they joined Proud boys looking for Brotherhood. They found racism, bullying and antisemitism.

[Demovictory9]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/06/21/proud-boys-recruitment-targets-men-looking-community/7452805002/

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The 40-year-old Army veteran yearned to forge the sort of bonds he had in the military: a brotherhood of like-minded men watching one another’s backs, holding one another up, united in a common goal.

Last year, Berry said, he remembered a guy at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall asking him if he had heard of the Proud Boys. The group was vocal in its support for then-President Donald Trump, whom Berry had voted for. Members called themselves "Western chauvinists" and said they welcomed true men. That sounded about right for Berry, who considers himself a dyed-in-the-wool patriot.

He did some internet searches and sent off an email. Almost immediately, he received a link to an encrypted chatroom.


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Testing the recruits


One of the men who spoke with USA TODAY described the content: "Videos of Muslims being set on fire or blown up? Check. Memes intended to laugh at Holocaust-era Jews? Check. Pictures of women being raped? Check. Memes poking fun at raped women? Check. I could go on, but you get the point.”

The images and memes, examples of which were shared with USA TODAY, didn't drive away Berry or the other two men. They said they've heard plenty of racist and homophobic comments in their mostly white communities.

Berry said the chapter president had told him the chatroom would be rough, like a hazing ritual. Only those with the toughest skin, who weren't offended by anything, would survive, he said.

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Article Is A Good Read

The parallels to the original Klan are interesting.

[imaginary girl]

2. Good article, but ...

I appreciated the article, and think it's a very interesting peek at the methods used to compromise people. My only complaint is how they leave sexism off the list so often, even though the group and everything they mention here are steeped in it! There is one expert who calls them on it, but so much of the article implies without stating. I want to see this called out, especially since these groups flourished during the 2016 election.