This whole militia thing in America
still blows my mind.
I mean, when I first heard there was a group of young men
who carry guns around and all dress alike,
I thought, "I mean, you can't fool me.
That's-that's a gang."
Right? It's a super white gang, but that's a gang.
But my second thought was
usually, you only hear about armed militias
in countries like Afghanistan or Sudan, you know?
So, why is this something that is also going on in America?
Well, let's find out why
in another installment of If You Don't Know, Now You Know.
♪ ♪
When you talk about militias in America,
you have to start hundreds of years ago.
Although, back then, militias were a lot different
than the ones we're seeing today.
NEWSMAN: Well-regulated militias
were actually quite important to the founders.
They believed they were a bulwark against tyranny,
and they were worried
that the big, strong, new central government
might crush these state military forces.
NEWSWOMAN: So, what they did is they said,
"We will have a militia."
All able-bodied residents between certain ages
were available to be called forth
by the government in defense of the state.
And once called forth,
they answered to the government.
They're trained by the government.
They're directed and regulated by the government.
MAN: The federal government
was requiring everyone to be in the militia,
but the states started to try to get around it
in the early 19th century because it was so unpopular.
So, they created laws that said
there is an organized militia and an unorganized militia.
And anybody who wants
to participate in the militia actively
will be part of the organized militia.
That later became the National Guard.
NEWSMAN: This new arrangement, titled the Militia Act,
will also be referred to as the Dick law
after its sponsor, U.S. Senator Charles Dick of Ohio.
Yes, the Dick law made a clear separation
between organized and unorganized militias.
And furthermore...
None of you are even paying attention right now, are you?
You're just thinking about Dick law.
You're sitting there giggling, thinking about Dick law, huh?
So immature. I'm trying to give you information,
and now you're probably imagining it
as a new Law & Order spin-off.
Go ahead, then. Take your time. Ha ha, Dick law.
In fact, I'll show you a logo for the show
if this'll move things along, okay?
You happy now?
(imitates Law & Order sting)
The point I was trying to make is
like freedom of speech and trash-ass weaves,
militias go back to the very beginning of America.
Early America needed everyone to be ready
to defend it at a moment's notice.
You know, it was a different world
with different needs.
I mean, hell, Canada was a threat
to America back then, which is wild.
It's like finding out Mr. Rogers used to be a cage fighter.
(exhales) Things have changed.
But in today's age,
militias are a lot like wiping your ass with leaves.
They used to be all we had,
but with all the progress society has made,
if you're still doing that shit, you're probably a little crazy.
And, in fact, once militias were folded into the National Guard,
unofficial militias sort of disappeared from America.
Well, at least for a while.
But in recent years, they started to reemerge
in a much different and disturbing form.
NEWSMAN: Armed paramilitary groups
first got traction in the early '90s
with high-profile clashes
in Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and Waco, Texas.
Their numbers dropped after the Oklahoma City bombing,
but they've been on the rise
since President Obama took office.
NEWSMAN 2: It is in part a reaction to the election
of America's first Black president.
NEWSMAN 3: These groups start to expand very rapidly,
I think largely in response to the idea
that the United States is becoming less white.
"Well, you don't like Blacks.
"You're racist and everything like that
because he's a Black president."
No, I don't care what color he is.
There's something not right about him.
NEWSWOMAN: Militias grew nearly 800%
during Obama's presidency
as conspiracy theories, exaggerations and rumors
surfaced online and in the far-right media.
They're gonna take your guns
under the ruse of preventing war.
NEWSWOMAN: There were fears that he'd try
to stay in office indefinitely,
that he was a socialist and a Muslim.
Even one wild rumor
that he was going to invade Texas.
Wow.
Militias exploded
once Obama became president?
Well, well, well, we meet again, racism.
I've been expecting you.
It's almost like Obama became president
and then the entire country locked its doors.
And looking back on it,
it's so funny that these guys thought
Obama was gonna try and stay president forever
and invade Texas.
Because as soon as he could, Obama was out.
Winning Oscars and kitesurfing with Richard Branson.
"Uh, so long, uh, bitches."
And, you know, it's so weird how this stuff works,
because these people openly admit
to every single conspiracy theory that they believe,
but as soon as you ask them if it's because Obama is Black,
then all of a sudden, they're like,
"What? Come on, man. No way.
It's-it's that other thing that we don't like about him."
"Oh, what's that?"
"Well, he's-he's... he's so tall.
I mean, what is he doing up there?"
So, modern militias
are not real military organizations,
but what sets them apart from other violent gangs
is that they tend to act as if they are.
These people are incredibly dangerous.
They're running around like a bunch of G.I. Joes
armed to the teeth.
NEWSWOMAN: Groups of civilians
who are creating military structures
in their organizations,
collecting and storing arms, ammunition.
NEWSMAN: This is the kill house.
Move!
NEWSMAN: Part of a training ground
for a right-wing militia in the American South.
MAN: This is for, uh, conducting
military operations in urban terrain.
Uh, we want to practice and rehearse
moving up to these structures.
-Move in! -(gunfire)
You always want to be prepared
for whatever could possibly come up.
I'm training for, uh, a type of event
that, uh, I will be wearing this 24/7.
If getting off the couch and doing something is extreme,
then, yeah, I'm-I'm an extremist.
Uh...
I don't think it's the getting off the couch aspect
that makes you an extremist.
I mean, there's a lot of middle ground
between getting off the couch
and decapitating mannequins in the woods.
Because that dude was purposefully describing
the most benign part of what he was doing.
It's like Hannibal Lecter saying,
"Well, if setting the table and listening to classical music
makes me a cannibal, then I guess I'm a cannibal."
"No, dude, it was the eating human liver part.
You-you eat humans." "Ah, yes, that, too." (sucking sounds)
What I don't get about these militias is
that if you want to dress in army fatigues
and train for war,
you can do that in the military.
And they'll pay you.
And they give you health care.
This is like someone picking up strangers
and then just driving them around a city for free.
My man, join Uber.
Get yourself some of those stars.
And, look, it's clear that these dudes have a warped ideology.
But a big part of this
is just that these guys clearly need friends.
They're lonely. They're scared of change.
And this militia stuff gives them a sense of community.
But because of toxic masculinity,
the only way they can feel comfortable bonding
is if it's based around violence.
I just wish, one day,
one of them would just be like,
"Hey, guys, instead of spending all weekend canning beans
"and shitting in the woods,
do you guys maybe just want to go out for brunch?"
"Thank you! I thought I was the only one thinking that.
I know a place that makes a great eggs Benedict."