Response to Panther Film Essay

Panther is a movie based on a true story accounting on activities of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the organization acting from 1966 to 1982 to struggle for freedom and equality of the African Americans by using armed forces. The film starts with the description of organization’s leaders Bobby Seale and Huey Newton, two representatives of Oakland black community who grew up in poverty, racial discrimination, and government’s negligence that all black people experienced during this period (Panther).

Nowadays, the U.S. government is more concerned with the issues of racial discrimination that sometimes takes place, as well as the problems experienced by the ghetto regions. However, the renewal of the Black Party Community should not be premised on military actions, but on the development of strong idealistic principles and rules supporting the culture, traditions, and social life.

By founding the organization called Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, the members were strongly convinced that using armed struggle was the only way to prove the power and dominance of the black community over the white population in the United States.

In fact, the movie focuses on the increasing popularity of the Black Panthers among African-American youth across the country and brings attention to other military forces in America fighting against discrimination. In fact, the violence of the organization would meet rigid opposition of the 2012 government because of significant discrepancies between socio-political situations of the two historically different periods.

In particular, the current situation in the United States has changed in terms of the new military programs aimed at enhancing security of the population. Second, the racial issues have been suppressed and the President Barack Obama has established a new order in which freedom, equality, and human rights are highly honored and respected regardless of nationality and race.

Therefore, the armed confrontation would not be effective at the threshold of the twenty-first century. Additionally, due to the fact that the black population constitutes minority in the United States, the Panther Party was also a minority acting within minority groups. Therefore, their revolutionary struggle contradicted the social and economic realities of 60s and 70s of the past century.

In order to change the political and ideological frame of the community, as well as confront the modern political realities, the Black Panther Community could suggest ten new rules and tenets for establishing a revolutionary Nationalist party and rethinking over new doctrines of non-violence:

1. The party should fight for equal access of African-American to education and job employment.
2. The party should work on diminishing the crime levels in ghetto regions and creating new funds for low-income people.
3. Each member of the party should adhere to the Constitutional rights and pledge for the shifts in the right that could support ethnic minorities.
4. Weapon should not be used as the methods for struggling against racial discrimination.
5. Using internet for mass mailing and information flow could be the leading source for supporting the position.
6. The party should focus on such issues as collective action, black integrity, and cooperative economics. These rules should differ from Maoism and Marxism ideology.
7. Acknowledging spirituality and culture is also among the priorities of the Black Panther community that should support any display of African culture.
8. Each member of the part should protect the rights of African-Americans to self-determination.
9. Departure from rigid confrontation against non-black population and focus on human liberation should be the new stance for action.
10. Greater cooperation and humanism are the main principle of the Panthers.

With regard to the above-presented tenets, the Black Panther party should not premise their actions on armed struggle because of the emphasis placed on humanism and liberation regardless of race, nationality, and ethnicity. Currently, African-American community gains recognition of its rights that are similar to those established previously for the rest of the U.S. citizens.

Therefore, former methods used by the community would not be self-sufficient because of the rapid shifts in the governmental principles. In particular, the government recognizes that there is an institutional racism, but it should not introduce extra emphasis on minorities groups in achieving liberation and equality. Instead, the newly organized movement should strive to establish a new framework in which all nationalities will work on developing a new community free from biases, stereotypes, and discrimination.

In conclusion, the film Panther focuses on the cruel confrontation between the members of the Black Panther community and the FBI, but the leading provisions and methods used by the Panthers should be revisited to establish new doctrines free from aggression and military intervention.

The new tenets of the Black Panther community should premise on human liberation, equality, freedom, and stronger emphasis on education. The poorest district should be supported with newly organized funds for national minorities. Additionally, the employment perspectives should also be introduced to allow the low-income families improve their welfare. Finally, the 9/11 events should also impose a sort of responsibility for the entire population in terms of security and protect and redirect all the power to struggle against terrorism.

Works Cited

Panther. Ex. Prod. Melvin Van Peebles. USA: Working Title Films, 1995. DVD.