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There is no absolute definition of a vigilante. The Latin root of the word, ''vigil,'' indicates that a vigilante is one who watches or is observant, and indeed in Spanish, ''vigilante'' translates as 'watchman.' In modern Western society, the term is frequently applied to those citizens who "take the law into their own hands," meting out homebrew justice when they perceive that the actions of established authorities are insufficient. Vigilantism is sometimes vilified when it gives way to criminal behaviour on the part of the vigilante. In the United States , vigilantism began to be an accepted form of maintaining social order as early as the 1700s, with the advent of Vigilance Committee s such as The Regulators of South Carolina. These local committes came to be known as Lynch Mobs , named for their preferred method of execution. Vigilantism also occurred in Montana during the days of the gold rush, and in California during the struggle for control of the gold fields after the Gold Rush of 1849 , as well as during labor unrest between the World Wars . Some of the more positive recent examples of vigilantism in America include groups promoting local social change, such as the Guardian Angels of New York City, who began in the 1970s by patrolling dangerous stretches of subway in an attempt to prevent muggings, and who are today a national organization dedicated to educating the public and aiding established law enforcement agencies. Even local Neighborhood Watch groups can be considered modern-day vigilantes. However, individuals and groups acting as criminal vigilantes remain. On August 26 2005 , in Bellingham , Washington , ex-convict Michael Mullen posed as an FBI agent and entered the home of Victor Vasquez, James Russell, and Hank Eisses, on the pretext of warning the three former Sex Offenders of acts of vigilantism; after interviewing the men about their crimes, he shot and killed Eisses and Vasquez. Both men had no history of repeat offense after their sentences had been served and were not perceived as a threat by family, therapists, parole officers, or neighbors, which gives some credence to the belief that vigilantes may be acting in haste or are ill-informed when they take action, or are acting based on personal conviction or emotion rather than a reasonable concern for maintaining order in society (in this example, Mullen had been sexually abused as a child and admitted in his confession that this played a large role in his desire to find and execute sex offenders). More well-known examples of criminal vigilantism include the Neo-Nazis and other Hate Groups . EXAMPLES OF VIGILANTISM
EXAMPLES Films
Literature
VIGILANTES IN COMIC BOOKS Vigilantism is the basic concept from which many contemporary fictions are derived, including stories published in Dime Novel s and Comic Book s. Many of the heroes of Pulp Fiction , such as Doc Savage and The Shadow , and Comic Book Superhero es such as Batman , Daredevil , and Spider-Man , have at various times been considered to be vigilantes due to their actions being self-motivated, and while generally aimed at the "good" result of bringing evil-doers to justice, being done outside the scope of what is permitted under the law. An extreme of the vigilante-type superhero is Marvel Comics ' character The Punisher , who uses flagrantly illegal methods such as mass murder and torture to fight criminals. Another key example is '' Watchmen '', a DC Comics Limited Series of the late 1980s written by Alan Moore , in which superheroes are portrayed by society and government as illegal vigilantes. Also of note is the DC comic book character of the 1980s, himself named Vigilante , a District Attorney who "took the law into his own hands" in a disguise when the justice system failed to bring the wrongdoers to account. SEE ALSO
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