AMAZIAN OF THE WEEK! Annabel Park
Name: Annabel Park
Age: 41
Hails from: Silver Spring, Maryland
Occupation: Filmmaker, Founder of Coffee Party USA
Known for: Partying down. In a moment of frustration, Park posted a Facebook status update rejecting the “disproportionally effective” actions of the Tea Party movement. She wrote, “We should just start our own party, call it the Coffee Party or the Smoothie Party—anything but Tea.”
For many people that would be a fleeting statement, followed naturally by something like, “Annabel Park is looking forward to a great weekend!”
Instead, the “Coffee Party” idea took root, and with the aid of Park’s producing partner Eric Byler, grew and grew and grew. No longer just a clever phrase, the Coffee Party has become a movement of its very own–one that does not attack government officials or constituents but the mishandled American political system. The Coffee Party’s Facebook page now boasts over 160,000 fans and the official site presents a bright call to action, asking Americans from all political leanings to calmy organize, debate, speak up, support candidates… civic engagement without all the petty fighting.
Through their online venues, the Party launched its first National Coffee Day last Saturday, which included meetings in over 350 coffee shops in 44 states. See photos on their Flickr page or video below:
Doesn’t a cup of joe sound pretty nice right about now?
[Join the Coffee Party on Facebook]
[Coffee Party: Wake Up And Stand Up]
[Newser: Coffee Party Founder Calls For A Friendlier Process]
Source
Thanks, David and Aviva!
Filed under: American Government, Annabel Park, Being Nice, Broken Systems, Coffee Houses, Coffee Shops, Cups of Joe, Eric Byler, Facebook, Filmmakers, Grassroots Movement, National Coffee Day, Party Founders, Petty Fighting, Polarization is So Over, Politics, Rants, Talking Like Civilized People, Tea Party Conventions, The Coffee Party, Viral Internet Trends
I joined the movement a few weeks ago. I think it is a wonderful idea! Although I consider myself pretty liberal, I think that partisan politics is really holding the country back, what with all of the childish bickering between the parties.
Oh, this is just bad ass.
I love it when I hear about awesome peoples from when I am.
It’s heartening to see this countervailing force grow because tea partiers pose a threat to national security — they want to cut spending but they want their neighbors’ kids to fight wars that waste lives & destroy wealth — we already have too many politicians who think wars are worth fighting
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by DISGRASIAN™, Krystal Oh. Krystal Oh said: RT @disgrasian: @KrystalOh Not only a hero, an AMAZIAN http://disgrasian.com/2010/03/amazian-of-the-week-annabel-park/#more-7297 [...]
Thanks for this! I keep getting invited to join the Coffee Party, but since I’m all cynical and suspicious, I figured it was a scam or a front. So I didn’t. But now that I know The Rest of the Story, heck, I shall consider it! (A la Evil Spock from the “Mirror, Mirror” universe in the original Star Trek.)