It is important when discussing the New Black Panther Party to make a distinction between Extremism and Radicalism. This, of course, means that radicalism must be defined.
In its most basic form, radicalism seeks to change a societal structure that creates inequality and hierarchies. Radicalism is not only critical of social and economic ideologies that perpetuate these inequalities, but actively seeks to change the social order so that there will not be groups that are marginalized.
The New Black Panther Party is not radical, despite frequent conservative criticism that hopes to portray it as such. Much like the original Panthers, they are critical of capitalism and white-dominated hierarchies in the United States; when comparing their Ten Point Plans, the goals seem almost identical. However, the NBPP lacks many aspects that made the Black Panther Party so successful.
First and foremost, the NBPP is "radical" (or in this case, extremist) solely in their rhetoric, and not in their actions. Khalid Abduh Muhammad may have said that "violence and racism by the white man in America is just as American as apple and cherry pie," but that does not mean he had any ideas regarding how this issue should be dealt with. This is a common theme in New Black Panther Party rhetoric: they critique capitalism in their Ten Point Plan, but do not offer an alternate solution. They are not based in Marxism or Maoism, but rather a "Black Nationalism" ideology, which does not provide the framework for an alternative economic structure. They also, unlike the BPP, fail to serve their communities. They do not provide any incentive for community members to support them or their rhetoric; their goals are not tailored to community needs.
The New Black Panther Party's ideology does not provide for any feasible solutions. Their extremist views cannot be implemented: the issue of racism and oppression faced by the black community cannot be solved by killing or intimidating every single white American. Even if, in a completely unrealistic hypothetical situation, they were to succeed at driving all white Americans out of America, they do not have a course of action. They are not seeking to create a systemic change, they want to scare people.
It is important to note, however, that the New Black Panther Party will never be successful. They lack any sort of support base. Their extremist views are wildly unpopular, and the NBPP has yet to give back to the black community in a way that could be genuinely enticing. The Party is repulsive to people; even when they attempt to organize peacefully as they did at Ferguson, they are met with suspicion and fear. Ultimately, there is really no way they can hope to succeed.
In its most basic form, radicalism seeks to change a societal structure that creates inequality and hierarchies. Radicalism is not only critical of social and economic ideologies that perpetuate these inequalities, but actively seeks to change the social order so that there will not be groups that are marginalized.
The New Black Panther Party is not radical, despite frequent conservative criticism that hopes to portray it as such. Much like the original Panthers, they are critical of capitalism and white-dominated hierarchies in the United States; when comparing their Ten Point Plans, the goals seem almost identical. However, the NBPP lacks many aspects that made the Black Panther Party so successful.
First and foremost, the NBPP is "radical" (or in this case, extremist) solely in their rhetoric, and not in their actions. Khalid Abduh Muhammad may have said that "violence and racism by the white man in America is just as American as apple and cherry pie," but that does not mean he had any ideas regarding how this issue should be dealt with. This is a common theme in New Black Panther Party rhetoric: they critique capitalism in their Ten Point Plan, but do not offer an alternate solution. They are not based in Marxism or Maoism, but rather a "Black Nationalism" ideology, which does not provide the framework for an alternative economic structure. They also, unlike the BPP, fail to serve their communities. They do not provide any incentive for community members to support them or their rhetoric; their goals are not tailored to community needs.
The New Black Panther Party's ideology does not provide for any feasible solutions. Their extremist views cannot be implemented: the issue of racism and oppression faced by the black community cannot be solved by killing or intimidating every single white American. Even if, in a completely unrealistic hypothetical situation, they were to succeed at driving all white Americans out of America, they do not have a course of action. They are not seeking to create a systemic change, they want to scare people.
It is important to note, however, that the New Black Panther Party will never be successful. They lack any sort of support base. Their extremist views are wildly unpopular, and the NBPP has yet to give back to the black community in a way that could be genuinely enticing. The Party is repulsive to people; even when they attempt to organize peacefully as they did at Ferguson, they are met with suspicion and fear. Ultimately, there is really no way they can hope to succeed.