Shane Bauer went undercover as a private security guard for six months, leading to the expose that basically got CCC kicked out of federal prisons. It was the article that got me to sign up.
I read this on the plane. There are too many quotes to quote. I'm left with a sense that what the militia movement needs, more than anything, is agency. They're looking for a sense of belonging, a sense of accomplishment. And while there are definitely miscreants, and there are definitely bigots, there are disenfranchised people who want to be a part of something bigger and I was left with a haunting sense of waste that we have been unable to channel this civic-minded zeal into something more useful for us all.
This was originally a reply to oyster, but expanded a little as I went. I was going to say that gender identity is a huge part of this, I think. That's the problem, though, as they're so big that they're abstractions. Think about it this way. I grew up in the southeastern US. If I had been born even 60 years previously, I would've been on a farm. I would've learned to hunt by the time I was 10, I would've worked the fields, etc. I would've had real responsibility that mattered in a way I could see. I would see the crop fields, I could see my family eating what I helped provide, even from a very young age. It's all very tangible, and it'd be easy to to connect my own efforts with real results. I may not have been able to easily talk to people on the other side of the world, but I'd know everyone in my county, even if they lived miles away. But now? Maybe I get to do a DIY project or something. Ever since I moved out of my dad's house at 18, I've never really known my neighbors. My ability to provide for my family centers on a job, and God help me if I lose that, because my identity goes with it. The highest rates of suicide in the United States are middle-aged white men in the mid-West, at 44 per 100,000. I'm about as comfortable, educated, and liberal as they come, but I continue to struggle with this to this day. I was born in the early '80s, and while my mom is as liberated as could be, there was still the more traditional underlying dynamics in my parents' relationship, to say nothing of my grandparents'. So I was still kind of raised with this idea of being the provider, even though that dynamic doesn't really exist in our society beyond some echos. My wife has said she'd love to be a stay-at-home mom, but economically that's not in the cards right now. Women's Liberation or Feminism or whatever was great, and as we've seen still has some work to do. Unfortunately, we can't have a corresponding conversation about what men should do too--Feminists too often get defensive, and Men's Rights Activists have utterly failed to come up with a reasonable alternative. These guys seem to have a lot of that going on, with militarism being the stand-in for masculinity. I mean, it's a little hard to take seriously with the code names and the names of the groups themselves. It really reads like an attempt to regain some ego. I notice too how (and I've seen this elsewhere) they talk about themselves as those who know what's really going on, and how they're the beginnings of some new elite. There's also the sheepdog nonsense, after a letter that's been circulating around the internet for awhile. What's kind of sad about this is how easily taken advantage of these guys are. The firearms industry (and those that make associated stuff) makes a killing on this mindset. The prices for guns and ammunition go through the roof every time a mass shooting happens, because people assume the ban is coming. After Sandy Hook, you couldn't find an AR-15 if you wanted to. And this mindset can have real consequences. If you watch the video of when LaVoy Finicum (part of the armed occupation of that wildlife refuge in Oregon) was shot by police, you can see the battle in his head. This was a guy who had written a book that culminates with the narrator quick-drawing on and killing corrupt federal agents (another review of sorts is here). Watching the video with this context, and you can almost see his thoughts as he struggles with the fact that his moment of glory has finally come but that reality is far different. He paid for this conflict with his life. This line from the article sums it up nicely:I mean we live in first world countries which in a way give many opportunities to be a part of something bigger...
It's as if many militia leaders know they are dealing with a pool of volatile white men, some of whom are convinced that society has screwed them and are at risk of exploding. For some, like Doc, the militia seems to rein them in by giving them a sense of purpose.
That's a great way to put it. When I was studying Architecture even though I knew I would be contributing to something I really didn't care. When I worked in a spa I saw how the massage therapist made real visible change in people's lives, one woman cried afterwards because the massage provided relief from chronic pain she was feeling. While I was studying I was able to help my ex with his neck issues that he was convinced where just a part of life and impossible to fix. I also helped someone with tennis elbow who hasn't felt any pain in over a year and all he really did was massage. Accomplishing those things felt good in way that drawing a floor plan never will. Did kleinbl00 recommend this book to you yet ? You would probably enjoy it. I feel this as well, with all the young families I've seen the new dad ends up kind of struggling to find their place when the baby and eventual toddler turns to their mother for many things. As much as it's understood to be a thing I'm not sure I've seen advice aside from just ride it out since you can't exactly sit the baby down and tell them you need a little more from them. I'm sure there's something men can do in that time to feel important besides providing but I don't see a lot of talk about that. I think a lot of the frustration I've seen from MRA's comes from not feeling like they have traditional masculinity nailed down but also not really seeing how they fit in to other roles. I can definitely see how that puts somebody in a position to be taken advantage of by companies like that. Like ad's for firearms always seem to have a military vibe to them and the clothing is all "tactical" as if you need something tactical in suburban American. I wonder if they would sell as well as just good old durable pants without the word tactical added on. That's the problem, though, as they're so big that they're abstractions.
Unfortunately, we can't have a corresponding conversation about what men should do too--Feminists too often get defensive, and Men's Rights Activists have utterly failed to come up with a reasonable alternative.
Precisely. I'm old enough that I'll survive (with some disillusionment). But it's weird to imagine what a theoretical son's life might look like.
You might do well to read some Bill McKibben. His basic drive is "the future is going to be smaller, less flashy and a lot more modest than the present but it's also going to be just fine." I might start wit Deep Economy.
I always felt like the men joining things like militias are searching for a way that they matter. I mean we live in first world countries which in a way give many opportunities to be a part of something bigger but for the people who can't achieve that they still need something. I feel, and this is just my opinion, that it's generally easier for woman to find purpose since they can just pop out a kid. That's my theory of why this kind of thing seems male dominated.