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Oath Keepers’ son emerges from traumatic childhood to tell his own story in a long shot election bid

KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — The eldest son of one of America’s most infamous seditionists is building a new life since breaking free from his father’s control — juggling work, college classes and volunteer firefighting.

And Dakota Adams has tossed one more ball in the air this year: a Democratic campaign for Montana’s Legislature.

He also plans to sell the rifles, body armor and tactical gear he used to wear to anti-government protests alongside his father — Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers. It’s all part of an effort to push away the last vestiges of what Adams describes as an isolating and abusive upbringing that nearly ruined him, his mother and his siblings.

“I decided that I’m going to double down on betting on the electoral process,” Adams said in a recent interview.

kokopelli ,

There are two podcast episodes about this guy, his siblings, and their mother called Breaking The Oath. Very good and they interview all of them too.

PrincessLeiasCat ,

Reminds me of Derek Black. His dad founded Stormfront and his godfather was David Duke. Eli Saslow wrote a book about him called ‘Rising Out of Hatred’. It’s really good and I highly recommend it. Brave man to turn against that indoctrination given how well connected he was in that shit.

solidgrue ,
@solidgrue@lemmy.world avatar

“I decided that I’m going to double down on betting on the electoral process,” Adams said in a recent interview.

Good on you, son! Kid’s gonna go places.

tsonfeir ,
@tsonfeir@lemm.ee avatar

I’ll vote for anyone with a pentagram.

GrymEdm , (edited )

Realizing you’ve been raised in what is basically a cult is one hell of a trip. Hopefully the process of questioning everything he was told leads this guy to answers that bring him peace.

givesomefucks ,

When Jim Jones took his cult out of the country, he knew the kids would cause issues at the border.

So everyone abandoned their kids in rural southern Indiana and they ended up in the foster system.

Like, better than if they went with the cult, but crazy that all those people are still just out there walking around.

People don’t often think of this kind of aftermath

friend_of_satan ,

Fuckin a. (In the Peter Gibbons sense of the phrase)

logicbomb ,

Adams knows it won’t be easy running as a Democrat for the House in the deep red northwestern corner of Montana. The district covers northern Lincoln County, a mecca for militia members or sympathizers and doomsday preppers. Republican Donald Trump won 74% of the county vote in the 2020 presidential race.

While Adams’ campaign may look like a fruitless undertaking, he doesn’t see it that way. For him it’s a chance to tell his own story — that of an “honest weirdo” who emerged from a traumatic childhood to find his own way in life. It’s also a chance to make the case for his own vision of how democracy and personal responsibility intertwine.

You never truly know whether somebody would be good or not ahead of time, but I initially feel good about a person who is interested in politics who seems to actually think of themselves as “honest”.

raynethackery ,

Maybe his story can help other kids trapped in that life.

some_guy ,

That’s the same bit I was gonna quote. I kinda think he should run somewhere more favorable, but if he thinks he can win over people of a similar background, I support it.

ShunkW ,

I’d honestly be worried that he’s pulling a switcheroo and changes parties as soon as he’s elected.

GrymEdm ,

I think you’re underestimating the loathing an abused kid can have for their upbringing. I was raised deeply evangelical Christian (demons are real and possess people, judgment day soon, certain people are Antichrists, etc) and only escaped after becoming an adult and realizing how nuts it is. I have repaired relationships with the one parent who is still Christian, but even though I decided to keep them in my life I REFUSE to participate in their religion at all. There’s no way I’d switch back under any circumstances, and it sounds like this guy is similarly distancing himself from his past.

SnotFlickerman ,
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

I used to feel a lot more strongly about Christian indoctrination until I realized the majority of my fellow atheists were raised Christian but escaped from the indoctrination anyway. I mean… the indoctrination can’t have been that successful if so many people are willingly leaving the church.

I think it’s actually normal for this to happen to religions, and it’s why some more extreme religious countries have rules against apostasy. Harder to leave a religion when the legal rules around it will literally ruin your life. The US and other secular nations have slowly become less and less religious as time has gone on, it seems like a natural progression to me.

tryptaminev ,

I have the feeling that most online atheist groups are actually self-help groups for people traumatized by evangelical Christians.

KevonLooney ,

I REFUSE to participate in their religion at all

For anyone who feels uncomfortable refusing to go to family events, think about it like this:

If you didn’t know this person, would you want to go to the event? If not, don’t go.

tryptaminev ,

I dunno. I wouldn’t go to someones funeral if i wouldn’t know them at all.

some_guy ,

Not the same thing as spending time with them.

Bassman1805 ,

I don’t know that the switcheroo is the likely bad outcome, but more like “still in the process of unlearning the cult life, and still finding some ugly vestiges”

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