As columnist Colbert King says, “The Proud Boys are as stupid as they look.” While they may fancy themselves as fearsome warriors for the cause of liberty, or owning the libs or whatever, they would be wise to heed the fate of the 1960’s hippies.
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Ostensibly on a quest for the higher ideals of peace, love, and justice, the late 1960’s-era hippie culture devolved instead into a self-indulgent quest for sex, drugs, and Grateful Dead concerts – all on national TV. Shocked by the chaotic images of stoned and raggedy youth twirling and mud-stumbling in a trippy haze, TV viewers recoiled in horror on their living room sofas.
Thus, rather than peace, love, and justice, the hippie protestors unintentionally brought about the opposite response. Reacting against the chaos of the hippie culture, voters subsequently turned to
- Richard Nixon,
- “law and order,”
- the Moral Majority,
- Ronald Reagan,
- “Just say no to drugs,”
- “Get tough on crime,”
- and a host of other implacable right-wing initiatives.
The goals of peace, love, and justice were lost for a generation at least, discredited for decades by the very messengers who had hoped to usher in a better world.
As the protestors chanted at the 1968 Chicago Democratic convention, “The whole world is watching.” Proud Boys, take note. The whole world is watching your ridiculous, thuggish behavior, and we don’t like what we see.
While the hippies at least began with a higher purpose in mind, in your case your bad behavior is the whole point. You’re nothing more than a bunch of aggrieved middle-aged white men trying to look tough, flaunting your guns, provoking fights, and bullying others on the street. And, you look ridiculous on TV.
Perhaps in the end, your actions will actually cause a reaction, just like the hippies did. But in this case, it will be a movement toward acceptance and diversity that is the opposite of what you espouse. Let us hope so.
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