38 votes

‘We are Q’: A deranged conspiracy cult leaps from the Internet to the crowd at Trump’s ‘MAGA’ tour

30 comments

  1. [18]
    dubteedub
    Link
    I have been following this conspiracy theory for a long time now after it blossomed from the Pizzagate movement. I really believe that one of these Q followers will be involved in a mass shooting...

    I have been following this conspiracy theory for a long time now after it blossomed from the Pizzagate movement.

    I really believe that one of these Q followers will be involved in a mass shooting sometime by the end of this year. These folks believe that we are in the beginning of a literal Revolution.

    If you are interested, here is just one example from the last 24 hours of how they are reacting to "Q Drop 1776" which is a faked photo of Donald Trump's signature.

    https://www.reddit.com/r/greatawakening/comments/93jgzd/q_1776_without_the_pen_of_the_author_of_common/

    21 votes
    1. [13]
      wunderboi
      Link Parent
      So in browsing that sub and specifically that post I'm a bit confused. They feel that the POTUS is encouraging this "revolution" and that a revolution is necessary because of injustice and...

      So in browsing that sub and specifically that post I'm a bit confused. They feel that the POTUS is encouraging this "revolution" and that a revolution is necessary because of injustice and oppresion but when they think the guy who is literally the leader of the nation is supporting them, who do they think is doing the oppressing???

      17 votes
      1. [5]
        CALICO
        Link Parent
        Mainstream-media (which excludes Fox for some reason), the "Deep State" (which is woefully incompetent if it exists), and Globalists (euphemism for Jews).

        who do they think is doing the oppressing???

        Mainstream-media (which excludes Fox for some reason), the "Deep State" (which is woefully incompetent if it exists), and Globalists (euphemism for Jews).

        18 votes
        1. [4]
          poopascoopa
          Link Parent
          I can't believe I let this slip... my dad uses this term. I told him about the stuff with the NRA and sent him articles and the DOJ files. He eventually said we have to be careful from false flag...

          Globalists (euphemism for Jews)

          I can't believe I let this slip... my dad uses this term.

          I told him about the stuff with the NRA and sent him articles and the DOJ files. He eventually said we have to be careful from false flag attacks from statists and globalists. I let it go but I had forgotten that globalist = Jew. Jesus, that's terrifying.

          5 votes
          1. [2]
            clerical_terrors
            Link Parent
            I dont think everybody uses the term interchabgeably, but anti-semites do. And they will invariably make the case that Jewish people are the real driving force behind the globalists, which may or...

            I dont think everybody uses the term interchabgeably, but anti-semites do. And they will invariably make the case that Jewish people are the real driving force behind the globalists, which may or may not convince people like your dad.

            3 votes
            1. poopascoopa
              Link Parent
              I should try to see if he uses it that way.

              I should try to see if he uses it that way.

          2. super_james
            Link Parent
            To me globalists would mean ideological supporters of free trade & movement of people. Not surprised to hear it's a dog whistle for anti-semites too though, all the shit with the brackets was...

            To me globalists would mean ideological supporters of free trade & movement of people. Not surprised to hear it's a dog whistle for anti-semites too though, all the shit with the brackets was weird as all shit.

      2. dubteedub
        Link Parent
        The media for not telling "the truth", the Democrats who are running a shadow government, the "deep state" intelligence community who are undermining Trump, and behind all of them they think there...

        who is literally the leader of the nation is supporting them, who do they think is doing the oppressing???

        The media for not telling "the truth", the Democrats who are running a shadow government, the "deep state" intelligence community who are undermining Trump, and behind all of them they think there is a vast conspiracy of "Globalists" aka "DA JEWS" who are pulling the strings to bring about the end of the world, or at least western civilization.

        10 votes
      3. wise
        Link Parent
        The "deep state", a collusion of intelligence assets, big personalities, CEOs, and media moguls. They try to avoid the classical antisemitism of most conspiracy theories but still point to a lot...

        The "deep state", a collusion of intelligence assets, big personalities, CEOs, and media moguls. They try to avoid the classical antisemitism of most conspiracy theories but still point to a lot of Jewish people (yeah I see the other responses also agree with me on the antisemitism, I didn't know enough about it to make the claim haha but I feel they tend to point to Jewish people a lot). For example they claim that Bourdain's and Slate's suicides were curated by the deep state because they were going to talk about the child slavery that is behind the detention centers (that Trump has exposed by making them more visible, yeah, the logic doesn't always work haha).

        Who knows, there may be something true among all the misinformation (after all Guantanamo Bay was a conspiracy theory until it wasn't, or the detention centers). But I think it mostly is a bunch of manipulators.

        9 votes
      4. [5]
        papasquat
        Link Parent
        Here's what I don't get. These people are convinced that there's a secret shadow government opposing Trump. Why are absolutely none of those people republicans? This shadow government has somehow...

        Here's what I don't get. These people are convinced that there's a secret shadow government opposing Trump. Why are absolutely none of those people republicans? This shadow government has somehow managed to be comprised entirely of liberals, despite the rest of the government almost always having around a 50/50 split. Why would they all just happen to be liberal?

        7 votes
        1. [3]
          dubteedub
          Link Parent
          I think a big reason that a lot of these folks believe in Qanon is because they are actually disappointed with what Trump has accomplished in office. Hillary wasn't locked up. The wall hasn't been...

          I think a big reason that a lot of these folks believe in Qanon is because they are actually disappointed with what Trump has accomplished in office.

          Hillary wasn't locked up. The wall hasn't been built. The only thing they have done is passed a huge tax cut for the ultra-wealthy.

          But this doesn't jive with their believe that Trump is their savior and can do no wrong. It can't be that he is an incompetent oaf. So the obvious answer to them is that he is being prevented from making America great again by liberals and globalists, and the "deep state".

          9 votes
          1. [2]
            Deimos
            Link Parent
            That's exactly what it is. This is a really good explanation of it: https://kropotkhristian.tumblr.com/post/176494107321/why-q-anon-proves-that-trump-supporters-are

            That's exactly what it is. This is a really good explanation of it: https://kropotkhristian.tumblr.com/post/176494107321/why-q-anon-proves-that-trump-supporters-are

            6 votes
            1. clerical_terrors
              Link Parent
              This reminds me of a similar theory my History teacher once laid out on why utopian revolutions like the French or the Communist revolution turn into regimes of terror and why the people let it...

              This reminds me of a similar theory my History teacher once laid out on why utopian revolutions like the French or the Communist revolution turn into regimes of terror and why the people let it happen at first: the belief in the saving grace of the central ideology, often manifest in a charismatic leader, is so strong that they can't accept it as flawed. Thus problems and setbacks are blamed on "somebody undermining us" and witch hunts and purges start, thinking a "cleansing" of subversive "enemy" actors will result in the utopian ideal coming to fruition. But because the issue is with the practical application itself this never happens and instead the system slides further and further into barbarism and paranoia.

              2 votes
        2. NoblePath
          Link Parent
          Many participants on r/great awakening believe the deep state counts among its population the 'bad' republicans, like McConnell and various bushes. Makes Bolton hard to explain, though.

          Many participants on r/great awakening believe the deep state counts among its population the 'bad' republicans, like McConnell and various bushes. Makes Bolton hard to explain, though.

          4 votes
    2. [3]
      CALICO
      Link Parent
      Six weeks ago a Quack with firearms and an armored vehicle tried to do something at the Hoover Dam, and has made references to Great Awakening and all that nonsense. He is facing terrorism...

      Six weeks ago a Quack with firearms and an armored vehicle tried to do something at the Hoover Dam, and has made references to Great Awakening and all that nonsense. He is facing terrorism charges.

      https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/courts/suspect-in-hoover-dam-standoff-writes-trump-cites-conspiracy-in-letters/

      12 votes
      1. [2]
        dubteedub
        Link Parent
        Yeah, that was part of the whole altright / Qanon "release the memo" nonsense The people pushing this are all engaging in stochastic terrorism.

        Yeah, that was part of the whole altright / Qanon "release the memo" nonsense

        The people pushing this are all engaging in stochastic terrorism.

        13 votes
        1. wise
          Link Parent
          I like this expression of stochastic terrorism, I will use it.

          I like this expression of stochastic terrorism, I will use it.

          9 votes
    3. wise
      Link Parent
      I listened to an interview of that youtuber that talks about Q anon, it's really scary to be honest, I think they are very good at manipulating people. The media making these accusations and...

      I listened to an interview of that youtuber that talks about Q anon, it's really scary to be honest, I think they are very good at manipulating people. The media making these accusations and calling the followers names instead of advocating for a more transparent system doesn't help either, imho.

      4 votes
  2. [4]
    Flashynuff
    Link
    Okay, I wasn't expecting this. Does this mean they support the investigation and don't think it's a 'witch hunt'?

    In the black hole of conspiracy in which “Q” has plunged its followers, Trump only feigned collusion to create a pretense for the hiring of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is actually working as a “white hat,” or hero, to expose the Democrats

    Okay, I wasn't expecting this. Does this mean they support the investigation and don't think it's a 'witch hunt'?

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      dubteedub
      Link Parent
      They think that the Mueller investigation is actually working in secret to take down Hillary, Obama, all the other top Democrats, and the entire "deep state" intelligence community. They believe...

      They think that the Mueller investigation is actually working in secret to take down Hillary, Obama, all the other top Democrats, and the entire "deep state" intelligence community.

      They believe there are thousands of sealed indictments that all actually list these folks that will be revealed any day now and will result in the arrest and execution of most of them.

      Q has predicted several dates that all of this will be revealed the broader public, but somehow all of them keep passing without anything actually happening. July 4th was the latest prediction.

      7 votes
      1. sam4ritan
        Link Parent
        Obviously. I feel like these people watch too many movies. Because obviously those huge, patriotic, 'Murica fuck yeah events always happen on important anniversaries in real life too.

        July 4th was the latest prediction

        Obviously. I feel like these people watch too many movies. Because obviously those huge, patriotic, 'Murica fuck yeah events always happen on important anniversaries in real life too.

        4 votes
    2. wise
      Link Parent
      Yeah, the theory is that he is there to expose all the deep state when he reveals there was no serious Russian interference.

      Yeah, the theory is that he is there to expose all the deep state when he reveals there was no serious Russian interference.

      6 votes
  3. [2]
    Pilgrim
    Link
    I remember in 2008 I bought a house in the county from a lady. She had a government job working on an air force base and looked like a normal middle-aged lady. But, out of the blue, she insisted...

    I remember in 2008 I bought a house in the county from a lady. She had a government job working on an air force base and looked like a normal middle-aged lady. But, out of the blue, she insisted that if Obama won then the blacks from the nearby city (10 miles away maybe) would rise up and invade the countryside, raping and murdering all whites. She legitimately held this view. I assume she didn't vote for Obama.

    I think a lot of what we're seeing in politics in the last election cycle is that people like this simply found the internet.

    7 votes
    1. clerical_terrors
      Link Parent
      People like this found each other on the internet. And through the filter bubble phenomenon their somewhat unhinged views are continously being reinforced and amped up.

      People like this found each other on the internet. And through the filter bubble phenomenon their somewhat unhinged views are continously being reinforced and amped up.

      9 votes
  4. [2]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. dubteedub
      Link Parent
      There are tons of selfies and pictures of Qanon folks showing off their gear on /r/greatawakening (mostly middle-aged white people). You can easily search Twitter and see hundreds of pictures of...

      The title makes the claim of a concept moving from the internet to real people while the author is reporting 3rd hand events from twitter.

      There are tons of selfies and pictures of Qanon folks showing off their gear on /r/greatawakening (mostly middle-aged white people). You can easily search Twitter and see hundreds of pictures of Qanon folks at Trump rallies and other events.

      Hell, a follower of this stuff shut down the Hoover Dam earlier this summer by blocking traffic with an armored vehicle.

      It is absolutely breaking through into the real world and it is scary that these people honestly believe this stuff.

      6 votes
  5. [2]
    EightRoundsRapid
    Link
    The Guardian did a reasonably good explainer a couple of days ago too https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/30/qanon-4chan-rightwing-conspiracy-theory-explained-trump

    The Guardian did a reasonably good explainer a couple of days ago too

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/30/qanon-4chan-rightwing-conspiracy-theory-explained-trump

    5 votes
  6. NoblePath
    Link
    I'm highly susceptible to conspiracy thinking, but the q thing is obviously something twisted. It would be funny if it weren't so prevalent and its participants so fervent.

    I'm highly susceptible to conspiracy thinking, but the q thing is obviously something twisted. It would be funny if it weren't so prevalent and its participants so fervent.

    4 votes
  7. nic
    Link
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/08/01/how-qanon-the-conspiracy-theory-spawned-by-a-trump-quip-got-so-big-and-scary/?utm_term=.96d4fa99b5d6 Trump, while posing as a...

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/08/01/how-qanon-the-conspiracy-theory-spawned-by-a-trump-quip-got-so-big-and-scary/?utm_term=.96d4fa99b5d6

    Trump, while posing as a flailing president in public, is secretly orchestrating a crackdown on the entire cabal... a messianic revolutionary who conceals his strategic genius under layers of crass egotism and ineptitude.

    3 votes
  8. EscReality
    Link
    I was so confused for a second, I was assuming it was some sort of Star Trek reference. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

    I was so confused for a second, I was assuming it was some sort of Star Trek reference.

    It will be interesting to see where this goes.