𝐓𝐘𝐁
'It's terrifying': The extreme belief system of QAnon, who's following and why
by Lisa Fletcher Monday, January 25th 2021
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — When you hear QAnon you may think of a group associated with disruption and perhaps even violence.
But what, or who, is QAnon? How did it start and why does it exist?
“It doesn't have a very cohesive belief system, which is one the things that first piqued our interest to understand what is it that brings the community together,” said Emily Dreyfuss. Dreyfuss is part of a research team at the Harvard Shorenstein Center that studies how technology interacts with society, including how it accelerates misinformation and extremism. From there, says Dreyfuss, are differently motivated factions.
“We've got the 'save the children' contingent, which are the people who really believe that the deep state is engaging in pedophilia, that Hollywood elites are literally eating babies in order to stay young. There is a large anti-Semitic contingency. We also see truthers, you know like original kind of birther-truthers and 9/11 truthers, the anti-vax community is a large part of it. And then, now what we would consider the more mainstream MAGA contingent. Those are the main buckets of QAnon believers,” said Dreyfuss.
Here's how it all got started:
In 2017, someone called "Q" (for their alleged level of government security clearance) posted anonymously on one of the internet's most extreme message boards to leak what they claimed to be high-level intelligence.
What followed were more posts, called ‘Q Drops’ — hints that Donald Trump was secretly waging war against Satan-worshipping Hollywood elites, high ranking democrats, and members of the media planning a one-world order.
QAnon'rs believe a coup will happen with the help of the U.S. military and those involved in the deep state will be arrested and executed.
A military and religious union, disturbing to Jack Bratich, an Associate Professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University. Bratich has studied extremism for decades.
"We put that combination together and I think you have people who are ready for all kinds of actions and martyrdom when it comes to this,” said Bratich. “Once you have a sector of a population that's ready for that, I think that's what makes things quite dangerous.”
https://wset.com/news/local/the-extreme-belief-system-of-qanon-whos-following-and-why-satan-cult-hollywood-trump-capitol-seige-harvard-rutgers-q
The number of QAnon believers is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands, although some suspect many more.
Both Bratich and Dreyfuss call it a media phenomenon that is self-affirming and circular.
You have multiple sites and sources that are telling you basically the same thing," said Bratich, "but it looks like variety.
“It's really an information distillation network,” said Dreyfuss. "It's a way to understand the world and spread different, alternative information out into the world. so in that way, it's also a chaos agent. The role that QAnon plays is that it allows people to see what they want to see only. The implications of what that will mean going forward remain to be seen.”
Given the narrative the group is putting forward, many believe it suggests a dangerous path.
"It's terrifying," said Dreyfuss.
She says, even in the face of Q’s online pronouncements proving false – like Hillary Clinton being arrested or Donald Trump winning a second term – believers are undeterred.
Add to that, says Bratich, validation from high-ranking government officials like Michael Flynn who encourage QAnon’s conspiracy theories and invite believers to participate in the taking of a digital oath to defend the Constitution.
“Where we go one, we go all,” says the QAnon slogan which is part of the oath to become "digital soldiers." Last summer, Flynn added #TakeTheOath to his Twitter bio.
“People were recording themselves taking it,” said Bratich. “It was a major thing. There’s even a website called digital soldiers.”
Bratich says many of them think of themselves as a kind of army at the ready, with Michael Flynn at the center. “He took the oath,” said Bratich. “He’s been stoking a lot of what’s going on with QAnon.”
Eighteen months ago, Vice President Mike Pence posted a photo of himself mingling with Florida SWAT officers, one of whom was wearing a QAnon patch on his uniform. The officer was later reprimanded, but those who follow the activities of the group closely say it is a clear example of the reach it’s had.
As of the writing of this article, there have been no posts from “Q” since December 8. Not all that surprising to Bratich and others who say it could be an indication of the movement taking on a life of its own.
“I have this hypothesis,” said Bratich, “that there’s a phase of QAnon that is now over. There was a time when “Q” would post and there’d be these interpreters and people who would try to figure out what was happening. Now, I think that the job of that figure is almost over because no longer do we need Q posts to make sense of what’s happening. People have now embodied it. What they’re doing is the next phase, which is more action-oriented than just listening to some insider’s information. What we’re seeing is really a kind of change that’s happening inside QAnon right now.”
And as widespread de-platforming occurs from the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Parler, Dreyfuss suspects followers will be moving to deeper, darker corners of the internet.
“Social media is the terrain,” said Dreyfuss. “It’s the terrain on which QAnon thrives and spreads."
But as we saw on January 6, things that spread and accelerate online have a huge bearing on the real world. There is really no difference anymore between the online and the real world. A movement that appears to be just happening online is not something that can be dismissed as not a danger in the physical, real world," said Dreyfuss.
https://wset.com/news/local/the-extreme-belief-system-of-qanon-whos-following-and-why-satan-cult-hollywood-trump-capitol-seige-harvard-rutgers-q
This is the part where I play the "Straight" by asking the question "What might that have been, Anon?" but no! I ain't fallin' for it!
kek
Why is it so hard to deprogram Trumpian conspiracy theorists?
Opinion by Brian Klaas Global Opinions contributor
Jan. 25, 2021 at 2:50 p.m. EST
For the past four years, the United States was governed by a conspiracy theorist in chief. Whether by retweeting QAnon accounts from the Oval Office or painting himself as the victim of shadowy “deep state” plots at rallies, President Donald Trump injected the toxin of baseless conspiratorial thinking straight into America’s political bloodstream. On Jan. 6, America saw how far that venom had spread, as a ragtag group of militias, racist extremists and flag-waving disciples of Trumpism stormed the Capitol.
The insurrectionists were unified by their support for Trump. But many of them shared another crucial trait: They were conspiracy theorists. And while hundreds of people stormed the Capitol, there are millions of Americans who share their views. There is no doubt: The United States has a serious problem with pathological political delusions.
So, do we have any hope of deprogramming the millions of Americans who are devoted to dangerous lunacy? Don’t hold your breath.
Psychologists and political scientists have been interested in conspiracy theories for decades, but their research has taken on new urgency. And what is clear from their findings is this: Once people have gone far enough down the rabbit hole of conspiratorial thinking, it can be nearly impossible to get them back out.
There are a few reasons conspiracy theories are so “sticky” once they’re in someone’s head. First, conspiracy theorists are far more likely to have a Manichaean worldview, meaning they interpret everything as a battle between good and evil. That makes it harder for dispassionate evidence-based arguments to break through. (For QAnon believers, Trump is the central superhero in an epic saga to vanquish a shadowy cabal.)
Second, those who seek to debunk conspiracy theories are precisely the people that true believers distrust. If someone believes the media is controlled by sinister but unseen puppet masters, fact checks from CNN will never convince them they’re wrong.
For the past four years, those who have worked hardest to dispel QAnon believers of their fantasies are the very people that “Anons” trust least: anti-Trump academics like me, news outlets such as The Post and politicians who they believe to be co-opted by the “deep state.” Political scientists Brendan Nyhan and Jason Reifler have documented the risks of a backfire effect, in which correcting misperceptions actually ends up entrenching them. In the world of conspiratorial thinking, the harder the pushback, the greater the proof that a coverup is afoot.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/25/why-is-it-so-hard-deprogram-trumpian-conspiracy-theorists/
Third, these organized mass delusions are designed to resist debunking. When Armageddon fails to materialize on a precise date predicted by a cult leader, believers often chalk it up to miscalculation and simply pick a new date. The same is often true for conspiracy theories. When Trump failed to fulfill the QAnon prophecy of arresting Joe Biden and staying in power, some believers began suggesting that Biden was secretly in on the plan. No matter what happens, there’s always another explanation.
Chris French, a professor who heads the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London, recently told me that conspiracy theorists often even believe mutually contradictory claims. For example, those who believe that Princess Diana faked her own death often simultaneously believe that she was killed by the government. “They can’t both be true,” French said.
But while political science and psychology have effectively demonstrated the cognitive biases that cause such deranged beliefs to stick, there’s a crucial dimension that isn’t getting enough attention. Conspiracy theories, for too many people, are fun. That’s particularly true because groups such as QAnon have developed into robust online communities in which believers forge digital friendships. Our mental image of tinfoil-hat-wearing loners isolated in dark basements is outdated. Modern conspiracy movements such as QAnon, are thriving in church groups and yoga classes. They’re social. And that means that deprogramming is that much harder.
In 1995, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam wrote an essay called “Bowling Alone,” in which he argued that Americans were becoming atomized. Bowling leagues were disappearing even as more people were bowling. And that reflected a deeper fracturing of American society.
Today, with the rise of social media, one can be alone but feel part of a group — and some of those groups are glued together by unhinged beliefs. Bowling alone has been replaced by tweeting together — a cardboard cutout for real social interaction, but one that has a seductive allure to millions of people. Many of the fanatics who stormed the Capitol were neither poor nor social misfits, but rather had found a digital community to augment or replace their offline one.
We can no longer pretend that conspiracy theorists are beneath our attention. They’ve shown they have tremendous capacity to inflict damage on society. Bringing the deluded people who populate Trump’s political base back to reality will be difficult. But to find the right antidote, we need to at least accurately diagnose who has taken the poison. And that means acknowledging that those who sympathize with the Capitol insurrectionists are not far-off lunatics. Some, most likely, are your neighbors.
And, given the staying power of conspiratorial thinking, they aren’t likely to change their minds anytime soon.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/01/25/why-is-it-so-hard-deprogram-trumpian-conspiracy-theorists/
Q - Killing The Mockingbird
Joe M' second video in the Q series
1,033,947 views Aug 8, 2018
“They want you DIVIDED.
DIVIDED by RACE.
DIVIDED by RELIGION.
DIVIDED by CULTURE.
DIVIDED by POLITICAL AFFILIATION.
They want this because DIVIDED YOU ARE WEAK. TOGETHER YOU ARE STRONG.
YOU, THE PEOPLE, HAVE THE POWER.
It’s time to research for yourself.
Think for yourself.
Trust yourself.
You will find many things, among them an unprecedented number of sealed indictments filed in preparation for a mass arrest event. See here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folder…
You will also discover an unprecedented list of corrupt CEOs who have recently been removed from their posts. See these here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/…
You will see the same in the Senate, and in Congress.
And you will see the same at the top of the FBI, and the Department of Justice.
This movement is not about one person or a group of people. It is about WE THE PEOPLE.
The world is currently witnessing the largest mass treason event in living history. But instead of being fearful, we should be filled with hope. Instead of fighting among ourselves, we should recognize our only true enemy - the criminal Deep State, and their once invincible mainstream media apparatus.
Do you want to free yourself?
It’s easy. Follow Q… and TURN THEM OFF!
https://www.bitchute.com/video/ItGCVSHutkNP/
https://youtu.be/80s5xuvzCtg
Q - We Are The Plan
Joe M' third video in the Q series
2,243,751 views Oct 17, 2018
“Fellow Americans, and citizens of the world. Now its OUR turn to shine.
Wherever we are, we will become the PLAN when we choose to reject what they called GLOBALISM.
We recognize the words they used to bend us to their will, and we say no more.
It’s time to turn off the media, follow your instincts, trust yourself and BE THE PLAN!
May God bless America, and the world.”
https://www.bitchute.com/video/KngFubizXMEb/
https://youtu.be/MRtEgdgj_XQ
Q - Dark To Light
Joe M' fourth video in the Q series
864,843 views Jan 27, 2019
There was a time when our children stood at attention, put their hand on their heart, and in one UNITED voice, recited the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
When STRENGTH and HONOR meant something.
When standing for our FLAG meant something.
There was a time when our history was taught with PRIDE and RESPECT.
When respect was given to those who serve(d), bled, and died to protect and defend our freedoms.
There was a time when we were GRATEFUL. It was when WE, THE PEOPLE, decided our future and had a voice that was heard. We are all bound by a feeling deep inside.that people in
power are exploiting and abusing us, while using the powerful media apparatus to pretend they are not.
All we ever wanted was to do the right thing, but they kept telling us we were wrong. We started to believe them and let ourselves forget everything that once made us strong.
We became weak. We elected TRAITORS to govern us. We allowed EVIL to prey on us. Those who claimed to represent us gave us false hope, made false promises. The evil and corruption only grew.
They invented the word ‘Globalism’ to advance on their agenda of tyranny undetected, using fake narratives of social justice to neuter our resolve to fight back, and silence us with shame.
If you lived through a Globalist revolution, you will remember many false promises of prosperity and justice for all, but observing only poverty, violence and death.
One after another, these nations were looted for every resource the land and waters produced. Citizens who would not surrender their freedoms were threatened, marginalized or even killed,
those who did were weaponized. They blamed us for destroying the environment.
For poverty.
For slavery.
For not going to college.
Or for just giving up.
What you must learn is that it has always been THEM: a colossal mutated global criminal class who had risen and occupied every level of corporate, legal and political power imaginable.
In 2016, they were preparing for an endgame that was to start with the election of Hillary Clinton, and within 8 years would have culminated in nothing less than a mass global nuclear holocaust.
Yet somehow, while humanity was taking its last step over the precipice of extinction, there was a miracle. You may know it as The Plan.
Brave Patriots set into motion a sophisticated military-grade global sting operation against the overwhelming network of corruption that led all the way to the top. By the time good people of the
world learned of the frightening reality they were living in, and how close we came to the end of it all, we had already been saved.
Raging around us is the final phase of a vast global shadow war – not between nations – but between the forces of good, and the most unimaginable of evils.
THEY KNOW WHAT IS COMING.
IT IS NOW MORE CLEAR THAN EVER.
NEVER IN OUR HISTORY HAVE THEY BEEN THIS EXPOSED.
NEVER IN OUR HISTORY HAVE THEY COME OUT FROM THE SHADOWS TO FIGHT.
THE TRUTH IS CLEARLY VISIBLE.
They defend the violent criminal gangs of MS-13? They openly promote the dismantling of our borders.
They said there would be nuclear war if Trump remained in office? They encouraged violence against those who spoke out.
They pushed hate, war and economic decline. They wanted to stop peace talks with North Korea.
They called for Trump to be impeached, not even providing a reason. They tried to get us to hate America. And so many obeyed.
But now, each day, more and more, we see they are terrified.
They knew this day would come.
The entire world is watching.
Patriots from around the world know that if AMERICA should fall, so falls the world.
That’s why we have Q.
We the people, patriots everywhere, stand at the ready.
We volunteer our talents willingly.
We fight.
We think for ourselves.
Dark to light.”
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Yr5td5zg4YWw/
https://youtu.be/NGuyUyRBsA4
The Best Is Yet To Come #Trump2020
Joe M' fifth video in the Q series
445,628 views Premiered Mar 13, 2020
"This nation is our canvas. And this country is our masterpiece.
We look at tomorrow and see unlimited frontiers just waiting to be explored.
Our brightest discoveries are not yet known.
Our most thrilling stories are not yet told.
Our grandest journeys are not yet made.
The American age, the American epic, the American adventure, has only just begun.
Our spirit is still young.
The sun is still rising.
God's grace is still shining.
And, my fellow Americans, the BEST IS YET TO COME!" - DJT
https://www.bitchute.com/video/Eg17zzhsEGfK/
https://youtu.be/50IA9dsekFs
Jesus H Fucking Christ, Anon!
Who in the FUCK are you talking to, in that tone of voice?!
This is an indication that you did not get the joke, Anon
Cease Frenly fire!
Expand your thinking.
kek
China deploys warships in South China Sea after US aircraft carrier sails by
Three of China’s front-line docking ships, comprising the Wuzhishan, Changbaishan and Kunlunshan of the southern theatre navy, started an exercise focusing on actual combat training and beach landing exercises in the SCS, a state media report said
By Sutirtho Patranobis PUBLISHED ON JAN 26, 2021 03:38 PM IST
China on Tuesday deployed warships including amphibious ones for a naval drill in the disputed waters of the South China Sea (SCS) in the backdrop of the US sending an aircraft carrier group in the maritime zone for a “freedom of the seas” operation.
Three of China’s front-line docking ships, comprising the Wuzhishan, Changbaishan and Kunlunshan of the southern theatre navy, started an exercise focusing on actual combat training and beach landing exercises in the SCS, a state media report said.
More warships from the Chinese navy are set to join the drill, which is expected to formally begin on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, a notice issued by China’s Maritime Safety Administration prohibited entry into a portion of waters in the Gulf of Tonkin to the west of the Leizhou peninsula in southwestern China from January 27-30.
The American aircraft carrier group led by the USS Theodore Roosevelt entered the SCS on Saturday to promote “freedom of the seas”, the US military said, barely days after Joe Biden began his term as president.
China claims nearly the entire SCS, but that claim is disputed by several maritime neighbours including Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia besides Vietnam and Taiwan, which China says is a breakaway region.
“The United States frequently sends aircraft and vessels into the South China Sea to flex its muscles,” foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian, told reporters on Monday when asked about the presence of US ships in the SCS region.
“This is not conducive to peace and stability in the region,” Zhao added.
On Tuesday, Zhao reiterated that Beijing hopes Washington will change its policies towards China under the Biden administration.
Zhao said in the past few years, the Trump administration had made directional errors, treating China as a strategic competitor or even a threat, and accordingly adopted a series of wrong actions that interfere with China’s internal affairs and harm China’s interests.
“This has led to an unusually severe situation in Sino-US relations that has never been seen since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This is not in the fundamental interests of the two peoples,” Zhao said.
On December 23, the US Navy said China had falsely claimed that it expelled an American warship from the SCS a day before, adding that Beijing was trying to assert its illegitimate claims in the maritime region.
Beijing had said the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) southern theatre command deployed ships and aircraft to warn US destroyer USS John S. McCain as it sailed through disputed waters of the SCS.
“The PRC’s statement about this mission is false. USS John S. McCain was not ‘expelled’ from any nation’s territory,” Joe Keiley, US Navy’s 7th Fleet spokesperson, told HT in a statement.
The US Navy spokesperson said that its ship conducted its operation and left “on our timeline” and were “not expelled”.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-deploys-warships-in-south-china-sea-after-us-aircraft-carrier-sails-by-101611655702976.html
STFU, Karen
Little bitches like you are why bakes even feels the need to add [hit piece] as a fucking disclaimer so you don't get your feelz hurt…
I 'member a time when Q kept running lists of all the hit pieces and every single one of them was a badge of honor! I 'member!
kek
Hear! Hear!
I love free thinking Anons.
Please Splain for non planefags ThanQ