People don’t leave the hate movement because a veil lifts and they are suddenly able to see hate for what it is. The truth is more disappointing. They leave because it makes sense for them, because the value hate once gave them has diminished or evaporated. Ms. Olsen seemed to know this, writing once on a blog, “The reality is, people rarely change their personality or ideals during adulthood, and if they do, it needs to be something they do on their own, for themselves.”
When the F.B.I. offered to pay her to inform on the Northwest Front, Ms. Olsen agreed. She worked as an informant for a few months, then cut ties with hate for good in late 2012. Shortly after, in an interview with the Southern Poverty Law Center, she said, “I realized much too late that this entire movement is a huge waste of life.”