# The Black Panthers??!! Are you kidding me?? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 5, 2003, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734 "2003-01-05T05:55:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/41 "2003-01-07T00:52:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CRorex \* > \*\*Ok, exactly how many sock puppets does this troll have? \*\* How many do I need? ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/42 "2003-01-07T01:17:16Z")
[Hugh Pearson, Shadow of the Panther](http://search.barnesandnoble.com/textbooks/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0201483416) Good post, **Swimming Riddles**. Some of the crime associated with the BPP, however, was simply street crime. It had nothing to do with ‘fighting the power.’ ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/43 "2003-01-07T02:39:48Z")
**EasyPhil** , why is it so hard for you to understand that a .org website founded and maintained by interested parties is _not_ a reliable source of information on very many things. I did look at that website, and I examined the ten point program, etc., and if you look back at the top of this thread I believe I actually _thanked_ you for the link. But that’s not the sort of source that can put arguments to rest. I don’t get my information on the Israel-Palestine conflict from _The Forward_ or Al-Jazeera News, because those are interested and biased sources. Similiarly, I don’t take the word of a .org website when getting information about the organization that put up the website. Other posters in this thread have given other links, and one of the first links was one detailing the various nefarious criminal activities in which the Panthers were involved. You can call me a “fucking idiot”, but at least I’m not the one shamelessly defending a bunch of street toughs and thugs like they were great people or freedom fighters. That’s **Chumpsky** , and it’s pretty much what I expected out of him. Excuses and paranoid drivel about government conspiracies to destroy organizations is all the defenders of the Panthers in this thread have tossed out. ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/44 "2003-01-07T03:11:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\ ***milroyj** , how about some cites to back up what you’re saying? I don’t think you will provide any because I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. Don’t let your fear of Black people get the best of you. \*\* Um, that would be the cite already posted by **zigaretten**. You’re an asshole, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/45 "2003-01-07T03:51:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\*How many do I need? \*\* Just one. I’m assuming you’re joking, though. > [@](#): > > **milroyj, how about some cites to back up what you’re saying? I don’t think you will provide any because I don’t think you know what you’re talking about. Don’t let your fear of Black people get the best of you.** For someone with the handle **EasyPhil** , you certainly are high strung and overly sensitive. Perhaps your quick accusations of racism have to do with not having a valid argument to stand on. The Black Panthers **WERE** a violent group at times. And not just when being attacked by police. [There was the torture and murder of Alex Rackley and the Marin County courtroom incident](http://www.snopes.com/index.html). I used Snopes for the cite, just to make sure no one accused me of spreading urban legends. Anyway, the Black Panthers also did good things for the community at a time when the black community needed stuff done for them. You would think that conservatives would love them since one of their main tenets is the community’s self-sufficiency. Black folk helping other black folk to clean up the community. Sounds like a good, old-fashioned community group that Bush is always talking about, except with racism thrown in. However, one can still praise them for the good stuff they did and admire their ideals, but at the same time rejecting the violence and extremism that sometimes accompanied the Black Panthers. No need to whitewash them, or deny the darker aspects of them. At the same time, to just write them off as a group of thugs is misleading and an oversimplified view of their history. Both the whitewashing and the dismissal are intellectually dishonest and un-nuanced, things that the members of this board ought to reject. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/46 "2003-01-07T06:35:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > **For someone with the handle EasyPhil, you certainly are high strung and overly sensitive. Perhaps your quick accusations of racism have to do with not having a valid argument to stand on.** Oh shit, we have now entered the twilight zone. Re-read the thread, I didn’t acuse anyone of racism. Perhaps you’re projecting? Ah, I see you are, because we have this: > [@](#): > > Anyway, the Black Panthers also did good things for the community at a time when the black community needed stuff done for them. You would think that conservatives would love them since one of their main tenets is the community’s self-sufficiency. Black folk helping other black folk to clean up the community. Sounds like a good, old-fashioned community group that Bush is always talking about, except with racism thrown in. And the racism was what? How was it manifested? Look, stop throwing words around and actually think about what you’re typing. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/47 "2003-01-07T06:43:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RexDart \* > \*\ ***EasyPhil** , why is it so hard for you to understand that a .org website founded and maintained by interested parties is _not_ a reliable source of information on very many things. I did look at that website, and I examined the ten point program, etc., and if you look back at the top of this thread I believe I actually _thanked_ you for the link. But that’s not the sort of source that can put arguments to rest. \*\* My point **RexDart** is that you could have done that before you even hit the pit with your rant, you could have gotten some information about the group. Are you using the same skepticism toward the source that you got your original information from? Many sources have bias, and on this topic you seem to come with to the party with no information at all. > [@](#): > > You can call me a “fucking idiot”, but at least I’m not the one shamelessly defending a bunch of street toughs and thugs like they were great people or freedom fighters. That’s **Chumpsky** , and it’s pretty much what I expected out of him. Excuses and paranoid drivel about government conspiracies to destroy organizations is all the defenders of the Panthers in this thread have tossed out. Paranoid drivel about government conspiracies? Did you see the information that I posted about CointelPro? Do you even know that the program even existed? When is this “fighting ignorance” thing going to get easy? ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/48 "2003-01-07T21:12:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > **Oh shit, we have now entered the twilight zone. Re-read the thread, I didn’t acuse anyone of racism. Perhaps you’re projecting?** HIGH-larious. You are too funny. Maybe you should learn to read or remember what you post. I do believe you posted this: \*\*Don’t let your fear of Black people get the best of you. \*\* [/QUOTE] Well, well, well…what have we here? I believe it is an accusation of racism. It’s not too difficult to make you look like an idiot, is it? But then again, when racists post, they tend to give themselves away as the idiots they are. And yes, **EasyPhil** , in case you were too dense to realize, that was me calling you an ignorant racist. Please do yourself a favor and read up on the Black Panthers from any site acknowledging both their violent side and their good side. But then, if all you are interested in is publicly fellating them…by all means, don’t change a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/49 "2003-01-07T21:14:30Z")
Maybe I should learn to code. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/50 "2003-01-08T02:17:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*HIGH-larious. You are too funny. Maybe you should learn to read or remember what you post. I do believe you posted this: > \*\*Don’t let your fear of Black people get the best of you. \*\* Well, well, well…what have we here? I believe it is an accusation of racism. It’s not too difficult to make you look like an idiot, is it? But then again, when racists post, they tend to give themselves away as the idiots they are. And yes, **EasyPhil** , in case you were too dense to realize, that was me calling you an ignorant racist. Please do yourself a favor and read up on the Black Panthers from any site acknowledging both their violent side and their good side. But then, if all you are interested in is publicly fellating them…by all means, don’t change a thing. \*\* [/QUOTE] I was referring to the poster’s **Blackphobia** which isn’t the same as calling him a racist or even really implying such. I didn’t make any reference to the poster feeling superior to Black people, which I clearly don’t think the poster is. Check the definition of racism before you decide to stretch it to mean anything that a Black person may say to a White person, that the White person may not like. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/51 "2003-01-08T04:44:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EasyPhil \* > \*\*I was referring to the poster’s **Blackphobia** which isn’t the same as calling him a racist or even really implying such. I didn’t make any reference to the poster feeling superior to Black people, which I clearly don’t think the poster is. Check the definition of racism before you decide to stretch it to mean anything that a Black person may say to a White person, that the White person may not like. \*\* Blackphobia? Please. Just a nicer term for when you want to imply a person is racist, but leaving just enough time for you to weasel out of it. Very Trent Lott. Your veiled accusations of racism fool no one, **EasyPhil** , and I think most posters on the board recognize you for the paranoid racist you are. Oh wait, maybe I should say whiteophobe. That way I can back out of my accusation like a coward. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2003, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/52 "2003-01-08T10:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*Blackphobia? Please. Just a nicer term for when you want to imply a person is racist, but leaving just enough time for you to weasel out of it. Very Trent Lott. > > Your veiled accusations of racism fool no one, **EasyPhil** , and I think most posters on the board recognize you for the paranoid racist you are. Oh wait, maybe I should say whiteophobe. That way I can back out of my accusation like a coward. \*\* At the very least the people in question were ignorant, at the worst they are afraid of Black people and at the scariest, they are racists. They haven’t really illustrated that they’re racist, otherwise I would have not had any problem calling them that. It’s clear they didn’t really know anything about the Black Panthers, perhaps they have a little more information, the fight against ignorance continues… ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/53 "2003-01-10T02:56:56Z")
I’d heard much of this story from my girlfriend for years now, so I asked her mom if I could use it here. For what it’s worth, she was a young, white, upper-middle class woman with very high political leanings. This is what she remembers: > [@](#): > > It was the summer of 1968 – i think. anyway i went to chicago for the democaratic national convention as a delegate for the state of texas – we were the “rump” delegation contesting the methodology of selecting the regular texas delegates. we lost our bid to be seated. this was the chicago convention where the police rioted and i was a part of it. we were tear gassed in grant park, innocent people were beaten, arrested, etc. > > there was a rather famous black comedian named dick gregory. he and i started walking to the site of the convention from grant park, picking up more people along the way. they were going to escort me there. the cops tried to stop us and the black panthers came out of a bar/eatery and stopped the cops. then the hells angels came along and supported the black panthers and gave us a motorcycle escort to the convention center. > > it was a most unusual day, but yes the black panthers and hells angels protected me from the out of control chicago cops. i presented my credentials and was turned away – most of my delegation had run afoul of the police and were either hurt, arrested, or gassed. but my entourage escorted me back through the streets to grant park. > > we stopped in a bar and hoisted a few. there was a picture of me and dick gregory walking down the street with our honor guard in one of the magazines – like time or newsweek. grandpa saw it and recognized me. he thought i was in dallas at school. and almost had a stroke when he realized where i was and who i was with. > > anyway, the Black Panthers were kind, courteous, law abiding, and very protective of me. and dick gregory and i stayed in touch for a long time. some of the chicago seven were also part of my day. Interesting times, to say the least! -David ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/54 "2003-01-10T15:07:48Z")
She knew Dick Gregory? You can’t get luckier than that! On the subject, were me and my son walking around town at night and I saw a pantehr, I would feel totally safe. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/55 "2003-01-10T19:31:23Z")
I was worked with the Black Panthers in Oakland in 1973 when Bobby Seale ran for mayor. I was a naive little white girl whose family had just moved back to America. I found the Panthers to be decent, caring men and women who worked diligently to register voters, feed hungry children and provide a broad range of social services to the Oakland community. ---
**Author:** ![jlzania](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jlzania](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jlzania)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/56 "2003-01-10T19:33:26Z")
God, I must learn to preview. ---
**Author:** ![Henry\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d78d45/32.png) [@Henry\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henry_B)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/57 "2003-01-11T06:45:59Z")
No question about it - they were dangerous- to the establishment. Henry ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2003, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/58 "2003-01-11T13:09:51Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace. And as our major political objective, a United Nations- supervised plebiscite to be held throughout the black colony in which only black colonial subjects will be allowed to participate for the purpose of determining the will of black people as to their national destiny. And to top it all off, they were segregationists. Racist is as racist does, and they were vile and hateful and spit upon everything The Revered Doctor stood for and died for. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/59 "2003-01-12T04:41:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*And to top it all off, they were segregationists. > > Racist is as racist does, and they were vile and hateful and spit upon everything The Revered Doctor stood for and died for. \*\* I agree whole heartly with your discription of the Klu Klux Klan and the White people that supported them and segragation of the workplace, transportation, eating establishments, water fountains, pools and other public facilities. ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734/60 "2003-01-12T07:17:37Z")
Because, ya know, only white people can be racist; when black people want segregation, it’s okay. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-panthers-are-you-kidding-me/146734.md?page=4)