QAnon
Bias Present
QAnon, also known as Q, is a far-right conspiracy theory that states that a secret, Satan-worshipping cabal is attempting to brainwash the citizens of the United States. Supporters of Q have accused actors, activists, politicians, and prominent media figures of adhering to this secret cabal. The accused range from former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to actor Tom Hanks. Qanon believers also claim that former President Donald Trump is attempting to wage a war against these Satan-worshipping pedophiles. Many believe that a day of reckoning is coming when members of the satanic cult will be publicly executed.
QAnon started in October of 2017, when an anonymous account known as the “Q Clearance Patriot” posted messages on the popular and notoriously toxic message board called 4chan. The account claimed to be run by a high-ranking government official with access to classified information about Trump's war against the cabal. These messages, called “breadcrumbs”, were often written in cryptic or misleading language. Pro-Trump themes were almost always present in the posts. The Q Clearance Patriot predicted that the war between members of the far-right and the satanic pedophiles would culminate in “The Storm”. This referred to a time in the near future when Trump would unmask the cabal, punish its members for their crimes, and restore America to its former glory and greatness. Since the conspiracy theory started gaining traction, 4chan has removed and censored many Q-supporting posts. Other popular social media sites, including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, have also censored QAnon’s presence on the basis of misinformation and violence. Twitter stated that it took action against QAnon for “offline harm”.
A photo of Donald Trump, who is depicted as a warrior against the “elite” in Qanon.
Social media exacerbates the magnitude of the theory. Many are able to prove their far-fetched theories by reading into posts made by prominent government officials such as former president Donald Trump. By reading between the lines, they are able to find hidden meanings that may not actually exist. In addition, the conspiracy theory’s popularity has not been diminished by contradictory events. For example, many claimed that special prosecutor Robert Mueller's inquiry into the Russian interference in the 2016 US election was an elaborate cover story for an investigation into the pedophilic cabal. Followers of Q have made the theory impossible to disprove because of their adamance that the media purposefully perpetuates misinformation.
Polling indicates that there are millions of people who believe in QAnon’s bizarre theories. Although one might think that the theories might simmer down after the end of Trump’s presidential term, QAnon is as active as ever. The reason for this lies in the fact that QAnon is a crowdsourced theory. It doesn’t follow any particular leader; it’s self-generated. The followers of Q decide what lines of reasoning they are most comfortable with, and they construct their theories around them. QAnon does not derive theories from facts. Instead, they extrapolate information from sources and apply them to their lines of reasoning. As a result, there are multiple statements and claims coming from all directions. This makes the conspiracy theory harder to dismantle and disprove.
All in all, QAnon has targeted numerous media organizations and prominent public figures and accused them of pedophilia and satanic beliefs. Will the day of reckoning come? We have yet to find out.
IMAGES:
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/business/donald-trump-coke-boycott/index.html
