Political gatherings and political movements have been known to emerge from discussion and debate in coffeehouses, but never has one been named after the drink which is most famous for moving them along. And now two movements are brewing, one named after coffee and the second tea, both of which are regularly served in coffeehouses.
In 2009, the Tea Party emerged, drawing upon the name of the Boston Tea Party; their protests have evoked images, slogans, and themes from the American Revolution whose principal aim was to protest taxation without representation. In 1773, the Boston Tea Party made drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America, as coffee was declared the national drink of the then colonized United States in protest of the excessive tax levied on tea by the British. The Boston Tea Party helped make coffee popular in the now United States though there were other influences as well.
The Coffee Party emerged just a few weeks ago through a Facebook page, and is a political movement counterpoint to the Tea Party; it is based on the underlying principle that the government is “not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face as Americans.” Though it was formed in reaction to the Tea Party, both desire fiscal responsibility and are frustrated with Beltway politics. Founded by Annabel Park, its stated goals include getting cooperation in government and removing corporate influence from politics.
Saturday, March 13, 2010 has been declared National Coffee Party Day, and the group is moving forward with the planning of coffee parties, mostly to be held in coffeehouses. Tea Party members have been welcomed to join, as Ms. park is quoted as saying, “We need to roll up our sleeves, put our heads together and work it out. That’s, to me, an American way of doing this.”
The Coffee Party is using social media to create opportunities for in person conversations about political matters, and so the coffeehouse is again becoming a place for political gatherings, a place where online meets offline. So, I may attend a meeting this weekend to observe and learn how they plan to use coffeehouses to move their cause along.
Political gatherings and political movements have been known to emerge from discussion and debate in coffeehouses, but never has one been named after the drink which is most famous for moving them along. And now two movements are brewing, one named after coffee and the second tea, both of which are regularly served in coffeehouses.
In 2009, the Tea Party emerged, drawing upon the name of the Boston Tea Party; their protests have evoked images, slogans, and themes from the American Revolution whose principal aim was to protest taxation without representation. In 1773, the Boston Tea Party made drinking coffee a patriotic duty in America, as coffee was declared the national drink of the then colonized United States in protest of the excessive tax levied on tea by the British. The Boston Tea Party helped make coffee popular in the now United States though there were other influences as well.
The Coffee Party emerged just a few weeks ago through a Facebook page, and is a political movement counterpoint to the Tea Party; it is based on the underlying principle that the government is “not the enemy of the people, but the expression of our collective will, and that we must participate in the democratic process in order to address the challenges we face as Americans.” Though it was formed in reaction to the Tea Party, both desire fiscal responsibility and are frustrated with Beltway politics. Founded by Annabel Park, its stated goals include getting cooperation in government and removing corporate influence from politics.
Saturday, March 13, 2010 has been declared National Coffee Party Day, and the group is moving forward with the planning of coffee parties, mostly to be held in coffeehouses. Tea Party members have been welcomed to join, as Ms. park is quoted as saying, “We need to roll up our sleeves, put our heads together and work it out. That’s, to me, an American way of doing this.”
The Coffee Party is using social media to create opportunities for in person conversations about political matters, and so the coffeehouse is again becoming a place for political gatherings, a place where online meets offline. So, I may attend a meeting this weekend to observe and learn how they plan to use coffeehouses to move their cause along.
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