Talk:Proud Boys

Proud Boys Assassination Plot

The lawyer for the Proud Boys, and its former leader, Jason Lee Van Dyke, was implicated in an assassination plot that involves an audio recording made by an undercover FBI informant in which Van Dyke is plotting the murder of a person who he is suing, and that person's lawyer. According to the news reports, Van Dyke got members of the Arizona Chapter of the Proud Boys to do surveillance on the target and obtained photographs, as well as scouted places for them to shoot at the target with rifles. I think that this needs to be added to the article. Here are the news sources: https://setexasrecord.com/stories/528081198-motion-seeks-to-dismiss-van-dyke-s-100m-defamation-suit-assassination-plot-cited and https://www.dailydot.com/debug/proud-boys-lawyer-jason-van-dyke-death-threat/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by The Bishop1914 (talk • contribs) 02:49, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

This seems like a bit of a stretch for this article. ProudOfYourMan (talk) 16:35, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

Far-right?

Can we really say they are far-right and fascist when their members and chairman have repeatedly stressed the pro-western, libertarian/conservative ideology of the group with an inclusive open-door membership regardless of race/sexuality and other characteristics? Just because left-leaning publications claim they are something does not make it fact.Harry-Oscar 1812 (talk) 14:02, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

If reliable sources describe them as "far-right", then we describe them as "far-right. Beyond My Ken (talk) 14:51, 21 May 2020 (UTC)

Isn't how a group describes itself and it's goals the primary determiner? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:1C0:CA01:BF60:9531:21C2:A90C:473F (talk) 00:42, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

No, because self-descriptions are rarely accurate and are in some case lies, which may be what's happening here.--Jorm (talk) 01:42, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

The group's description of itself is a WP:Primary source, and one of the reason we try to avoid using primary sources when we can is that they can be self-serving, which is certainly the case here. Beyond My Ken (talk) 01:59, 2 June 2020 (UTC)

I definitely have a conflict of interest here as a former proud boy, but if I thought the organization was affiliated in anyway to white nationalism/supremacy I would never have joined. I left not because I disagreed with the views, but because I felt the organization was roundly condemned for existing and falsely labeled as a white nationalist/alt-right group. No one I met in the course of my membership reflected those behaviors and beliefs - they were typically all right-wing libertarians and conservatives. And they weren't an all-white group in the slighest. I would think the recent events in the news would illustrate my point about what the media can do to people and groups. I do not believe it to be helping any to have Proud Boys associated with neo-fascism and white nationalism. It's disingenuous and perpetuates the culture war that is polarizing our country. [1] 209.112.216.241 (talk) 04:41, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Your story is interesting, but not of much value to us. We report what reliable sources say about the subjects of our articles. WP:Reliable sources are ones which have a reputation for accuracy and for fact checking, and for correcting errors when they make them. Anecdotes such as yours do not qualify, and therefore cannot be used to support text in the article. Sorry. Beyond My Ken (talk) 04:54, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Proposed change

"While the group claims it does not support white supremacist views, its members often participate in racist rallies, events, and organizations.[24] The organization glorifies violence, and members engage in violence at events it attends" this is unsupported by the citation and should be deleted. ProudOfYourMan (talk) 16:43, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

The source says

Although the group officially rejects white supremacy, members have nonetheless appeared at multiple racist events, with a former Proud Boy organizing the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. The group rallies around anti-left violence, and members of Proud Boy chapters in the Pacific Northwest have participated in public marches while wearing shirts that glorify the murders of leftists by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

There is no need for a change in the article. Beyond My Ken (talk) 19:52, 13 June 2020 (UTC)

Definitely need to remove "glorifies violence" as that is unsupported by the source. Also no mention of people associated with the Proud Boys movement "often" participating in racist rallies. There's also no proof that any violent actors were Proud Boys, so that needs to be removed. ProudOfYourMan (talk) 01:41, 17 June 2020 (UTC)— ProudOfYourMan (talk • contribs) has made few or no other edits outside this topic.

Previous discussion solidified on that the Proud Boys "promote political violence"..."in parades and rallies across the country".Talk:Proud_Boys/Archive_2#RFC:_Promotes_Political_Violence

We do not need "proof" that the Proud Boys were responsible for violence. We have reliable sources stating it. It's verifiable. - SummerPhD^v2.0 00:40, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

The article says "glorifies violence" but there's no source that supports that. And there is no reliable source for "often participating in racist rallies".ProudOfYourMan (talk) 01:41, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

The source says Proud Boys are "appearing" at racist rallies; "participating" seems close enough. —C.Fred (talk) 01:46, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

"Close enough" is hardly in keeping with Wikipedia policy. And there's still no source for "glorifies violence". ProudOfYourMan (talk) 01:59, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

"There is consensus that the phrase ""promotes political violence"" should be included in both the infobox and the lead sentence of the article. Most editors believe that the description is a reasonable interpretation of reliable sources, and is a prominent enough facet of the Proud Boys to be due in both locations. A minority of editors assert that the description is not a fair interpretation of the sources." Talk:Proud_Boys/Archive_2#RFC:_Promotes_Political_Violence - SummerPhD^v2.0 02:55, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

There is no source for "glorifies violence" or "promotes violence". Without sources, this needs to be removed. ProudOfYourMan (talk) 03:10, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

There are four sources that back up that assertion. Have you actually read those sources? Cullen³²⁸ Let's discuss it 03:29, 17 June 2020 (UTC)

I was unable to find the source that says they "glorify violence" or "often attend racist rallies". This "close enough" bullshit is laughable and the above statements need to be deleted, as a good start to fixing this hit piece article. ProudOfYourMan (talk) 03:41, 17 June 2020 (UTC)