Rediscovering Riesman: The Tea Party as Inner-Directed Rebellion

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Abstract

In 1950, David Riesman published his book, The Lonely Crowd, in which he argued that America was transitioning to a new era in terms of its social character: from an inner-directed society, where individuals were primarily guided by internalized values, to an other-directed society, where individuals were now guided by a desire to conform to the expectations of others. Riesman (2001[1950]: 33) contended that, as the nation moves in a more other-directed direction, inner-directed individuals “may be forced into resentment or rebellion.” I argue that the recent surge in conservative political and social movement activity constitutes such an inner-directed rebellion. This inner-directed resentment against other-directed policies of tolerance, combined with a perception among conservatives that their politicians are not representing their values, has culminated in a popular uprising in the form of a social and political movement: the Tea Party. Through a qualitative analysis of data from interviews with Tea Party leaders and participants, as well as data from speeches given at Tea Party rallies, I show how the Tea Party exhibits several characteristics of inner-directedness, including a general value orientation, cynicism towards politicians, fear and “curdled indignation” at changes in contemporary society, and a desire to categorize attitudes and policies they oppose as “evil,” as well as opposition to aspects of other-directedness.

Author

• David R. Dietrich, Texas State University