Voting Station

The Proud Boys

Please vote to return to collections.

Organization

The Resume

    (2016- )
    Male-only
    Far-right militia group
    Founder: Gavin McInnes
    Leader: Enrique Tarrio
    Headquartered in New York City
    Goal: Opposition against left-wing and progressive groups
    Focused on 'anti-political correctness' and 'anti-white guilt'
    Attained notoriety at the peak of the 2020 anti-police riots following the death of George Floyd

Why they might be annoying:

    They are the Right's answer to Antifa.
    The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies them as a hate group.
    They are self-described 'western chauvinists.'
    Their seal/logo is a cockfighting rooster (insert innuendo pun here).
    They have engaged in acts of political violence, harassment, and vandalism - frequently exacerbating already tense clashes between police and left-wing protestors.
    They claim to disavow the Alt-Right and white supremacists but they don't do all that much to turn them away from their endeavors.
    For example, the infamous Charlottesville Unite the Right rally organizer Jason Kessler is a former member of the Proud Boys (who were present for the clashes that eventually erupted).
    President Trump was harshly criticized for addressing them during his first Presidential debate with Joe Biden, telling them to 'stand back and stand by' when asked by the moderator to condemn white supremacists (September 2020).
    Within hours of the soundbite going viral, they were already marketing merchandise with the 'Stand Back, Stand By' slogan on it (sales which were blocked on Amazon and eBay).

Why they might not be annoying:

    They have been banned by most social media platforms.
    They provide free security at pro-America events throughout the U.S.
    Gay Twitter users and George Takei flooded the #ProudBoys hashtag with LGBTQ pride images when they first became known.
    Identifying them as a white supremacist organization negates the fact that their leader is Afro-Cuban.
    President Trump essentially threw them under the bus after the blowback over his 'stand by' comments became substantial.
    They are a small taste of the types of militia groups that would inevitably spring up if the #DefundthePolice advocates had their way.
    Joe Biden accidentally referred to them as 'the poor boys' at the second Presidential debate.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 16 Votes: 68.75% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 965 Votes: 51.50% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1056 Votes: 50.95% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 2763 Votes: 51.57% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 909 Votes: 56.88% Annoying