“DON’T TREAD ON ME” — A DOUBLE STANDARD IN HEROES
When some Americans wave flags and chant “Don’t Tread on Me,” they invoke the principle of self-defense—the right to protect one’s life, family, and community. Yet a troubling double standard emerges when this principle is applied across racial lines. The same courage and assertiveness that inspires admiration in white Americans is often met with suspicion, fear, and condemnation when displayed by Black Americans.
Consider Malcolm X, who consistently emphasized the moral right to defend oneself against violence and oppression. He never advocated unprovoked attacks; his call was for vigilance, dignity, and the defense of life when threatened. Similarly, the Black Panther Party organized armed patrols to protect Black neighborhoods from police brutality, ensuring children could walk to school safely and community members could live without fear. Their militancy was defensive, public, and constitutional—the very same principle celebrated by “Don’t Tread on Me” patriots.
And yet, when Malcolm X and the Panthers exercised these rights, they were demonized. Laws were changed to limit Black Americans’ ability to carry firearms openly, and public opinion often portrayed their actions as dangerous or criminal. The irony is stark: self-defense is praised when it protects white communities, but condemned when it protects Black communities.
This double standard is not theoretical; it is rooted in systemic racism. It exposes how cultural symbols, slogans, and historical narratives can selectively honor courage—celebrating it for some while criminalizing it for others. Recognizing this hypocrisy is essential to understanding both the historical and ongoing racial inequities in the United States.
Malcolm X and the Black Panther Party are not radical outliers in this context. They exemplify the same principle of defending life and community that others claim as a foundational right. The only difference is that society, for too long, applied it unevenly, along racial lines. To claim “Don’t Tread on Me” as a universal value while denying it to Black Americans is to reveal the selective and racialized nature of that freedom.
Ultimately, history shows that courage, vigilance, and the right to protect one’s community are not inherently dangerous—they become controversial only when exercised by those whom society refuses to recognize as equal. By examining this history, it becomes clear that the rhetoric of “Don’t Tread on Me” cannot be divorced from the reality of who has been allowed to tread and who has been told to stay down.
BDD
