FAQS
Q: Why Does QAnon Appeal to Women?
QAnon’s focus on pedophiles’ abducting and abusing children, and hashtags like #SaveTheChildren, resonate especially strongly with women, tugging on their protective, motherly instincts. Even before the pandemic, news stories about Jeffrey Epstein’s “Lolita Island” and related rumors about powerful elites engaging in sexual exploitation of minors led many mothers to worry about sex slavery and human trafficking in a way they hadn’t before.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, suburban white women were cut off from their usual social networks, be it the PTA or soccer mom groups, leaving them missing the sense of purpose and active involvement. Online forums dedicated to “saving the children” offered a replacement for that loss. Many women felt as though they were part of an important mission when they searched for clues and identified pedophiles. Often, these women didn’t realize they were entering the QAnon rabbit hole as they were clicking deeper and deeper into conspiracy theories.
In the time of political turmoil, many white suburban women felt uneasy about discussing politics online. But there is very little controversy about caring for abused children. Women who did not feel comfortable with “political” topics like Black Lives Matter could engage with strangers online without triggering uncomfortable exchanges. Who would object to saving the children? It was a perfectly agreeable subject to be worried about together. “Think about children loaded up into the back of trucks like cargo to be bought and sold like property, for their tiny bodies to be used and abused,”1 posted one pastel-colored Instagram account with over 120,000 followers. The QAnon “save the children”-themed memes seem innocuous. You might have one in your feed and not even realize it is a gateway to QAnon. #SaveTheChildren is the softest of dog whistles whose call is strongest for women.
Q: If Conspiracies Aren’t New, Then What’s So Special About QAnon?
One novelty of QAnon is how diverse the folQlore is. It combines stories about a pedophile cabal and lizard people, about microchip vaccines and Osama bin Laden still being alive. Q lore includes lasers setting California on fire from space so that Jews can build a superhighway, COVID-19 being invented as a hoax to undermine the Trump presidency, and Hillary Clinton wearing a baby’s cut-off face, Hannibal Lecter-style. It’s a meta conspiracy theory. Like Amazon.com of the conspiracy world, Q has something for every customer, only a few clicks away.
The Internet is another novelty that makes QAnon especially problematic. With algorithms offering a never-ending stream of conspiracy theories, a vulnerable individual can get sucked into the Q alternative reality in the comfort of their own home. QAnon forums create a community of like-minded people, feeding their hunger for connection and understanding. As we witnessed at the January 6 insurrection, this Internet community can easily be mobilized for radical real-world action. More people brought together by conspiracy theories, more easily connected through the Internet, and more radicalized for violent action—these can add up to a perfect storm.
Q: Why All the Sex in the Conspiracy Theories?
Sex in folQlore echoes real sex scandals from the news and fuels genuine outrage at the misconduct and impunity of political and cultural elites. As in marketing, sex sells in politics, too. It attracts attention and keeps audiences engaged. And it does something else: It builds anger. Research has discovered that watching a sexual video can translate to even greater aggression at the slightest provocation than watching a violent video.2 This tendency is called “excitation transfer.” Sexual thoughts build up excitement that is then transferred into anger and aggression. Sexual content is part of how QAnon radicalizes its followers.
Q: Why Do Hollywood Elites Feature in Conspiracy Narratives?
A number of resonant sex scandals have involved members of Hollywood elites. Particularly infamous were Bill Cosby, “America’s Dad”; Harvey Weinstein, a major Hollywood producer; and Les Moonves (CBS) and Matt Lauer (NBC) from the mainstream media. These sex scandals involved dozens of victimized women and teenage girls who were intimidated into silence. It wasn’t unreasonable to suspect that there were many more victims out there—and more perpetrators with power, money, and connections to keep the abuse secret. Conspiracy theories build around this existing set of facts, expanding from a natural suspicion into a less reasonable one—adding crazy details (Bosch-esque or Eyes Wide Shut orgies and child abuse rituals) and specific celebrities (Tom Hanks, Oprah, Lady Gaga, Hillary Clinton).
Q: Why Are Children at the Center of Conspiracy Theories?
By focusing on babies and children, conspiracy theories anchor their narratives to the most fundamentally “innocent” and “good” beings. Harming babies and children is thus the ultimate evil, and those guilty of this are corrupt beyond redemption. Babies and harm done to them are the foundational axis of good and evil in the normative system that Q-conspiracy theories lay out. It’s the lowest common denominator over which they can bond. This QAnon variation on Deep Blue Something’s song “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” summarizes:
You’ll say, we’ve got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we’re falling apart
You’ll say, the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don’t care
And I said what about powerful pedophiles?
She said I think that the rumors are true
And I’m sure you’d agree we both really hate it
And I said well that’s the one thing we’ve got
Q: Why Is George Soros So Often Featured in Conspiracy Theories?
Soros was made into a conspiracy theory monster by two (Jewish) political consultants: George Eli Birnbaum and Arthur Finkelstein. Longtime Washington insiders and legends among Republicans for helping elect conservative candidates, Birnbaum and Finkelstein were hired by the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, for his re-election campaign. The trick of their trade has been attacking their candidate’s opponent in a series of negative campaign ads. But Orban had no opposition in Hungary. There was nobody to demonize and terrify voters with, to make them run for safety into the arms of Birnbaum and Finkelstein’s candidate, Orban. That’s when they decided to create a monster from scratch. They picked Soros, an apolitical and innocuous Hungarian-born Jew, as the subject of their makeover.
Birnbaum and Finkelstein have since claimed that they didn’t intentionally use anti-Semitism. However, some of their ads drew from the traditional anti-Semitic repertoire, including references to Soros’s double loyalties, claims that he controls governments worldwide, and images of Soros as an octopus wrapping his tentacles around the globe. Tapping into longstanding stereotypes and suspicions, Birnbaum and Finkelstein’s anti-Soros campaign became so successful that it went global, spreading like wildfire through parched forest. The anti-Semitic tropes resonated far and wide:
Finkelstein and Birnbaum had turned Soros into a meme. Right-wing sites like Breitbart, or the Kremlin-controlled Russia Today, could simply adopt the Hungarian campaign, translate it into other languages, and feed it with local arguments. . . . Anti-Soros material is a globalized, freely available, and adaptable open-source weapon.3
Even the son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair Netanyahu, reposted an anti-Semitic image of Soros and reptilians controlling the world.4
Q: Why Do QAnon Conspiracies Talk About Adrenochrome?
The reference to adrenochrome, like much of folQlore, seems to have been inspired by popular culture. Adrenochrome is featured as a satanic narcotic in Hunter Thompson’s book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and in Terry Gilliam’s eponymous film adaptation. Adrenochrome is also referenced in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film A Clockwork Orange as “drenchom.”5 In 2017, yet another Hollywood film relied on the fictional power of adrenochrome, called, fittingly, Adrenochrome. In short, the film industry, using adrenochrome as a go-to fictional evil drug, has brought it into the popular culture. From there, it seeped into the public subconsciousness, creating fertile ground for Q-conspiracy theories.
Q: Why Do So Many Conspiracy Theories Include Bill Gates?
One explanation has to do with how famously rich Bill Gates is––among the richest people on the planet.6 As such, he attracts both attention and envy, prompting imaginative conspiratorial thinkers to “uncover” nefarious ways through which Gates amassed his fortune. But other nouveau riche––Warren Buffett, Sergey Brin, J. K. Rowling––don’t prompt the same creativity from conspiracy theorists. What, then, is special about Bill Gates?
Possibly, it is Gates’s involvement with distributing vaccines (mostly, against malaria) in Africa. Through a version of Pavlovian conditioning, this connection between Gates and vaccinations creates a connection between Gates and feelings of anxiety and suspicion––reactions that many people have toward vaccines. Pairing the idea of Bill Gates with the idea of vaccines results in Bill Gates’s name being imbued with suspicion and anxiety, making him a perfect target for conspiracy theories.
One other reason Bill Gates is featured heavily in the folQlore is a widely circulated 2010 video, in which Bill Gates gave a public presentation and talked about unsustainable population growth on our planet. In the same speech, Gates proposed ways to control population growth through medical treatments, including reproductive medicine.7 This video, poorly understood by those who are not versed in scientific language, likely meta-morphized in the collective mind of QAnon followers into a new vision of Bill Gates, a billionaire who got rich off of “vaccines” he produced in order to reduce world population. Bill Gates didn’t help the confusion when he spoke, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, about future “digital certificates”8 that could help keep track of who had been tested and who had received a future vaccine. The very next day, conspiracy theories sprung up online about microchips that would be injected with COVID-19 vaccine, and the rest was history.
There are (at least) three reasons: (1) Trump presented as the antithesis to “the system”; (2) Trump presented as the traditional gender role model; (3) Trump was the Conspiracist in Chief.
(1) Trump presented as the antithesis to “the system.” Americans who felt cheated by the system were inspired by Trump, who snubs the system and gets away with it. He was a businessman who used bankruptcy laws to benefit himself. He had multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him that never resulted in a trial. As a politician, Trump has disregarded political norms by defying procedures and ignoring precedent. Trump’s middle finger to the system embodied the bitterness many of his supporters felt at the system that failed to abide by the norms while enforcing them on “the little guy.”
(2) Trump presented as the traditional gender role model. Especially for men who felt insecure in their masculinity, Trump presented as the archetypal manly man:9 multiple children with multiple wives, not to mention strippers and hookers; chauvinistic talk to convey his low opinion of women’s value. Women who supported Trump tended to be more sexist and more racist.10 To Republican, white women, therefore, Trump appealed as a rich, tall, and blonde Prince Charming who would Make America Great Again by restoring the golden era of their mothers’ youth, where men were breadwinners and women homemakers, safe from Black and Brown people.
(3) Trump was the Conspiracist in Chief. Trump’s ascent to political power began with him touting a conspiracy theory: that Barack Obama was not born in the United States of America and thus was ineligible to become president (birtherism). This combined racism and conspiratorial thinking characterized many Trump-supporting women.11Trump’s love for conspiracies in the media and on the campaign trail has earned him the title “conspiracy theorist in chief.”12
Q: Why Is Trump the Savior for QAnon Not Just in the United States but Also in Other Countries—the UK, France, Germany, etc.?
QAnon spins “narratives without borders”—the cabal is global, Soros is a Hungarian Jew, Bill Gates wants to reduce population through vaccines all over the “flat earth.” For a French or a Russian citizen concerned about the global network of pedophiles, someone who would take it down is a welcome hero, no matter where they come from. And Trump is not an unknown underdog: Hotels advertising Trump’s name pierce the sky in Istanbul and Manilla, Panama City and Toronto, and Trump golf courses sprawl over fields in Ireland, Scotland, and Dubai. This international presence of Trump businesses assures QAnon’s international followers of Trump’s reach and resources.
It is also possible that Trump became a viral “heroic” figure in the folQlore in the same way that Soros became a viral “demonic” figure—with the help of some clever marketing consultants. Many creatives have been applying their talents to boost Trump’s appeal, employed by his election campaigns or as private citizens-turned-vigilante fans. Those who wanted Trump to win elections would have benefited greatly from Trump taking on a savior quality. Therefore, it stands to reason that they would have boosted QAnon content of superhero Trump, if not outright creating it. With solid evidence of Russia amplifying QAnon’s messages, it’s also very likely the Russian troll factories would have translated and transmitted the Trump-as-savior narratives around the world.
Q: Republicans Have Also Been Entangled in Sex Scandals. Why Is QAnon’s Outrage Directed at Democrats?
QAnon is comprised mostly of Republican voters. Their bias against Democratic politicians means they hold bigger grudges against Democratic politicians than against Republican ones involved in sex scandals.
Additionally, Republicans who are implicated in violating sexual norms don’t achieve the same notoriety as their Democratic colleagues. When they get caught in sexual misconduct, Republicans don’t seem compelled to go on talk shows to explain themselves, first denying allegations, then admitting them––as Democrats often do. Republicans spare their audience the embarrassment of witnessing their lies and ultimate confessions. As a result, they leave fewer people angry.
It is also possible that the mass media devotes less coverage to Republican sex scandals than it does to Democratic ones, making these Republican scandals less salient in people’s minds.
Q: What’s That About Lasers from Space and Microchips in Vaccines?
Part of QAnon’s appeal is its acknowledgment and reinforcement of people’s mistrust in science. Many people are angry and suspicious—because they have heard real-life stories about unscrupulous pharmaceutical executives charging a fortune for drugs that do more harm than good, or about tech giants who get rich off spying on their clients and selling private information to marketing firms. Instead of ridiculing or talking down to people, QAnon embraces their suspicions and distrust. Stories about lasers from space that cause disasters and about vaccines that would benefit the tech billionaires while violating people’s privacy build on fear and offer an outlet for anger.
Q: What Are QAnon Tropes?
Tropes are narrative elements that are common in storytelling. For example, “enemies into lovers” is a timeless trope that was at the heart of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It was also an integral narrative element in James Cameron’s movie Avatar.
A number of tropes in QAnon’s folQlore have circulated for centuries. One is “a global cabal that steals children and tortures/kills them.” In the olden days, this trope was used to vilify Jews or Roma. In QAnon’s modern retelling, this trope is about the global cabal of powerful politicians and famous celebrities who traffic children in order to torture them, sexually abuse them, and drink their blood.
Another trope is “evil Jews running the world behind the scenes and profiting off gentiles’ misery.” In QAnon’s retelling, this trope is about George Soros (but also about more generic “Jews”) who control the mass media and governments to enable the cabal as well as other atrocities, including 5G networks and the lab-made COVID-19.
A third QAnon trope is “a harmful substance that the powerful are seeking to use on the unsuspecting public.” In the past, this trope targeted women who were then persecuted for witchcraft, or Jews, who were blamed for “black death.” In modern times, QAnon has relied on this trope more than once. First, QAnon claimed that COVID-19 was designed in a lab and used as a bioweapon in order to allow the cabal and the Jews to take over what they haven’t yet taken over. Second, QAnon used this trope to suggest the COVID-19 vaccine would carry a micro-tracking device that would allow Bill Gates to kill and/or trace large numbers of people.
A fourth QAnon trope is “some people are not actually people, but a malevolent mix between a human and something disgusting.” Traditionally, this trope featured vampires, a human-bat hybrid with blood-drinking habits. Taking a modern twist on this classic, QAnon double-dipped into this trope, too––first, by claiming that there are vampires among high-profile politicians and celebrities, and second, by conjuring lizard people, an evil hybrid between humans and lizards.
Q: Where Does #WWG1WGA (Where We Go One We Go All) Come From?
QAnon influencers on social media (like Martin Geddes13) have disseminated the falsehood that “where we go one we go all” (WWG1WGA) is inscribed on the bell on John F. Kennedy’s sailboat. They even have a screenshot. This is blatantly untrue. In fact, the image is a still from the film White Squall (1996), starring Jeff Bridges.
QAnon makes other efforts to connect the conspiracy to the Kennedy family. In addition to this myth, they also allege that Q might be John F. Kennedy Jr. (disinformation promoted by Liz Crokin,14 the right-wing conspiracy theorist whom Marjorie Taylor Greene cites as her inspiration to follow Q). In fact, JFK Jr. died in a plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard on July 16, 1999. QAnon also alleges that JFK Jr. was considering a run for a New York Senate seat and that Hillary Clinton was behind the accident so that she could run for the position.15 There is no evidence that JKF Jr. was planning a political career: He had started a new political magazine, George, and the magazine had just started to make a profit. According to the FolQlore, Kennedy has been hiding in Pittsburgh for the last two decades (as Vincent Fusca) and he’s a Trump supporter. QAnon predicted that JFK Jr. would be Trump’s running mate in the 2020 election. Needless to say, this was another failed prediction.
Q: Isn’t QAnon Just Another Radical Group?
Not really.
With QAnon spread far and wide, it is hard to get good data to represent all of its followers. It seems they are an unusual radical group for several reasons. First, QAnon is different from other U.S. far-right extremist groups because it welcomes women. By contrast, groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, 3 Percenters, and various neo-Nazi groups are male-dominated and misogynistic.
QAnons are also unusually old for a radical group. The average terrorist tends to be in their early 20s. QAnon followers, on the other hand, are in their late 30s and early 40s.16
Additionally, QAnon is a decentralized, “horizontally organized” group—with no leadership hierarchy. Typical radical groups establish a chain of command, and information (propaganda, plans, strategy) flows from top to bottom. But in QAnon, the folQlore can be generated by every group member, with minimal direction from Q or any QAnon super spreader. It is a true grass-roots movement.
Finally, QAnon is unusual among radical groups in its diverse and disjointed ideology. The folQlore is vast and only loosely interrelated. QAnon believers can pick and choose which narratives they believe. As a result, there are subgroups in QAnon who believe in lizard people, but who don’t believe in Pizzagate; or those who believe in space lasers directed by Jews to light California forests on fire, but don’t believe in flat earth. This kind of liberal approach to ideology––“cherry-picking”––would be unacceptable in a typical radical group, where members must embrace the entire spectrum of the group’s ideology.
Q: What Kind of People Believe in QAnon?
As tempting as it might be to view QAnon followers as uneducated or unintelligent,17 there’s no data to support this assumption. Among QAnons cited in this book, there were Harvard graduates and decorated military veterans, small business owners and business executives. Because the number of QAnon followers is so large in the United States (17% of surveyed U.S. adults believe the Q-conspiracy theory about a satanic cabal of pedophiles running the media and government), a good guess is that QAnon is very diverse, including people young and old, rich and poor, highly educated and high school dropouts. What they have in common are not demographic variables but psychological ones.
Anxiety increases conspiratorial thinking.18 Social isolation and loneliness also increase likelihood that a person would believe a conspiracy theory.19 People who are depressed, narcissistic, and detached are especially prone to have a conspiratorial mindset.20 People high on schizotypal personality traits (odd, eccentric, suspicious, and paranoid) and psychopathic traits (manipulative, irresponsible, low on empathy) are more likely to believe conspiracy theories.21 You may notice a trend in these predictive variables: Belief in conspiracy theory seems to go hand in hand with psychological problems.
In fact, mental illness emerged in many first-person accounts of QAnons profiled in this book. Similarly, an overwhelming number (68%) of QAnons implicated in the Capitol riot had diagnosed mental problems.22 During the COVID-19 pandemic, loneliness, depression, and anxiety increased for almost everyone, and in doing so, this spurred rapid growth of the QAnon following.23
Q: How Do We Deradicalize QAnons?
We shouldn’t attempt it.
Radicalization comes in two varieties: radicalization in action and radicalization in opinion. Radicalization in action means breaking the law and/or engaging in political violence. By contrast, radicalization in opinion means supporting illegal/violent political action but not necessarily acting on it. Out of millions who believe Q-conspiracy theories, only a few dozen individuals have ever done anything illegal or violent. These individuals are subjects of police investigations and legal action. For the rest of QAnon believers, radicalization begins and ends inside their head. Research has consistently found that trying to clamp down on radical ideas is counterproductive.24 It creates grievances that can, over time, actually increase radicalization. In the United States, attempts to deradicalize opinions would also run into constitutional challenges, as the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. Thus, deradicalization of QAnons is likely to be counterproductive and logistically difficult.
Conspiracy theories can sound crazy and dangerous. But our own confusion and apprehension of conspiracy talk is not a good reason to isolate, persecute, and further radicalize those who believe in them.
A more fruitful approach would address the sociocultural problems that created a vulnerability to QAnon among millions of Americans and would offer psychological and material support to reduce this vulnerability. Increasing government transparency, reforming healthcare, providing childcare and equal work opportunities for women—these steps would make people more resilient to the allure of conspiracy theories. Given the high prevalence of mental illness among QAnon followers who agreed to be interviewed, and among those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, it seems the best strategy to address their radical opinions would be to offer counseling and therapy.
Q: If QAnon Are, for the Most Part, Not Dangerous to the Public, Then Why Should We Worry About Them?
After January 6, 2021, failed to bring “the Storm” and fulfill “the plan,” many QAnons became Doubters, seeking comfort and guidance online. Right-wing radical groups saw this as a recruitment opportunity. With QAnon vulnerable, dangerous and violent groups, such as neo-Nazis and Proud Boys, positioned themselves to bring these lost sheep into their ranks. So, although QAnon “membership” didn’t pose a sizable threat, when QAnon prophecies failed, followers became marks for radicalization into much more dangerous groups. Because conspiracy theories spun by QAnon are not true, its followers will likely face reality checks in the future, every time creating an opportunity for their recruitment and radicalization to violent groups lurking online. With QAnon followers numbering in the millions, this risk is too high to leave the QAnon problem unattended.
Another risk presented by QAnon is the spread of misinformation that can influence behavior of people outside QAnon. Facebook conducted a massive study of its users and discovered that a relatively small number of accounts associated with QAnon spread messages that promoted hesitancy about COVID-19 vaccines.25 Although this content is not prohibited by Facebook and cannot be sanctioned, it is nonetheless capable of causing harm. For example, if QAnon influencers’ Facebook content can stop their Facebook followers from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, a number of these followers can get infected with the virus and might even die as a result. This avoidable harm would have been the result of the disinformation spread by QAnon accounts.
To mitigate these risks, we proposed several measures in Chapter 4, including enhancing social media filters, changing content-recommending algorithms, and offering treatments to willing Doubters.
Q: My Loved One Is a Defector. How Can I Help Them?
Life after QAnon can be difficult: Many relationships are damaged or lost, and the emotional trauma of having been misled and manipulated is haunting. The most important role you can play is that of a supportive and nonjudgmental presence. Social isolation is the reason that many people turned to QAnon in the first place. Now that they are out, they need a social network outside QAnon in order to begin rebuilding their life. The best chance for successful recovery is to take advantage of the resources laid out in Chapter 4: cognitive therapy, mindfulness training, volunteering, and engagement with support groups. However, keep in mind that your loved one has to arrive at the realization that they need these resources by themselves. Nobody can be helped by therapy unless they want to be helped. As the joke goes, “It takes only one psychologist to change a lightbulb, but the lightbulb has to WANT to be changed.”
Q: My Loved One Is a Diehard, Deep into QAnon. How Can I Help Them?
Avoid directly challenging them or arguing––that would actually strengthen their beliefs. Instead, practice empathetic listening while communicating with your loved one.
A helpful thing to say is, “I understand how you feel.” Saying this doesn’t mean you agree with the Diehard’s beliefs. You don’t have to believe in a satanic cannibalistic cabal to understand that someone who does would be scared. You don’t need to agree with the Diehard’s belief in Donald Trump’s ability to save us all to understand the Diehard’s need to hope. You can relate to your loved one on the emotional plane, leaving the cognitive plane aside for the time being. Research shows that validating someone’s feeling by simply saying “I understand why you feel this way” decreases their negative emotions and increases their positive affect.26
If and when your loved one asks for help, suggest online resources for people who have left QAnon, such as r/Qult_Headquarters or r/ReQuovery on Reddit or sites like IGotOut (https://www.igotout.org). The former cult member-turned therapist, Steve Hassan, created a website that has a variety of helpful resources: https://freedomofmind.com.
Having a loved one deeply entrenched in an unhealthy mindset can be very difficult for you. Maybe you feel responsible for them and feel guilty for not doing enough to get them out. Maybe you feel angry. Maybe you feel sad for your relationship, damaged by their QAnon addiction. All of these difficult emotions take a toll on your own quality of life, on your other relationships, and on your ability to make good choices for yourself. If your loved one is deep in QAnon, we suggest mindfulness training for yourself, such as MBSR training summarized in Chapter 4. Mindfulness can help with stress, difficult emotions, and negative thoughts.
Q: My Loved One Is a Doubter. How Can I Help Them?
Don’t argue with a Doubter about QAnon conspiracies. You might turn them into a Diehard by doing so. Don’t ostracize them for their beliefs, and don’t make fun of them. Isolation is likely to propel a Doubter into the QAnon community where they would feel welcome.
Instead, socialize with the Doubter, if you can. Your company and acceptance can be the only human contact in their lives, a lifeline to sanity and a reality check. Invite them for a walk in nature. Recent research discovered that nature can offer the kind of awe that QAnons experienced while “connecting the dots.” What’s more, in experimental studies, people who experienced awe from being in nature became less radical in their political views.27 A simple walk in the park might be the tiny shift needed for a Doubter to be open to a change in their views. Wait for the Doubter to ask questions. Rather than asserting your opinion, question theirs.
Tread lightly.
“How do you know?” is a useful question. “How do you know Trump is fighting against the cabal?” “How do you know Q is not misleading you on purpose?” “How do you know what Q says is true when so many previous drops were lies?” It’s best to quit when they pause at your question. Give them a moment, and, if the answer is not forthcoming, it’s your clue that you planted the seed of reason. Change the subject and move on. With any luck, the Doubter will germinate the seed and connect the dots into a more realistic worldview.
Q: Why Is Q So Popular in the United States?
Americans are more physically isolated than, for example, Europeans, and they are lonelier. Social isolation and loneliness make more Americans resort to social media, as compared to Europeans, and that makes Americans more likely to encounter Q-conspiracy theories. In addition, many Americans feel disillusioned with the government and suspicious of political and cultural elites. For that reason, they are more accepting of stories about behind-the-scenes shenanigans featuring these powerful players. Finally, Americans are less cynical about online content and are less likely to suspect malfeasance in stories they read on social media, because the United States does not teach Internet literacy and critical thinking as part of its school curriculum, as many European countries do. All of these factors make Americans a lot more likely to engage with fake stories online, and, click by click, to become consumed by QAnon content.
Q: How Can Someone Spewing QAnon Conspiracies, Like Marjorie Taylor Greene or Lauren Boebert, Be Elected to Congress?
While it’s tempting to view these politicians as an aberration, they represent a long tradition of radical right women in U.S. politics. In the Jim Crow era, most white women in the south were against integration and racial equality.28 More recently, Sarah Palin embodied the kind of feminized fascism: “aw shucks” folksiness and overt ignorance masking ruthless political instincts. Sarah Palin’s supporters helped elect Donald Trump. They are now cheering on this political legacy in the celebrity of Greene and Boebert.
The mass media and old school political circles have dismissed Palin, Trump, Greene, and Boebert as ridiculous—to our peril. These performance politicians’ popularity points to a strong demand for the qualities they flaunt: racism, anti-Semitism, and disdain for science and democracy. Their apparent weaknesses are decoys, used to destruct the outsiders while they dog whistle to their loyal base, rousing support and amassing donations. As long as the mainstream media remains fooled by these wolves in sheep’s clothing, they have the upper hand.
It’s not an accident Greene and Boebert were elected. It’s a reflection of a deeply fractured society. In the 2020 election cycle, there were more than two dozen QAnon-supporting candidates to Congress.29 Greene and Boebert’s success stories will encourage others like them to seek public office. Without a concerted effort to heal the fault lines that separate Americans who see QAnon as ridiculous from Americans who see them as righteous, the number of U.S. politicians taking advantage of this cultural rift will continue to increase.
In fact, QAnon has spread around the world, with a documented following on every continent. In Europe, QAnon followings have been gaining ground in France and Germany;30 in Poland31 and Hungary;32 in Russia;33 Finland,34 and the Netherlands;35 in Portugal,36 Italy,37 and Spain;38 in Serbia and Croatia;39 in Ukraine and in Romania.40 In Asia, QAnon followings have been growing in Japan,41 Kazakhstan,42 and Pakistan.43 In Africa, QAnon has a significant presence in South Africa,44 Algeria, and Egypt. In North America, QAnon has followings in the United States and Canada.45 In Australia and New Zealand,46 QAnon groups have been active online. QAnon is also in Latin America: in Costa Rica, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil, and Uruguay.47
QAnon Qontagion is spreading.