich" The Horatio Alger myth.

The Horatio Alger Myth is generally used as a synonym of the 'rags to riches story'; Horatio Alger being a popular novelist in 19th century who was famous for his (admittedly formulaic) stories of young boys (such as Ragged Dick in Ragged Dick) who though hard work and virtue 'make it big'. However there is a discrepancy between the myth (indeed 'The Horatio Alger Myth' is indeed true in that it's a myth) and what was written by Horatio Alger. In Ragged Dick the character does not rise to a position of fabulous wealth but rather a respectable middle-class position of office clerk. Furthermore, Alger writes that it's better to be middle-class and honest in your income acquisition rather than be a 'robber baron'. So in reality the Horatio Alger Myth is flawed in it's very inception. Ultimately however Horatio Alger weather intentionally or not gave off the impression though his writing that one could rise up to wealth from petty poverty. Michael Moore is known for both his blowharding whistle-blowing and girth, and in this article from 2003 he regards the Horatio Alger myth as a destructive drug which placates the general population as so: "The other drug is nicer. It is first prescribed to us as children in the form of a fairy tale - but a fairy tale that can actually come true! It is the Horatio Alger myth... because we're still addicted to the Horatio Alger fantasy drug. Despite all the damage and all the evidence to the contrary, the average American still wants to hang on to this belief that maybe, just maybe, he or she (mostly he) just might make it big after all." Suffice to say he is scornful of the ideas given out by Horatio Alger (which as discussed were not really his intended ideas)that people can rise up the social ladder and become millionaires. The reason for this (he says) is that it makes the people sympathetic to the rich, that they have worked hard for their money and increasing taxes against him is bad "So don't attack the rich man, because one day that rich man may be me!". In conclusion Michael Moore has fallen into the heffalump trap of believing that Horatio Alger's characters rose from rags to riches when in text they merely rose from rags to respectability.

Horatio Alger Myth: Contemporary usage vs. Ideas posed in the book

Ideas weather or not the Horatio Alger Myth is still prevalent, or ever was at all does indeed divide opinion. When looking for a site really pushing the ideas behind the Horatio Alger myth, I struggled. The reasons behind this is obviously because time and realism has made the general population realise that other factors affect you're social standing and mobility. Obviously, other than just hard work.

I believed that the best place to find a good contemporary usage of the term the Horatio Alger Myth would be used, is by user generated content. The Horatio Alger Myth is Still Alive and Well in American Culture pushes the idea that the Myth still exists and that anyone, with enough hard work and determination can propel themselves up the social ladder and become more wealthy as time goes on. She also believes that decisions that are made will ultimately decide whether one is successful in maintaining the wealth that they achieve.

These ideas that are posed by this woman on associated content is very true to the novel. Alger believed in the 'rags to riches' mentality and that success could easily be obtained of the person was industrious and hard-working enough to do so.

With that being said, the article believes that it takes more than just one generation to be able to bring fortune to ones self, it takes generations of hard-work. Something not depicted in the book. He starts off as a boot-black and someone of not great social standing, to somebody who has made something of himself and has money in his pocket.

Gun Control Issues.

One of the prolific ongoing debates in the United States for the current and previous century is the issue of gun control. About 97,820 people are shot in a gun-related incidents each year. The Constitution of the United States states in it's second amendment that: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the citizens to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed" This statement is central to the debate and the battle between tight and loose constructionists of the Constitution is still ongoing. The web-pages I chose represent two sides of the argument, i.e. those in favour of gun control and those in favour of gun ownership. The Pro-Gun website I selected was the NRA's official web-page, the National Rifle Association was created in 1871 to educate the population about gun safety and to represent different gun owners, it has since grown in membership and is now a major lobbying group. The website is essentially a portal to many different pages such as NRA-ILA which details current proposed bills and news articles on guns; including a 'Spotlight' feature on an 'armed citizen' who took down a armed thief at a convenience store, highlighting the benefits of gun ownership in citizen law-enforcement, which is one of the key arguments the NRA uses. Other websites are focused on gun safety and where to find gun clubs near you. One interesting article was the "Outrage of the week", which criticised journalist Alex Wagner for attacking the second amendment, however it didn't really give reasons why the second amendment was necessary apart from the fact that it protected freedom. However overall the NRA website does not give out a list of the benefits of gun ownership, which is understandable seeing as they are currently 'on top'. The Pro-Gun control website I chose was the Brady Campaign website, The Brady Campaign is named after James Brady, who was permanently injured as a result of an assassination attempt on Ronald Regan in 1981. It seeks to promote legislation which regulates and controls gun ownership, such as banning assault rifles and large ammo clips. The website has many lists of statistics such as the number of gun related injuries and that higher household gun ownership correlates with higher rates of homicides, suicides and unintentional shootings. Overall I felt that the Brady Campaign had a very strong argument, but the problem is is that cat is already out of the bag in America and simply trying to restrict gun ownership is futile. The other problem is is that if guns are banned violent crime is not going to be reduced, it will instead switch to knife crime or some other means. So I would agree that legislation to prevent people with criminal records is necessary I feel that gun ownership is a sign of a covenant between a government and it's people and that it trusts them to look after themselves.

Week 9 Group 2: Tutorial......

What are your views of the Columbine 'incident'? - should teachers be armed - as said the NRA? Or, is this an over-reaction from Michael Moore?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQo-orO8UHU

I shall be interested to hear you views - and what does the map tell us about gun use?

For background information, read this website:
http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Concealed_carry_vs_open_carry_gun_laws

Gun Control

http://www.csgv.org/about-us

The coalition to stop gun violence is a Pro-gun control website that aims to maintain a slipping freedom, from gun violence. It outlines many problems in the system and highlights issues such as the Gun Show Loophole, which enables anyone to purchase guns from unlicensed dealers without background checks. This means just about anyone can get a hold of a firearm easily. The website has articles that highlights big flaws in the campaign to push conceal and carry permits forward, such as the lack of/missing disqualifying records which are crucial in the screening process to obtain a permit, which subsequently means individuals with past criminal convictions, minor offenses, or a past in domestic abuse could easily acquire a conceal and carry permit. CGSV want tougher gun laws and a stricter grip on gun owners in America and furthermore to give politicians confidence to speak up against anti-gun control organisations such as the NRA.

http://gunowners.org/

Gun Owner’s of America is a anti gun control website which argues that along with the ownership of a gun comes freedom. Like many other anti- gun control groups I looked at on the internet, this website pointed out how their cause was to protect the interests of the 2nd Amendment and had a " NO COMPROMISE!" policy. They, like a lot of gun enthusiasts who follow them, believe the American people’s rights are threatened if their right to ownership is taken from them. What’s evident from just looking at the website is republican presence and how highly involved they are in the government politics surrounding their cause. The GOA boasts a "...board of directors who bring over 100 years of combined knowledge and experience on guns, legislation and politics." Unlike the pro-gun control, the GOA website’s approach to their campaign against gun control is quite politically tactical and calls on people to use their voting power to voice and undermine legislation that goes against their cause. For instance on the website they have drawn up action plans for members to take or send to their Senators. Unlike the pro gun control websites who appeal to people’s hearts with their shocking statistics, e.g "...a person dies from gun violence every 17 minutes in America...but without easy access to guns it would be a lot harder." The GOA dismisses the opposing argument held by pro gun control campaigneers as gun haters, and describe Illinois as stuck in the dark ages, for being the only state left to not allow its citizens to conceal and carry.
I think the pro gun control website had a stronger argument, was better presented and well supported by statistical evidence which would make many think twice. The anti-gun control argument had a very limited argument I felt, and it had no concern of how some of the rights they are fighting for, at times fatally affect normal Americans.

Handguns are used for protection against criminals in America nearly 2 million times per year. That's up to five times more often than they're used to commit crimes and nearly 128 times the total number of murders in the United States. With statistics such as these it is hard not to at the least acknowledge that being a gun carrier in America has some advantage. Phil Valentine emphasises this statement with his excerpt 'guns are good' . In this the audience are forced to recognise the benefits of arming oneself with a gun and gives the example of Wayne Nance whence good conquers evil 'This is but one example of literally millions of times that guns have saved lives, something the anti-gun nuts don't want you to know. But now you do.' Valentine further highlights the hypocrisy of those openly opposing the right to bear arms, such as Rosie O'Donnell 'In other words, if she and her family are threatened, then they should be protected with guns. However, if you and your family are threatened, you should not be allowed access to guns. Very nice.' He claims that her and the other advocates of the anti-gun policy is an 'emotional response and not one based on facts' and that 'banning guns is adding to the problem ‘that not having a gun hinders those in need an makes them a target with the inevitable repercussion of death, 'Imagine how less tragic Columbine could've been if only some responsible citizen with a gun had been there to stop it.' Valentine obviously is educated in the benefits of owning a gun and states some truth especially focusing on the media, and it’s ‘refusal to recognize the role guns play in thwarting crime.’ However he is perhaps too radical in his right wing opinions to fully appreciate the truths of which he explores.
“I guess the truth is too politically incorrect to be printed. Apparently, it doesn't fit some of the leftwing reporters' agenda – an agenda to rid this country of guns. That's really what all this comes down to. If there were not a concerted agenda on the part of many in the news media to rid the United States of guns, you would have equal attention given to other forms of murder. Glaring examples of the double standard can be found in some of this country's most high-profile murders. Something overlooked by many in the so-called "Crime of the Century," the O. J. Simpson trial, was that Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman were not murdered with a gun, they were stabbed to death.”

In comparison, however the Brandy campaign to prevent gun violence gives statistics,
31,593 people died from gun violence
􀀹 12,179 people murdered.
􀀹 18,223 people killed themselves.
􀀹 592 people killed accidentally.
􀀹 326 killed by police intervention.
􀀹 273 died but intent was not known.
This website set in its nationalistic colours provides support for those ‘left wingers’ who wish to rid America of the constitutional right of bearing arms. As an audience we are firstly introduced to the faces of ‘dangerous people’ or ‘concealed carriers’ their faces are not typical of those of a serial killer however the agenda of the site is to highlight that dangerous people are hidden everywhere in the faces of today’s society. There too is a tally of ‘people shot so far today,’ at this given time being 102, thus making the reader shocked and disgusted, opening their eyes to the reality. The website offers a neutral opinion on gun violence allowing the reader to form their own opinions based on the facts and information given about gun violence, unlike that of Valentine. Furthermore the options of taking action or donating to the cause get the chosen audience involved, their claim is merely ‘to protect you, your family and your community from gun deaths and injuries. In America, we make it too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons. There are only a few federal gun control laws on the books, and even those have loopholes. This leads to senseless gun violence affecting tens of thousands.’ Overall this website is thought out to make the audience interact and mould their attitudes in this seemingly neutral, polite, caring environment whereas Valentines was more on the attack.

Pro and Anti-Gun control... The Big Debate

Pro-gun control: The Brady Campaign is a site that aims to bring in more legislation and control in terms of arms in the United States. Their modus operandi behind the want for new laws and regulation is to try and bring down the amount of violence, whether it be homicide or a wounding, that guns have brought to America. A part of their mission statement reads:

"We are devoted to creating an America free from gun violence, where all Americans are safe at home, at school, at work, and in our communities."

The campaign itself works to make the United States a freer place for everyone from gun crime. Even though this argument for more gun control may seem unconstitutional and goes against the second amendment, it argues that the country would be a freer one, free from the threat of gun violence, something which in itself has echoes of the constitution.

This website has many convincing elements, one of the most being the 'hit counter' in the top right hand of the screen. This shows the number killed within the year and also within the day. The numbers were shocking to say the least, as I sit here 157 people were shot across the United States - which is a startling figure.

However, do not confuse their aim with banning guns completely, they aim merely to create a condition within the United States where guns are better regulated, below you will see a couple of the ways in which they hope to achieve this and what regulation they want to put in place:

• Tell Congress 'No More Large Ammo Clips!' this is because large ammo magazines are used to wipe out large numbers of people in quick succession without the need to reload, so therefore, this is not needed in terms of self defence or hunting.
• Irresponsible Gun Show Loophole because people are able to buy guns without being properly vetted or checked - making it 10 times easier for the gun to fall into the hands of the wrong person.

It is important to understand that the aim of this particular campaign/website is not to encroach on the Liberty that Americans' hold so dear, it is simply to make their life safer - something of which that I highly agree with in the long term because of the number of deaths that occur in America are more often than not needless and due to poor regulation.

Anti-Gun control: Gun Owners of America, also known as GOA believe that anti-gun laws prevent people from their consitutional right in the second amendment and that states that impose gun regulation are 'living in the dark ages'.

They have a whole section on their website dedicated to people who might hold some scepticism against the legal carry of a gun. One section that I looked at in particular was the section about how Gun Control causes needless problems in the United States and can prevent people from saving their lives. For example, there is an article: 'When Gun Safety Locks Kill' arguing that safety locks cause problems and issues in terms of self-defence.

They also see themselves as a 'no compromise' organisation, pretty much meaning that they believe that any regulation encroaches on their civil liberties.

What I think: I believe both sides of the argument are both convincing and that both have large relevance to life in America. I believe that the most convincing website is the one pushing for more Gun Control. Whilst the pro-gun ownership website makes some good points about the dangers of over regulating, with well backed up arguments from real life events but still leaves an uncomfortable resonance with me. I believe that some of the laws, or their lack of, in terms of gun control and regulation leaves a lot to be desired. Especially with people being able to buy these guns without being vetted at gun shows and magazines being bigger than needed for hunting and such purposes.

pro-gun control or anti-gun control?

In 1991, in Littleton, two 18 year old senior high school boys killed 12 fellow students, 1 teacher and injured 24 other students. They did this by illegally buying 2 shot guns, due to them being underage at the time. Only days after these innocent school children had been killed the NRA led by Charlton Heston arrived in Littleton where the shootings had taken place. I have chosen two website, 1 by the family of Daniel Mauser one of the victims on the day and The NRA website who only 10 days after the massacre came to the area for a rally. Both have contrasting views to gun control, the memorial website wants gun control so that guns aren't so available to people, whereas the NRA are in support the people should be allowed to have guns for 'protection.'

http://www.danielmauser.com/

This website details and celebrates the life of Daniel, explores the violence in America and their view on guns and how they should be controlled. They write about how we should get involved as the first step to raise awareness and make real change.

What is really interesting is that they explain how they have previously written letter and made phone calls to Charlton Heston and the NRA, however received no response. My view on this suggest guilt, that he wouldn't know quite what to say to the family, or explain how his views can be linked to their feelings and emotions about gun crime. The family also say how they were arrested when protesting outside the NRA headquarters for 'trespassing.' All these factors made me side with them as it's clear the NRA don't know how to react to the events that occurred.

http://home.nra.org/#/home

The first thing i noticed about the NRA website is the news broadcast headed 'Outrage of the week.' It goes on to say that Alex Wagner from the MSNBC was asked 'what would you change in the constitution?' She responded by saying '"I think get rid of the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms.' This quickly sums up the views of the NRA and how they find this a 'naive' and 'ridiculous' statement. Every time you click on a topic it sends you straight to another website. This may be done to increase the knowledge and teach people more widely how guns can be positive and how many people support guns and the NRA. They say they are 'America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights' and that they are an 'educational organisation.' I find that shocking as although they do do training for firearms, they aren't educating people on the effects of gun crime and how they are a dangerous weapon. They could be teaching people to protect themselves in safer ways, after all if America is a this land of freedom, opportunity and hope surely guns aren't necessary!!

Over all i think the memorial website has a deeper impact and more convincing views as although it does badmouth the NRA it does have good reason too. It also explores the gun culture in America fairly, compared to the NRA who only see their view and will not be open minded, even though every year hundreds of people are killed by guns.

Running With Buffalos

The painting is by George Catlin from 1832 and is titled Hunting Buffalo Camouflaged with Wolf Skins. It shows one of the traits that the natives were praised for in many accounts: Hunting. I think the painting encapsulates so many characteristics of the natives as a people, which I think Catlin was trying to put forward to the settlers and many others outside America who would see his paintings. The painting displays their remarkable athleticism, physical strength and intelligence involved in executing their hunts.
This hunting method that Catlin captured not only highlights the obvious physical abundance the natives possessed, but also the abundance and wealth of their culture/ customs. The painting demands respect and offers a smart way of looking at the Native Americans. The barbaric nature that is sometimes familiarised with them, is put aside and shows the craft, skill and elegance of the ways of Native American men. There is a simple but yet ingenious understanding that the natives held over their environment and its inhabitants, that is depicted so well by Catlin. The painting almost echoes  People of the Land.
And in a way, for me, there is some kind of peaceful spirituality in the way the Natives are hunting the buffalos, in comparison to the slaughter of millions of herds by the settlers.

Running With Buffalos

"Win-Jun-Jon (The Pigeon's Egg Head), Assiniboine Chief, Going To and Returning From Washington, D.C." By George Catlin.

The picture I chose to analyse is one by George Chatlin; a man who had accompanied General Clark of Lewis and Clark fame and specialised in painting Native Americans, mostly in the Mid-West. He felt that they were a 'vanishing race' who needed their customs and lifestyles to be record, which he did in several journals he wrote when he was in the west. The picture itself is fairly simple, it is essentially a early version of a 'Before and After' picture with the Indian Chief Win-Jun-Jon as he appeared in 1837 on the left and as he appeared after returning from Washington D.C. in 1839. The picture shows how Win-Jun-Jon's appearance has changed after being exposed to civilisation for a period of two years, after going to Washington he has taken to wearing European clothing such as a top hat and a suit. However there are a few personal touches made to the attire; firstly, Win-Jun-Jon's hair is still cut in a very un-European fashion, i.e. long and braided, he is also holding a fan, which was used by women rather than men. This illustrates the Chief's lack of cultural knowledge whilst at the same time trying to impersonate the European style of life. One could regard this as a sign of the decline of Indian culture if a Chieftain is willing to turn 'European', indeed it is very much like conquered people in the Roman Empire dressing and acting like Romans, which in turn helped speed up the conquest of said people. However like the people Rome conquered Win-Jun-Jon has adapted European dress and kept some personal touches such as his hairstyle, so one could argue that like the Gauls and Britons he is accepting the inevitable and adapting to fit the wave of change, whilst keeping reminders of who he was.

The Death of a Culture... or almost.

The attempted eradication of the Native Americans was not just done through the medium of genocide but also through the attempted subjugation and 'civilisation' of the native population. George Catlin's painting 'Win-Jun-Jon' was critical of the Americanisation and modernisation of the Native American. The photograph that I have chosen (see above) really does encapsulate the idea that the Native American's were modernized. It is the funeral of a Native American chief. More explicitly, Santank, the chief of Kiowa. The people pictured are seen wearing dresses and suits, which was obviously brought over by settlers that came over to the continent. These new ways of living certainly did come at a cost, as many of the natives lost their sense of identity or felt pressured into conforming to the way of life of the people who settled in America.

However, the fact that this photograph is even showing the burial of a chief shows that the culture was not dead after all. You would imagine that if the colonization and the wish of these colonies to civilize the native Americans, that the hierarchical system of chiefs and such, would dissolve.

The Manifest Destiny - to go westwards and conquer and flourish across the continent obviously had a profound affect on the Native Americans, from tribe to tribe. They believed that it was not only their divine right to the land and the bounty upon it but also to show the 'savages' God.

Native American portrait.

This painting was created in 1890 and details how the Native Indians were treated by the Americans and 'cowboys.'

The scenery shows the rural state of West America and how vast the land was and undeveloped it was. This demonstrates how they exiled the Native Indians to areas of land that weren't sufficient enough in rich soils for themselves.

Also in the scenery is a wooden wagon wheel which could mean that the native Americans were travelling in a wagon and it was destroyed by the cowboys. This is also emphasised by the smashed bottles, broken boxes and their personal belongings laid out on the ground.

The cowboy on the left hand side if pointing at the Native Indians which could be either seen as he is mocking them by pointing and laughing as they have nothing, or debating what to do with them. One Indian does have a large feathered head piece of which could mean he is the chief, which is more shocking that the chief of a village would be removed from his settlement. He is also surrounded by children, which shows the brutality of how they were treated, whether men, women or children.

In the background there seems to be a buffalo skull, this is properly used as a metaphor of how the Americans killed so many Buffalo's for their own selves and again taking from the Native Indians which once was theirs and how they killed so many Native Indians for no valid reason.

The trail of wagons through the valley is heading towards the west, which demonstrates how they moved across the land to expand. Also as they have wagons, cows and personal possessions this shows how much more they did have than the Native Americans, as they are left there with one horse between them, no wagon and most possessions broken from a possible attack.

The Twitter of The Tea Party

At a personal level I find the Tea party to be fascinating due to the way they voice their bigoted opinions and politics, on average they do not seem to hold any inhabitions or care about relevant social issues, such as racism. For me they uphold the image of the All-American Redneck,

(Tea Party candidate Ken Buck, after being asked why people should vote for him for the Colorado GOP Senate nomination) ''Because I do not wear high heels. She has questioned my manhood, and I think it's fair to respond. I have cowboy boots, they have real bullsh*t on them. And that's Weld County bullsh*t, not Washington, D.C., bullsh*t.'' Buck was referring to an ad run by his opponent, which decried third-party spending on behalf of his campaign and urged Buck to ''be man enough'' to run the ads himself (July 21, 2010)

A website of particular interest that gives a personal insight into that of the Tea Party mind is http://twitter.com/#!/teapartynews their 'tweets' constantly refer to Hitler, and indeed some of their photos posted include the figure referring to the governemnt mirroring the dictator. The image chosen for the site is the American flag, although not particularily inventive it connveys the message of patriotism to the 'simple' minds of the followers and what the political party is fighting for. Which for me what the picture above highlights, found on their site, claiming America committed suicide voting in the current President Obama with the caption, "Let's prove we can pull it back from the brink!" That their political values will save America, as seen in other pictures and Tweets on the page.
The page also deals with negative criticism for example,
'I love how nothing at the teaparty matches. Not the chairs nor the cups.' To which they directly attacked back.
Another important feature of the site is the many images of multi-raced little girls having tea parties, tea parties in general, home made cakes and images of people learning how to sew furthermore of the crowds at rallies and political leaders. All of these images hold the value of an old fashioned 'good, clean, fun' portraying the statement that the tea Party are non corrupt and have the simple hearts of Americans, who wish to uphold that aspect of America.

The Tea Party

The website I've chosen for analysis is the functionally named TeaParty.org which like other websites discussed claims to be the 'official' website of the party. Like many other sites it has a wide range of media such a videos, raido shows, blogs and news articles. It also give methods of contacting government officials via faxes.

The news articles are taken from a variety of sources such as The Washington Times and Yahoo and generally seem to focused on either the economy and Obama, usually casting him in a negative light, although that is the opinion of the original article as opposed to the main page.

The Web page is a little confusing due to the fact that the more opinionated side of it can be found by clicking the link "Join the Party". Which leads to a section filled with links to blogs, photos, online radio shows and even a shop.

The blogs range in length and quality but nearly all are of an anti-Obama/Democrat bent.

The Radio shows plays (some quite good) music (patriot of course) and has discussions about the economy and gives out information. the generally running theme is usually about "restoring our country".

The simple fact that there are more than one webpages that claim to be the official site for the Tea Party movement shows the fractured nature of said movement. Indeed one of the current topic of discussion that seem to be causing a rift is whether or not to support the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement; some bloggers say they are leftist scroungers who are attacking the hard working, whilst others say the big bosses of Wall Street are to blame for the economic collapse and the government should have let the banks collapse in order to profligate the free market.

One comment that was really interesting to note was one which was in support of economic regulation: "Free enterprise/free trade has put our economy under, we were sold out over 20 years ago, when it first began. Our "heavy industries" were the first to be phased out" which again puts the Tea Party movement into a more Democrat position!

In my own personal opinion the Tea Party movement has many genuine concerns for the American economy and the apparent loss of communication between the governed and the government. In fact at it's heart the Tea Party is a very egalitarian, patiotic and populist movement, however like many such movements in the past it is corrupted and distorted by moralistic tendencies and a discordance in it's opinions. In short, like America itself it is very varied in it's goals and opinions and ultimately that's it's downfall; it is too divided to be a political force.

The Tea Party Patriots: Protected the Country and the Constitution for which they were founded.

The website that follows the 'Tea Party' ethos is that of the Tea Party Patriots. There are many factors and attributes to this website that really do encompass the historic values that were put forward in the Constitution. This website is also connected to http://www.teapartypatriots.org/ (2nd Nov 2011), which is currently under construction. They post a threads of news reports and issues that they believe is a substantial relevance to their cause. For example, articles about illegal immigration and what their Tea Party organization is going to do to prevent this problem or to try and elevate some of the problems caused.

They also have a radio station, where they put their perspective on the days news and current events - but also allowing the audience to be able to become involved with the politics that the propagate through the medium of the Internet and from the radio station.

The American Flag is very much a massive part of the design layout and house style of this website. It really does connote the extreme Patriotism that this movement holds and the mentioning of the constitution in their sort of modus operandi/mission statement, really does lend the idea to the audience that they still follow almost a traditionalist and unprogressive - due to the fact that some of the ideologies that the united states now have evolved from what was previously mentioned in the Constitution.

There is also a photo slideshow on the main part of the website. One of the main trending photographs that I noticed was guns - which to me appears to be supported by those who are quite republican. There is also an image of a Tea Shirt with 'Fight The Left' and other images that show a very clear support of right wing ideologies and views.

The Tea Party.

In 2009, the modern Tea Party movement started again not long after President Barack Obama took office. Obama and House Democrats then passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - this act looked to save and create jobs and to provide temporary relief programs for those most impacted by the recession and invest in infrastructure, education, health, and ‘green’ energy- this law then passes in February. The 'TEA' is referred to as 'taxed enough already' as the movement believe in tax resistance. As Obama introduced this act this has created a backlash of protesting against himself and his policies. - see above picture, detailing how the tea party movement see Obama.

The tea party patriots website is the offical home of the American tea party movement. Their mission statement is 'The impetuses for the Tea Party movement are excessive government spending and taxation. Our mission is to attract, educate, organize, and mobilize our fellow citizens to secure public policy consistent with our three core values of Fiscal Responsibility, Constitutionally Limited Government and Free Markets.'
This website uses many different media to project their message such as videos, pictures, radio and blogs so that they can be seen and heard by many different people to hopefully influence and persuade them to join the tea party movement. However to view these items on the website you had to join and become a member, i found this interesting as i would have presumed they would want anyone to be able to see what they represent, as joining may put some people off.

Once i had joined i began looking at the videos, most themed about economic failure in America, for instances;Economic Collapse 101 for Dummies - this looks at the economic problem and how to avoid them, The Cartel - this video examines how American schools are failing even though a lot of public spending is being put into them and WARNING TO : WE THE PEOPLE OF CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC.avi - looks at how our 'founding fathers' didnt want to create a democracy. This videos will persuade individuals into believing certain ideologies about the current economic state of America, Obama's influence and how to stand up against these rules and regulations.

Unfortunatly i didnt get to listen to the radio show, however their description seems to get people to come and speak, presumably to shed negativity onto America's economics and politics, and they speak of the new today and explain their views. I can only presume that they would try and use this as evidence that this isnt an irrational group trying to cause problems, but actually they views are supported by others and facts from the news.

On every page if you are a member they do try and insist you invite other people, this would be so they can spread their message, they currently have around 90,437 members, so their is clearly a similar view and ideology that is shared by many Americans.

I would say this website constintly tries to persuade the reader to join them and see their points of view, which may be seen as quite intimidating and full on for many people, although they do raise interesting points and support them by all the different media footage they have.