I have found a disturbing tendency in many of my liberal friends to dismiss not just Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and other Tea Party leaders but their constituency of followers, calling them stupid and racist and all sorts of other names.

Here's the thing: there are thousands, if not millions of them. And for all that I deplore their rhetoric about Real Americans (as if anyone who doesn't subscribe to their particular beliefs isn't a Real American), there are two points that my friends who disparage them seem to be missing:

1. Tea Partiers are Real Americans as much as we are, and
    


2. Although the leaders of the movement may be capitalizing on and feeding the fears of their followers, the concerns underlying those fears are very real.

The world is changing. Jobs are disappearing -- some of them permanently. People have based their paths in life on certain assumptions that are no longer valid, and will never be again. It's no wonder that many are attracted to those who tell them that yes, they have a right to be afraid, and let's go blame Them for destroying our dreams!

I don't agree with all the policies of the current Administration. I agree even less -- as I pointed out in my recent rant regarding the lack of debate regarding healthcare -- with the refusal of the GOP and the Tea Party to present reasoned alternatives, choosing instead to fall back on negatively passionate frothing.

A Twitter update I posted today read: "Being able to identify and validate the fears of others does not inherently equip one to solve the problems that provoke those fears."

The flip side of that is that not having the personal knowledge, education or resources to competently navigate the confusion that is our ever more rapidly changing world should not overshadow the real concerns of those who seek comfort in blame, even if the direction they choose to try to address those concerns makes the situation worse.

Therefore, it is short-sighted to lump all those who rally behind the Tea Party banner as "stupid." We need to work together to get through this, and that includes treating with respect the concerns and fears of our fellow Americans, regardless of whether or not we agree with their methods.