Huckleberries Online

Teabag: Acceptable Term Or Not?

Posted by DFO

Nov. 30, 2009 10:43 a.m. • 67 comments

On the Sunday thread, Lizard People took great exception to the use of the term “teabag” or “teabaggers” to refer to individuals that take part in the Tea Party movement. Unquestionably, the original intent of liberals and some media people in using the term was derogatory. The term refers to a sado-masochistic practice involving submission. However, some original Tea Party members referred to themselves as Tea Baggers and the term has become so widespread that it has taken on a new meaning, as a term that refers to the Tea Party movement. According to Wikipedia (link here, caution: slang use vulgar), “The term’s growth in the political arena earned attention by the Oxford American Dictionary, and it achieved finalist status for the OAD Word of the Year.” Gary Crooks, of the SR’s editorial page, tells Huckleberries that he originally killed posts to the blog, A Matter of Opinion, that originally used the term. But now he’s reconsidering because it usage has become widespread as a political designation. Larry Spencer called this morning to say that he rarely is offended by language. But he finds the term offensive. What do you think?

Question: Should posts that use the term “tea bag” or “tea baggers” to refer to the Tea Party movement or individuals within the movement be allowed at Huckleberries Online?

67 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

sibulsky on November 30 at 10:57 a.m.
Just a comparative thought…the same thing happened with the term ‘gangbanger’. it’s origin was purely sexual, but evolved into a deragatory reference to gang members. It’s now pretty widely used in its newer meaning.
Cindy_H on November 30 at 11:01 a.m.
Tea bags are uncivilized.
Right now, I’m brewing a small pot of Market Spice to keep me warm while I work.
Loose tea is is real tea.
Tea bags are for iced tea.

*I’m in lecture mode. Give me another topic*
Sisyphus on November 30 at 11:02 a.m.
Isn’t this in the eye of the beholder? Seriously, if LP is offended by the term, whose fault is that?
scootermom on November 30 at 11:02 a.m.
I recall the tea party protestors wearing hats with tea bags hanging from the brims.

I find it amusing that they now wish to distance themselves from the image they created.

Hey, if you rally around tea party protests, you’re going to be associated with tea bags. Get used to it.
mike_s on November 30 at 11:02 a.m.
I think it sucks.
BlueinIdaho on November 30 at 11:03 a.m.
Don’t think I’ve ever used the term, either in the vulgar sense or in the teaparty sense, but I believe they brought this term on themselves. My name for them probably wouldn’t be so vague…
Digger on November 30 at 11:04 a.m.
I think it should be allowed.
Bent on November 30 at 11:05 a.m.
“Isn’t this in the eye of the beholder?” — Sis

Only if it done right…
Cindy_H on November 30 at 11:07 a.m.
Bad Bent!! Bad!
MatthewRoot on November 30 at 11:08 a.m.
the term is clearly meant to be derogatory, and should probably be kept out of the papers. Meanings do change, of course. For example, fubar is now used in polite media.
OrangeTV on November 30 at 11:09 a.m.
It’s not really sadomasochistic to have someone’s underwear-clad family jewels placed gently on one’s forehead, is it?

Anyway, not many people realize that the term was brought into popular culture by one of my favorite film directors, John Waters (Hairspray, Serial Mom, Pink Flamingos). It was an obscure act known only to patrons of a seedy Baltimore bar, performed by male dancers for audience members who requested it. Waters found the idea hilarious and co-opted it for his film “Pecker” (also not used as slang - it’s the lead character’s nickname, derived from how he ate like a bird as a child). It’s a funny scene from a funny movie.

Not sure who first connected it to the Tea Party folks, but they’re pretty much stuck with the tag now, no matter how much they whine or try to get people to not use it. I’d suggest a name change for their little get-togethers at this point.
Cabbage Boy on November 30 at 11:12 a.m.
Bent, that was awful. Shame. :)

Sis, really? Amazing how easily you hop that fence when the someone else’s bull is about to gore you. (how is that for mixed metaphors?)

I guess when you straddle it most of the time, jumping to one side or the other is easy. Doubt you come to the same conclusion with any racial or homophobic terms.

Not that I am offended. I somewhat agree with Sis, but just am more consistent about my views.
JeanieSpokane on November 30 at 11:14 a.m.
You know what’s sad, or bad, about this whole thread???? I had absolutely no idea the word “teabagging” had any other definition rather than what my innocent mind conjured up. Now I have this whole other picture and its way too much information. And this icky visual. I’m sorry I even ventured on to this thread.
ejs on November 30 at 11:19 a.m.
Being an avid fly fisherman the term tea bagging clearly means that when wet wading in early spring an angler has to enter the water and cross the river that requires one to reach a water level that has the boys dip a bit in the water. One is then required to “steep” them, so to speak in order for things to adjust to the temp. Otherwise said boys, would move to quickly into the body cavity, thus causing voice to raise a few db’s and even worse, fainting.

Example,
Two men on oposite sides of a river, Bill says, “Eric, where did you cross?”
Eric, “Well Bill, right here but it wasn’t easy, your gonna have to tea bag it”
florined on November 30 at 11:20 a.m.
Offense may have been justified last summer, but language changes quickly and I’m betting that most readers wouldn’t even know of another, less socially acceptable meaning. The term SS mentioned is a prime example of linguistic morphing. And yesterday, a commenter used the phrase “deep throat” and LP didn’t yelp. Maybe he’s not old enough to have been around before the Watergate bruhahhah.
Sisyphus on November 30 at 11:21 a.m.
One of the things I love about language is its fluidity as the Oxford people extol. It’ll be interesting to see how the term evolves. With more wide usage, any vulgar reference is likely to be forgotten in favor of a more common usage. Of course, it might just become the term of choice for those issuing scorn and derision towards this very worthy group. But restricting its usage here because some people find one half of the double entendre offensive seems a little too cozy to censorship.

Personally when I use the term anymore, and I often do, its not in reference to the physical act, but in reference to the group of self promoting vacuous twits whose insipid knowledge of popular culture is as bereft as their avowed understanding of the constitution and the historical basis of America. I think this definition might win out. ;-)
nic on November 30 at 11:21 a.m.
“Larry Spencer called this morning… he finds the term offensive.”

If we use what offends Larry as our bench mark of what is approriate, we’d live in a boring (or chaotic depending on your POV) world.
BlueinIdaho on November 30 at 11:23 a.m.
“self promoting vacuous twits whose insipid knowledge of popular culture is as bereft as their avowed understanding of the constitution and the historical basis of America”

Sis, that’s kindof what I choose to call them too….only it takes too long.
Cindy_H on November 30 at 11:25 a.m.
“Larry Spencer called this morning… he finds the term offensive.”

How come he didn’t comment on the thread like everyone else? Is he grounded from the computer again?
Sisyphus on November 30 at 11:30 a.m.
Agreed Blue. That’s why I use teabagger as short hand.
Me on November 30 at 11:34 a.m.
As long as it is used also for the original teabaggers then why not. re:

“It was now early evening and a group of about 200 teabaggers, some disguised as Indians, assembled on a near-by hill. Whopping war chants, the teabaggers marched two-by-two to the wharf, descended upon the three ships and dumped their offending cargos of tea into the harbor waters.”
ejs on November 30 at 11:36 a.m.
Let’s just call them nut bags and get it over with :)
Kendramama on November 30 at 11:38 a.m.
For those of you who’d like to be “in the know” of the current slang and funny lingo being bantered about, I’d suggest subscribing to Urban Dictionary’s “Word of the Day”, delivered via email M-F. Some are hilarious, many are lame, many more are downright disgusting. You can also of course visit their actual site and ask for a “Random Word” from the archives; scroll through various words alphabetically or by popularity (one of Urban Dictionary’s features is to have their readership vote on the quality of slang submissions: only if it gets a high enough eventual vote will it be included in that year’s dictionary.
Anyway, I get a kick out of it, and fyi? Out of the seven “teabagging” definitions on the first page I looked at, all but one were testicularly oriented. The one that was not was still rather tongue in cheek, commenting on the folly of protesters.
hmoffsuite on November 30 at 11:38 a.m.
Its amazing how the term can have so many different interpretations. I thought ‘teabaggers’ meant: Concerned citizens displaying their disapproval of Obama’s uncontrolled spending and mismanagement of the economy along with the destructive expansion of government.
marmitetoasty on November 30 at 11:39 a.m.
See what the world has come to…. now if only everyone had stuck to ‘loose tea leaves’ with a proper teapot, we woudnt even find ourselves discussing the ins and outs of ‘teabagging’ :)

x
BlueinIdaho on November 30 at 11:43 a.m.
Given Hmoffsuite’s definition, I’m leaning towards the clearly more accurate, “KoolAid baggers”…
Sisyphus on November 30 at 11:43 a.m.
“discussing the ins and outs of ‘teabagging’ “—God love ya Marmie. And you too Kendra.
florined on November 30 at 11:44 a.m.
Ah, but Marmie, it’s still nigh impossible to get restaurants in the US to provide BOILING water for brewing.
DCR on November 30 at 11:45 a.m.
Correct me if I’m mistaken, but didn’t the originators of this movement mail teabags to U.S. congressmen and senators in the beginning? Didn’t they carry teabags and wave them during their initial gatherings and marches?

Seems to me the genesis of the term was internal to the movement, and the other connotation is just a coincidence.
Fixer on November 30 at 11:55 a.m.
Oh c’mon, it’s FUNNY.

Seeing folks wearing ballcaps with the dangling tea bags is a visual I won’t soon forget. I remember thinking “Wow, don’t they know what teabagging is?” Heck, I’m laughing as I write this.

Of course, I think a sign that reads “Free Parking in Rear” is hilarious as well. So maybe it’s just me.
Joker on November 30 at 12:13 p.m.
I think the term teabagger has evolved into something else. My father uses curse words and other colorful language about as often as the Pope.

Yet, over the Thanksgiving weekend, there he was talking about the teabaggers and how they’ve attracted some real crazies.

I am sure my father has no idea what the other meaning is when he uttered “teabagger” twice in a 10 minute coversation. Yes, I was giggling on the inside.
Lizard_People on November 30 at 12:17 p.m.
SO, right now, the official policy of the Spokesman Review is that it is NOT okay to use the term “teabagger”. Am I correct?
poolman on November 30 at 12:19 p.m.
After consulting Kendra’s urban dictionary the term “Teabagger” has moved to third place one my personal favorite’s list behind “Take it to house” and “Bob Barker”.
DFO on November 30 at 12:49 p.m.
@ Lizard People; as of now, there is no official position re: the word and the SR. I’ve asked Editor Gary Graham for an opinion. BTW, are you ignoring my personal message to you?
marmitetoasty on November 30 at 1:10 p.m.
**florined on November 30 at 11:44 a.m.

Ah, but Marmie, it’s still nigh impossible to get restaurants in the US to provide BOILING water for brewing.**

Your aving a laff, right? are you serious LOL… someone did tell me this before me and me lad travelled to Maine a couple of summers back to stay with me matie, so I went prepared…. I took me own box of ‘builders tea’ baggers rule :) LOL

x
Cabbage Boy on November 30 at 1:30 p.m.
Glad to see that Sis comes by his hypocrisy honestly. Doesn’t even realize it. But hey, I like this phrase,

“self promoting vacuous twits whose insipid knowledge of popular culture is as bereft as their avowed understanding of the constitution and the historical basis of America”

I just call em liberals for short.
redman on November 30 at 1:32 p.m.
Sisyphus on November 30 at 11:02 a.m.

Isn’t this in the eye of the beholder?

Sis is right, however one can say that for the N word and the F word too. Personally I say no big deal to any of the words, they are just words.
Cindy_H on November 30 at 1:39 p.m.
@Poolman: I don’t think I will ever forgive you for making me look up Bob Barker in the Urban Dictionary. You’ve ruined The Price is Right for me too.
:-(
Escapee on November 30 at 1:59 p.m.
So, would an elderly person in that group be known as an Old Tea-Bagger?
Cindy_H on November 30 at 2:02 p.m.
Thanks for the laugh CB. I needed that!
OrangeTV on November 30 at 2:13 p.m.
Re: Cabbage Boy. So in other words, what you’re saying is “I’m rubber and you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you.”

Not the most enlightened form of debate.
Cabbage Boy on November 30 at 2:15 p.m.
It is called sarcasm OTV. Often used to point out a ludicrous statement or blatantly ignorant comment.
spokelooneh on November 30 at 2:30 p.m.
Poolman, good job on the Pavlovian baiting, worked quite well.

–––––––-

The term “chickenhawk” followed a similar path. I only knew of the word in its more modern political context, until someone pointed out to me its earlier slang meaning.
OrangeTV on November 30 at 2:30 p.m.
“Often used to point out a ludicrous statement or blatantly ignorant comment.”

I just call em statements made by conservatives for short.
Tony on November 30 at 2:34 p.m.
call me Un-Worldly, but I never heard the term until it was being used in referance to the Tea Party participants. I heard it on national TV.
IdoDave on November 30 at 2:44 p.m.
So the Tea Party folks are offended by a little name calling. Aren’t these the same people that have labeled Obama a “Nazi” and called every concept they are remotely opposed to as “Communist.” Seems to me their sensibilities have arrived a bit late. I knew what “teabagger” meant and used the term with a smile. If Larry Spencer is offended. That’s just icing on the cake. It’s a little late in the debate for civility, don’t you think?
Cindy_H on November 30 at 2:51 p.m.
Tony. You are Un-Wordly.
(I’m feeling obedient today.)
redman on November 30 at 3:01 p.m.
IdoDave which is worse teabagger or fa&&ot?
redman on November 30 at 3:03 p.m.
OTV, would it be a hate crime if a teabagger was beat up?
Lizard_People on November 30 at 3:05 p.m.
“It’s a little late in the debate for civility”

sigh… I fear you are right. I wish it weren’t the case, but we are a fractured people. An unreconcilable rift has formed.

I remember reading one time that the Yugoslav wars of succession began with rants over the radio airwaves long before any shots were fired.
Nick_Adams on November 30 at 3:09 p.m.
On a slightly-related note, I was driving back to Boise from a holiday weekend in beautiful north-central Idaho yesterday when I found myself stuck behind a pick-up truck with a Ron Paul for President bumpersticker. He was driving well below the speed limit and I immediately thought “Oh great, another teabagger holding up the Democratic agenda”. After several cars were lined up behind him, he pulled over at the first turnout to let us pass. If only the national folks were as thoughtful.
brentandrews on November 30 at 3:25 p.m.
No, it should never have been used, but I think it’s hilarious to think of the hard-righters tea-bagging especially in terms of individuals - I mean, here are the most self-righteous people in the land willingly engaging in something named after the dirtiest sexual deed ever imagined outside the mind of Dan Savage. I wouldn’t go downtown and tea-bag and be ever-known as a teabagger for anything. People will be saying 20 years from now as they pass, ‘There goes ole John, he was one of the tea-baggers’ and they’ll giggle under their sleeves and secretly imagine ole John … doing something nasty and out of character. It’s shameful. It’s sparked the seediest conversation in the public square since the Lewinski dress.
brentandrews on November 30 at 3:27 p.m.
Blue, KoolAidbaggers is far better, I agree; the media should adopt it immediately.
nic on November 30 at 3:31 p.m.
Brent - just a point of clarification… I’m sure some of those “most self-righteous people in the land” have tea-bagged….
OrangeTV on November 30 at 3:34 p.m.
RedMan, I know you’re not being totally serious, but of course not, because they weren’t born a “teabagger” - it’s something that they chose to become involved in. In broad terms, a hate crime is a crime inflicted for the sole reason of a real or perceived inborn or unalterable trait such as race, disability or sexuality. It’s not a terribly complicated concept…
Sisyphus on November 30 at 4:14 p.m.
“Glad to see that Sis comes by his hypocrisy honestly.”—LOL, I’m not surprised this is lost on you CB, but using derogatory terms to denigrate the quality of a person that they themselves cannot change, like race, ethnicity or sexual orientation, has very little to do with a discussion about a radical group of people actively promoting themselves and their anachronistic belief system with aspirations of political gain using a name whose double meaning was completely lost on them. In fact it speaks volumes about them, their movement and whether they should be taken seriously.
hmoffsuite on November 30 at 4:23 p.m.
That was a good one, Sis. Better get it posted on your 43st blog. Or did you get it there? Either way, make sure the foot soldiers get those word tracks. Very good.
Cabbage Boy on November 30 at 4:37 p.m.
your right sis. If we were talking about the vapid liberals then we could say it isn’t there fault. They were just born without the ability to reason.

The tea party folks are smart enough, they can handle it.
redman on November 30 at 4:47 p.m.
I see where your coming from OTV
Fuschia on November 30 at 4:58 p.m.
Do some searching and see what the original Starbux logo looked like.
Phaedrus on November 30 at 5:03 p.m.
Larry Spencer called this morning to say that he rarely is offended by language. But he finds the term offensive.

LarrySpencer is a hardcore conservative, I bet he chokes on it.
Lizard_People on November 30 at 5:41 p.m.
I thought creed was usually thrown in with race, disability or sexuality.

If you can’t help lurid thoughts about other men, I can’t help having thoughts about Eunomia.

Therefore, to demean me by caling me a vulgar sexual put-down is hate speech.
Soaf on November 30 at 5:49 p.m.
The only person that sees it as a “vulger sexual put down” is the person who already has their mind in the gutter.
Lizard_People on November 30 at 5:53 p.m.
That’s quite disingenous, SOAF.
Soaf on November 30 at 5:59 p.m.
Only to you LP.
ejs on November 30 at 7:14 p.m.
Figures a bunch of sore looseres would call themselves “tea baggers” Ironic that they are still OK with it.
JohnA on November 30 at 7:38 p.m.
Gee, quite a heated discussion.

What I can’t figure out is why everyone is so testes.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.