# Do you know what the John Birch Society is? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008 "2011-02-20T14:56:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/1 "2011-02-20T14:56:03Z")
A friend of mine recently said that in 30 years the Tea Party Movement will be remembered only by political historians and trivia buffs. That got me to thinking about other political movements that have flourished for a while and then faded from the public eye even though they may have continued in existence. And I got to wondering how many people today remember, or know of, the John Birch Society. Do you? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/2 "2011-02-20T15:19:39Z")
I’m not sure that this board is the best place to get a random sample of people who are _not_ trivia buffs. Just a feeling I have… ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/3 "2011-02-20T15:25:25Z")
Howard Mott Society was similar to the Birchers. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/4 "2011-02-20T15:27:17Z")
I was always more partial to the Birch John Society. ---
**Author:** ![Foggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foggy/32/1082_2.png) [@Foggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foggy)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/5 "2011-02-20T15:37:19Z")
I check “Heard of it and know what it was or is” but to be honest I’m not completely sure what it was/is. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/6 "2011-02-20T15:39:35Z")
The name is familiar, but I don’t know what it is/was off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/7 "2011-02-20T15:45:47Z")
For future reference, to get a more unbiased sample of responses, the titles of threads like these should be non-specific – e.g., “Have you heard of this organization?” When you put “John Birch” in the title, people who know about it and maybe have something to say on the topic are going to be more likely to click on the thread. And, yes, of course I know about the JBS. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/8 "2011-02-20T16:03:05Z")
Not only know about them, but I know who John Birch was:American intelligence officer killed by the Chinese Communists shortly after the end of WWII. Considered by the JBS to be the first US casualty of the Cold War. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/9 "2011-02-20T16:05:16Z")
In the 80s I was out doing cold call sales, and went into what I thought was an insurance office. A whole bunch of very creepy posters convinced me to immediately turn right around and leave what turned out to be the local John Birch office. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/10 "2011-02-20T16:13:53Z")
I mainly only know it from Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers comics although I think it is also mentioned in some of Phillip Roth’s books. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/11 "2011-02-20T16:32:38Z")
> [@VarlosZ](#): > > For future reference, to get a more unbiased sample of responses, the titles of threads like these should be non-specific – e.g., “Have you heard of this organization?” When you put “John Birch” in the title, people who know about it and maybe have something to say on the topic are going to be more likely to click on the thread. > > And, yes, of course I know about the JBS. Very good point. I’ll remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/12 "2011-02-20T18:08:23Z")
I doubt that it will take 30 years for the Tea Party to be remembered only by political history buffs. They will be forgotten much sooner as they have no real organization. What was the name of Ross Perot’s political movement when he ran for President in 1996? Do you remember? It was composed of many of the same sort of people as the Tea Party. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/13 "2011-02-20T18:10:05Z")
The Reform Party. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/14 "2011-02-20T18:20:52Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > The Reform Party. So, **Dallas Jones** , trivia buff or political nutcase? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/15 "2011-02-20T18:55:57Z")
[John Birch Society](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pG6taS9R1KM) as performed by the Chad Mitchell trio. One of life’s better earworms. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/16 "2011-02-20T19:46:08Z")
I know who they are, but for some reason I always get them confused with the Log Cabin Republicans. Maybe because they both have a type of wood and a type of room/building in their name. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/17 "2011-02-20T19:49:48Z")
I know what they were, but only because of the Bob Dylan song. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/18 "2011-02-20T19:56:25Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > So, **Dallas Jones** , trivia buff or political nutcase? Just an older news junkie. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/19 "2011-02-20T20:28:36Z")
> [@Shmendrik](#): > > I know who they are, but for some reason I always get them confused with the Log Cabin Republicans. Maybe because they both have a type of wood and a type of room/building in their name. One wouldn’t assume there was a lot of overlap between the two groups, but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008/20 "2011-02-20T20:33:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I know what they were, but only because of the Bob Dylan song. +1 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-the-john-birch-society-is/572008.md?page=2)