The first presidential debate between former vice president Joe Biden and the 45th president Donald Trump was a mud-slinging embarrassment to the legacy of the office. In desperation to have soundbite moments, Biden and Trump would say the most uncouth things, such as Biden calling Trump a “clown” and Trump giving an unofficial order for the “Proud Boys” to “stand back and stand by.”
Although Biden was just as tough with the insults as Trump (at one point, he told Trump to “shut up”), Trump’s address to the Proud Boys alarmed, at least, the media who loves a good story about racism.
So, who are the “Proud Boys” and why should we care? The Proud Boys is a far-right, mostly white male-dominated group founded by Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes in 2016, who later removed himself from the group in 2018 at the behest of his attorneys.
Their signature prototype wears the “MAGA” hat with a yellow or black polo shirt while traveling in packs. They believe in the right to bear arms and implementing their First Amendment right protecting their freedom of speech.
Proud Boys support “western chauvinistic” ideas, but are against “white guilt,” “political correctness” and immigration, especially from Mexico. Although the Proud Boys claim to not be an alt-right movement, they often appear alongside white supremacy groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis.
The often violent group opposes ideas of Black Lives Matter and Antifa, which supports anti-fascist far-left agendas, and can be seen in viral videos getting into physical confrontations with protestors. The violence of the Proud Boys have caused the group to be banned from social media platforms.
By Trump mentioning the Proud Boys when asked to condemn white supremacist groups during the debates, he unwittingly exposed the group for what it is, a racist organization. Trump also made it clear that he is aware of the group and has enough association to tell them to “stand back and stand by.”
He gave the relatively small group a boost in confidence and increased awareness. After the first presidential debate, Proud Boy organizer Joe Biggs updated the logo to include Trump’s unofficial order.
It’s a dangerous game when grown adults are willing to cut the nose to spite the face, not aware that America’s competitors across the world are watching a house divided kill itself. This is chess, but America continues to play checkers with their hellbent desire to continue race wars and deny freedom and justice to everyone under the same “roof.”
In the art of war, the first objective should be to recognize who the true enemy is, otherwise, all of the efforts to “Make America Great Again” are just strivings with the wind.
