The Vigilante is a recurring archetype in American entertainment and can be seen in comic books from the early 20th century through to films released in 2010. Robert B. Ray makes it clear in his piece regarding the vigilante that the vigilante is an important part of American entertainment and culture. The vigilante is one who believes that he is above the law and that the law is inadequate. This idea that the law is inadequate or unjust comes from Henry Thoreau's book Civil Disobedience. Thoreau believes that when government is unjust, we should do what we believe is moral or right, even if it means breaking the law. The vigilante often takes violent and dangerous measures to create justice in their world and in doing so raises a moral question about our society. If we often idolize the vigilante in movies and comics, do we do the same to the vigilantes who have been seen throughout our history and who are currently “creating justice” in our cities? Although the vigilante is a popular archetype in our entertainment, the vigilante is not seen in the same light when it comes to reality, the “real” vigilante in American society is seen as a threat or danger and in most cases is disbanded. This idea poses a serious problem to Thoreau's belief because the negative perception of vigilantes is evidence that problems in society should not be solved by the individual, but through legal and civil means established by our government. When examining the vigilante it is clear that the vigilante's ideals and actions stem from Thoreau's ideas set forth in Civil Disobedience. Thoreau begins Civil Disobedience by stating “The best government is that which does not govern at all” (). This quote is important because a large part of Thoreau's argument is that... at the heart of the paper... there exists the belief that all blacks should be armed. Conflicts caused by the Black Panthers often led to shootings and other violent outbreaks in California, New York, and Chicago. The Black Panthers quickly lost support due to their violent tactics and were essentially disbanded in the 1980s. The dissolution of the Black Panthers shows that when individual morality, even the right one, if left unchecked does not effect positive change, it does the opposite. Political leaders who previously supported the Black Panthers, after the disbandment, began to implement change in black neighborhoods using methods such as providing social services. The Black Panthers show a serious flaw in Thoreau's logic. The belief that leaving people to individual morality will lead to a better society than one in which morality is established by society or government.