This is a comprehensive article of great depth on QAnon.* I have read and posted many pieces on QAnon and recognize this as among the most illuminating. I share this and other articles and resources because so many of us are directly impacted by close friends or family who've been swept up in this cult. I'm also moved to share this article because of my belief that it's important for more and more of us to understand more deeply the roots of our disconnects and divisions, illusions and fears, traumas and addictions, struggles and suffering.
There are so many layers within the deeply unhealthy aspects of our culture which can make us more vulnerable to any cult or harmful belief systems which, to one degree or another, ultimately acts to sever or obstruct our connection with truth, with our deeper wisdom and capacity for discernment, and with our own hearts and those of others. I recognize these many layers in how it is that a hard core Trump supporter and New Agers can all be swept up in the vast conspiracy theories embodied in QAnon. I see these harmful perceptions and beliefs as arising out of a lack of deep grounding and connection within ourselves and with other more conscious human beings. Growing up in America makes so many of us vulnerable to losing ourselves, as I once was.
QAnon is but a symptom of these larger individual and collective experiences of wounding and ruptured attachments, of isolation and anxiety and fear, and of living within larger environments which are lacking in some deep ways in being emotionally and/or physically safe, empathic, nurturing, compassionate, and caring. And these are the exact qualities that we need to bring to our fellow humans who are struggling and lost. — Molly
(*Please note that due to the length of this article, I am only sharing excerpts. For the full piece, please go here: https://www.mysticmag.com/psychic-reading/what-is-qanon/.)
QAnon, you might have heard about it. But even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard some of its claims.
And you probably have a lot of questions.
Do QAnon followers really believe that child-eating satanic cults control our lives? And Donald Trump is the savior of humankind? Where did it come from? How did it become so popular?
What the hell is going on?
Like most people, before writing this guide, I mostly considered QAnon a joke. But learning about its origins and watching events unfold in real-time as I was writing, it all started to make a lot more sense.
QAnon’s rise from internet obscurity to a global phenomenon is a complicated, surreal, and troubling tale of a world plagued by anger, division, lies, and loneliness.
Hopefully, by the time you finish reading, you’ll understand QAnon (and its appeal) a little better. And in doing so, you’ll be prepared for the next chapter in this wild, crazy story.
What is QAnon?
In a nutshell, QAnon is a conspiracy cult that started on 4chan (an anonymous imageboard) and quickly spread into mainstream politics and culture.
QAnon followers believe:
A secret global cabal of Satan-worshipping politicians, celebrities, billionaires, and Catholic church leaders control the world. They traffick children to engage in ritualistic pedophilia and eat the children to harvest a life-extending chemical, adrenochrome, from their blood.
According to QAnon, Donald Trump is aware of all this and has been secretly waging a complex battle against the cabal and their collaborators in the US government – known as the ‘Deep State.’
When he’s successful, thousands of cabal members will be rounded up and imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. Mass unrest will break out across the US, which the National Guard will brutally suppress. Eventually peace will prevail.
Over the years, QAnon has grown more complex, weaving in threads from older conspiracy theories and co-opting current events (i.e., Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest, Coronavirus, 5G conspiracies). An increasing number of public figures have been exposed as villains and cabal leaders, from George Soros and Bill Gates to model Chrissy Teigen and Pope Francis.
It’s also grown more Biblical and apocalyptic. Many in QAnon now believe that God chose Donald Trump to lead the struggle, along with his ‘digital soldiers’ (a term for QAnon followers).
After Trump overthrows the evil cabal, God will deliver salvation to the human race, and there will be utopia on Earth for all eternity.
All of this has been exposed by an anonymous figure calling himself Q.
Who is Q?
The mystery behind Q’s identity is key to the conspiracy.
Theories about Q’s identity can be divided into two categories: what his followers believe and what investigators have concluded.
Quick note: by all accounts Q, or the person behind Q, is generally accepted to be a man.
What QAnon Followers Believe
While theories abound, here are the most commonly held.
1) Q is a high-level Trump admin official working in the White House.
The original ‘Q’ account on anonymous imageboard 4chan went by the name of ‘Q Clearance Patriot.’ Aside from making predictions based on access to classified information, the account provided numerous ‘proofs’ of authenticity.
However, none of the predictions ever came true and most of the ‘proof’ was publicly accessible (or easily fabricated) information.
‘Q Clearance’ is a real ‘Top Secret’ security designation in the US government. However, it comes from the US Department of Energy and has no connection to the White House or national security.
Now that Donald Trump is no longer president, Q’s status is unclear.
2) Q is a group of people close to Trump
Q often refers to himself in the first person as ‘we,’ and his posts frequently change in style, sentence structure, and syntax.
As a result, many followers believe QAnon is now the combined effort of a small team, perhaps recruited by the original Q.
While there’s no evidence to suggest they had any access to classified information while Trump was in office – or to Trump’s White House – plenty of evidence suggests numerous people are behind Q’s posts (explained below).
3) Q was hijacked. It’s no longer the same person/people.
Early in the saga, Q claimed his 4chan account had been infiltrated and moved to a new platform, 8chan (now rebranded as 8kun).
The idea that somebody hijacked Q’s identity and is now posing as Q is popular. It explains a lot of inconsistencies in the whole conspiracy theory.
Alex Jones has promoted this idea, claiming in 2018 to have spoken directly with the ‘people’ behind QAnon and stating:
“I was on the phone this morning talking to some folks who were… involved in QAnon. They say ‘Hey, that’s been taken over, we’re unable to even post anymore, that’s not us anymore.’ I’ve talked to QAnon… they are saying QAnon is no longer QAnon.”
4) Donald Trump is Q
As the messianic savior at the heart of QAnon, it makes sense that Trump could be Q all along, hiding his identity in yet another ingenious plot.
There’s a lot of reasons this makes no sense. Let’s list a few: Trump doesn’t use a computer; he has issues with basic spelling and grammar; he couldn’t do it on his own and keep it a secret; he’s no longer president.
What Investigators, Journalists, and Researchers Have Concluded
We may never know the original Q’s identity. Imageboards like 8kun go to great lengths to hide their users’ identities.
However, plenty of evidence suggests that the Q persona was quickly taken over by a small group of men who saw QAnon as an opportunity to amass great influence and power.
Most experts on QAnon, including 8chan’s founder Frederick Brennan, believe the Q’s account is controlled by 8kun’s American owners: Jim Watkins (a former internet pornographer based in the Philippines), and his son, Ron.
Like everything in QAnon, the Watkins’ takeover of Q is an incredibly complicated story......
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What’s the Appeal of QAnon?
Even with the popularity of conspiracy theories and QAnon’s innovations, it can still be incomprehensible that anyone would join a cult with such insane, easily debunked beliefs.
So, why are so many people drawn to QAnon? To answer this question, you need to look beyond its claims and beliefs and think about what QAnon offers people.
In the early 21st century, psychologists in the USA started studying the appeal of conspiracy theories and their correlations with cults. Their research has made some important conclusions:
- All successful conspiracy theories address negative emotions like fear, pain, suffering, grievance, neglect, isolation, and paranoia.
- Conspiracy theorists are often unable to handle change and uncertainty well, both in their personal lives and at a societal level.
- They display a tendency towards ‘conspiracist ideation,’ the attraction to simple narratives of good vs. evil, and hidden forces determined to destroy their lives.
- They have a deep mistrust of government.
Sociologists, activists, and policy-makers have been campaigning for years to highlight the dangers of letting these issues fester unaddressed.
But with the rise of QAnon in 2018, it became clear just how desperate people have become, seeking a form of community and stability in a cult that was spawned in the darkest corners of the internet.
Furthermore, QAnon gives people easy villains to blame for their woes (Democrats, elites, billionaires, Jews, global institutions, etc.) and empowers them to fight back. In doing so, they’re no longer a victim – they become a hero in an epic battle of good vs. evil.
If they’re killed in the struggle, as one QAnon supporter was during the US Capitol attack at the beginning of January 2021, they’re not criminals or rioters; they’re a martyr for the cause....
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How You Can Support QAnon Believers
As QAnon has grown and consumed 100,000s of peoples’ lives, communities have also grown in response to support people affected by the conspiracy.
If a friend or family member has become consumed by QAnon and you’re worried about their wellbeing, there are steps you can take to help them.
Deprogramming someone who has fallen victim to a conspiracy cult like QAnon isn’t easy. It takes time and patience, but it can be done.
Before approaching them, consider the following.
1. Understand the history and context
Understanding where QAnon came from and why it appeals to people is crucial. You’ll have context for any claims the person makes and be able to counter them more effectively. The QAnon believer will also see that you’ve made an effort to understand them instead of dismissing their ideas outright.
2. Don’t be insulting or mocking
Laughing or making them feel stupid is the worst thing you can do when talking to someone who believes in a conspiracy or cult. Their beliefs are deeply tied to their sense of identity. Laughing at them will only create tension and harden those beliefs even more. They’ll also dismiss anything you say.
3. Listen, ask, and empathize
Fact-checking a QAnon believer and pointing out all the reasons they’re wrong isn’t going to achieve anything. They’ve invested in an entire belief system and alternate reality with a complex web of ‘alternative facts.’
If you want to break someone out of QAnon, engage them by listening to their concerns. Ask them questions about how they found QAnon, why it appealed to them, and any fulfillment or value it provides.
If you can, show genuine interest and curiosity. Build a common bond and highlight the values and interests you share. Tell them you also want to end child sex trafficking.
Then, slowly, start to introduce ideas and suggestions that may create some doubt. For example, is abusing celebrities on Twitter actually going to end sex trafficking? Maybe there’s a more productive (non-violent) way to spend your time?
4. Acknowledge that conspiracies do exist
Unfortunately, some of QAnon’s conspiracy theories are based on factual events. Conspiracies do happen. Jeffrey Epstein was guilty of running a child sex trafficking ring for wealthy men; the Catholic church has spent decades covering up abuses by its clergy; the CIA, FBI, and US government have a long history of spying and experimenting on US citizens;
If you acknowledge examples of real-life scandals and conspiracies that inspired QAnon’s wildest, most troubling claims, a QAnon believer may be more open to hearing your opinions and being challenged.
5. Don’t approach them alone
If you know someone who promotes and believes in QAnon, reach out to their friends and family and see if you can coordinate approaching them.
Treat the situation like supporting someone in a toxic relationship. Gather a small group of peers and intervene together. It takes the pressure off you, and they’ll be more likely to listen to your collective concerns.
6. Take the conversation private
Commenting on someone’s public posts isn’t going to change their mind. We all know this by now.
Instead, if someone you know posts something troubling, send them a private message. They’ll be less defensive and argumentative, more likely to let their guard down, and more open to having a thoughtful conversation.
7. Be patient
Nobody changes their mind on a belief system as complex as QAnon overnight.
Like escaping a cult, breaking free of QAnon can take a long time. Helping someone leave it behind requires fortitude and patience. You may face weeks (or even months) of insults and disappointments before you start to see progress.
8. Don’t be afraid to walk away
At the end of the day, if your wellbeing and mental health are is compromised by engaging with a QAnon believer, it’s okay to walk away.
Some people are too far gone, and you might not be the right person to help them. If the conversation is too stressful, antagonistic, or unproductive, you can stop and move on.
If you need inspiration or help, check out r/QAnoncasualties and r/reQovery. They’re two Reddit communities started to help people leave QAnon and support those who have been hurt by the conspiracy.
Final Thoughts
In early 2021, QAnon was a little over 3 years old – and facing a major crisis.
Donald Trump was kicked out of office, failing to fulfill Q’s prophecies; the attempted insurrection failed to overthrow the US government; and after months of silence, it appeared Q had abandoned his followers altogether.
So, what happens next?
Nobody knows for sure, but one thing is guaranteed: the grievances, anger, and conspiracies that inspired QAnon’s meteoric rise from fringe internet forums to global cultural force are stronger than ever.
While the QAnon brand may fade back into internet obscurity, the lies and false beliefs it created will continue to spread unless drastic action is taken.
QAnon – and all its craziness – has laid bare the divisions and social ills that have been plaguing society for years. We can continue to ignore them and wait for the next QAnon to emerge, more violent and better organized – or we can start to address these complex but urgent issues.
Our futures may very well depend on which course of action we choose.
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