Swiping Right: The Allure of Hyper Masculinity and Cryptofascism for Men Who Join the Proud Boys

By Samantha Kutner

Little scholarly research exists on participants in crypto-fascist extremist organizations. In this research paper, Samantha Kutner, MA, communication studies, explores the scripts and narratives that attract a certain demographic of men to join the Proud Boys. She discusses how the broader themes of self-categorization, precarity, and deliberate provocation manifest themselves. These themes are embedded in a fascist agenda and are expressed through the group’s recruitment, communication, and in-group identification.

The Hague: International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, 2020. 33p.