dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

All about QAnon, the pro-Donald Trump conspiracy theory

that is going viral as US polls near

New York Times Last Updated: Aug 19, 2020, 08:32 AM IST

"If you’re spending a lot of time online these days — and thanks to the pandemic, many of us are — you’ve probably heard of QAnon, the sprawling internet conspiracy theory that has taken hold among some of President Donald Trump’s supporters.

But unless you’re very online, you likely still have questions about what exactly is going on.

QAnon was once a fringe phenomenon — the kind most people could safely ignore. But in recent months, it’s gone mainstream. Twitter, Facebook and other social networks have been flooded with QAnon-related false information about COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter protests and the 2020 election. QAnon supporters have also been trying to attach themselves to other activist causes, such as the anti-vaccine and anti-child trafficking movements, in an effort to expand their ranks.

Last week, QAnon reached a new milestone when Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avowed QAnon supporter from Georgia, won a Republican primary in a heavily conservative district, setting her up for a near-certain election to Congress in November. After Greene’s win, Trump called her a “future Republican star.”

QAnon is an incredibly convoluted theory, and you could fill an entire book explaining its various tributaries and sub-theories. But here are some basic things you should know."