1. This is a thread about (right-wing) extremist groups that engage in "charitable" activities, like providing necessities to the homeless or doing disaster relief. I've seen many instances of this over the years, with several patterns emerging. First, I'll note that only some

2. extremist movements seem to engage in these activities. I just can't remember sovereign citizen groups, for example, ever doing so. Second, different movements engage in such activities for different reasons, and in different ways. The two far right movements that (in my

3. recollection) most often seem to engage in such activities are 1) the militia movement and 2) the white supremacist movement. The militia movement by far engages in such activities the most. I think there are several reasons for this. The first and foremost is related to

4. public relations. In 1995, public perception of the then-new militia movement nose-dived after the Oklahoma City bombing and many militia leaders became energetic in trying to change people's highly negative perceptions of the movement by engaging in a range of activities,

5. from searching for missing persons to disaster relief to providing aid to veterans and so forth. This has continued to the present day, with some groups even putting such activities forth as their primary public face, as opposed to all the things that make them angry. The

6. second main reason is for role fulfillment & legitimacy. The militia movement, despite its anti-government stance, has also simultaneously sought legitimacy, often claiming to be the historical/statutory militia, while also sometimes claiming to be things like neighborhood

7. watches, adjuncts to police or military in case they are needed, disaster relief, first responders, etc. Certain "charitable" activities of such groups--like Oath Keepers' trips to Puerto Rico--cement this notion in their own minds and, they hope, others. Finally, in a number

8. of such instances, these activities are not pure calculation but also stem from actual charitable/helpful impulses.

9. It's not really the same with white supremacists. A number of such activities on their part--such as participation in highway cleaning projects--are actually designed for attention getting more than anything else. And when they do try to help people, it is only white people,

10. as when several white supremacist groups in 2005 sought to aid white people after Hurricane Katrina. In a sense, some of that is role fulfillment as well, of a different sort, in that they seek to portray themselves to people in the movement, or potential recruits, that they

11. take positive action, not merely negative action, to "help the white race." Finally, for all types of groups that engage in these sorts of activities, one motivation that occasionally appears is actually grift/greed. In such situations, the extremist group tries to raise

12. money, typically from whatever movement they are part of, ostensibly for one of these "charitable" purposes, but actually to pocket, in whole or in part, such sums raised. This happens only occasionally, but does happen from time to time.

13. This has been your Extremist Trivia Minute.