Hysteria (2017)

Over the past 10 years, a growing online community of conspiracy theorists and hoaxers known as “truthers” has come to question the official narratives behind every mass shooting that is heavily covered by the media. A common thread in these theories is the government’s role in staging the tragedy with the help of mainstream news, in order to manipulate the general population. In this continuously recycled narrative, the death and destruction of the tragic event is faked, and victims and their families are “crisis actors,” who are performing a role in order to elicit sympathy that can then be used to advocate for new gun laws, or anti-terror surveillance that restricts Americans’ freedom. The commitment to these narratives has escalated to the point where victims are frequently harassed, mocked, and even threatened in retaliation for their supposed deception.

When John Turano showed up to a few major pro-Trump rallies last year in body armor and a Spartan helmet—brawling with Antifa protestors and confronting anyone who got in his way—he quickly became an icon of the alt-right "Patriot" movement. But after Turano, a.k.a. Based Spartan, realized that some of the people he’d aligned himself with were neo-Nazis, homophobes, and racists, he turned against the movement—going from alt-right celebrity to pariah overnight. VICE met up with Turano at his home in Los Angeles to hear why he joined the alt right in the first place, what it was like to rally with them, and why he decided to go his own way.

More than 10,000 people worldwide claim they're the victims of a vast organized surveillance effort designed to ruin their lives, a phenomenon known as "gang stalking." Mental health experts see gang stalking as a symptom of paranoia, but the self-identified victims who insist what they're experiencing is real have come together online and in support groups to share their stories.

The left-leaning anti-fascist movement—or Antifa—has been around for decades, popping up in North America and Europe in response to rising white nationalist or fascist sentiments. Now, Antifa has made a resurgence in the US, where members clad in masks and nondescript black clothing physically confront groups of white supremacists and neo-Nazis who've started organizing in cities around the country.

In the backwoods of Georgia, a controversial, right-wing, "anti-terror" militia group gathers once a month to complete field training exercises under the command of Chris Hill—a.k.a Blood Agent. This militia group, called the Georgia III% Security Force, is part of the Three Percenter movement, which is inspired by the unfounded claim that only three percent of colonists fought against the British in the American Revolution.

On August 31st 2019, Boston reluctantly hosted its first Straight Pride parade. The parade’s organizers aimed to raise awareness about the issues impacting America’s heterosexual community -- the “oppressed majority.” While some view the parade as a joke, others see the Straight Pride movement as a significant threat against the LQBTQ+ community.