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QAnon - Salaliittokultin ytimessä
Vaarallisen salaliittokultin nousu
Will Sommerin ajankohtainen tietokirja QAnon kertoo salaliittokultista, joka olisi teorioidensa outoudessa koominen, ellei se olisi samalla niin uhkaava ja väkivaltainen
Lokakuussa 2017 Q-nimimerkkiä käyttänyt henkilö kirjoitti amerikkalaiseen keskustelusivustoon tekstin, josta sai alkunsa maailmanlaajuinen salaliittoteoreetikkojen verkko. Q väitti olevansa Yhdysvaltain keskushallinnon työntekijä, joka halusi paljastaa Yhdysvaltoja uhkaavan, pääasiassa demokraateista koostuvan salaliiton. Hänen mukaansa se harrasti saatananpalvontaa, pedofiliaa ja kannibalismia. Q:n mukaan ainoastaan Donald Trump kykeni vastustamaan salaliittoa.
Donald Trump tuki QAnonia jakamalla heidän twiittejään ja kehumalla salaliittolaisia julkisesti. Niinpä QAnon-liike kasvoi, ja kesällä 2020 tehdyn tutkimuksen mukaan noin seitsemän prosenttia amerikkalaisista uskoi heidän väitteisiinsä, myös moni republikaanipoliitikko. Suuren julkisuuden myötä QAnon on saanut Suomestakin kannattajia.
Toimittaja Will Sommer on seurannut QAnon-liikettä sen alkuvaiheista asti ja ollut itsekin salaliittolaisten maalituksen kohteena. Tätä teosta varten Sommer on haastatellut liikkeen kannattajia ja heidän lähipiiriään. Tuloksena on hyytävä kuvaus siitä, mihin salaliittoteoria yhdistettynä populismiin ja sosiaaliseen mediaan voi johtaa.
Will Sommerin ajankohtainen tietokirja QAnon kertoo salaliittokultista, joka olisi teorioidensa outoudessa koominen, ellei se olisi samalla niin uhkaava ja väkivaltainen
Lokakuussa 2017 Q-nimimerkkiä käyttänyt henkilö kirjoitti amerikkalaiseen keskustelusivustoon tekstin, josta sai alkunsa maailmanlaajuinen salaliittoteoreetikkojen verkko. Q väitti olevansa Yhdysvaltain keskushallinnon työntekijä, joka halusi paljastaa Yhdysvaltoja uhkaavan, pääasiassa demokraateista koostuvan salaliiton. Hänen mukaansa se harrasti saatananpalvontaa, pedofiliaa ja kannibalismia. Q:n mukaan ainoastaan Donald Trump kykeni vastustamaan salaliittoa.
Donald Trump tuki QAnonia jakamalla heidän twiittejään ja kehumalla salaliittolaisia julkisesti. Niinpä QAnon-liike kasvoi, ja kesällä 2020 tehdyn tutkimuksen mukaan noin seitsemän prosenttia amerikkalaisista uskoi heidän väitteisiinsä, myös moni republikaanipoliitikko. Suuren julkisuuden myötä QAnon on saanut Suomestakin kannattajia.
Toimittaja Will Sommer on seurannut QAnon-liikettä sen alkuvaiheista asti ja ollut itsekin salaliittolaisten maalituksen kohteena. Tätä teosta varten Sommer on haastatellut liikkeen kannattajia ja heidän lähipiiriään. Tuloksena on hyytävä kuvaus siitä, mihin salaliittoteoria yhdistettynä populismiin ja sosiaaliseen mediaan voi johtaa.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2023
350 people are currently reading
8914 people want to read
About the author
Will Sommer
3 books10 followersWill Sommer is a political reporter for The Bulwark. Previously he worked for the Daily Beast.
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April 13, 2023
“People say they’re into all kinds of bad things and say all kinds of terrible things about them. But, you know, my understanding is they basically are just people who want good government.” —-former President Donald Trump, on followers of QAnon
If QAnon doesn’t scare the shit out of you, you have either been living in a cave for the past six years or you have fallen down the QAnon rabbit-hole yourself. The fact that idiots like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert are in positions of power within our government should terrify any rational-minded person.
And don’t be fooled by your friends and relatives who are playing the whole “What’s QAnon?” game, after years of trying to convert you into believing that a cabal of Democrats and Hollywood types (Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg among them) have secretly been running a pedophilic child-trafficking ring in the nonexistent basements of pizza parlors where they engage in Satanic ritualistic rape and murder of children and then extract the chemical adrenochrome from their bodies to use as an elixir of youth. They may not use the terms “QAnon” or “Q” but they probably still believe the bat-shit beliefs. (https://www.prri.org/press-release/ne...)
Will Sommer—-whom I am surprised is both still alive and sane—-has been following Q since the first official Q post on 4chan in October 2017, which alerted everybody to the impending arrest of Hillary Clinton. Her arrest never happened, of course, but 4chan users were somehow still impressed by this mysterious “Q”, who was either an intelligence expert working secretly within the Trump administration or a fat teenager in a wheelchair in his mom’s basement posting made-up shit just to get a rise out of people. Nobody knows. It doesn’t matter, though, because Q immediately picked up followers and believers.
Sommer writes about the phenomenon of QAnon in his frightening book “Trust the Plan”, which succinctly asks the question “How far will lonely, socially-awkward idiots that are so gullible as to believe the most ridiculous conspiracy theories out there actually go?” The answer, of course, is the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in the hopes of overturning the government to keep Trump president.
QAnon gets its roots, according to Sommer, from several age-old beliefs. One is millenarianism, a belief from early Christians that all of the world’s problems—-corruption, illness, pedophelia, homosexuality, pronoun abuse, BLM, Judy Blume, the Muppets—-will be destroyed once and for all when Jesus comes back on Judgment Day, which is supposed to happen at the millennium. (In lieu of Jesus, an orange-faced obese New York businessman will do.)
Another belief rooted in QAnon is left over from the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, which was the widespread belief that schools, day-care facilities, and babysitters around the country were engaging in Satanic rituals in which children were molested, tortured, murdered, and—-in worst-case scenarios—-eaten. The Satanic Panic was, itself, rooted in the ancient anti-Semitic “blood libel” conspiracies, which was the belief that Jews routinely kidnapped, murdered, and drank the blood of children.
All of this perfect storm of awfulness came to a head when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The shutdown happened and people were now stuck at home with very little to do other than go on the Internet. It didn’t help that the pandemic happened the same year as one of the most contentious and controversial election years in U.S. history. It also didn’t help that the Idiot-in-chief was not only at the center of QAnon (QAnon loved Trump, believing him to be a messianic figure that would bring about a new world order) but did nothing to dissuade the crazies from promulgating their crazy conspiracies. Why would he do that, since he was promulgating his own crazy conspiracies?
Of course, now we are hearing that FOX News helped to boost some of the crazy beliefs that QAnon believed, not because they actually believed them (Tucker Carlson has intimated that QAnon isn’t even real and yet still manages to spout the same drivel that QAnoners spout. (https://www.thewrap.com/tucker-carlso...)) but because to say they didn’t believe them would turn away viewers. In other words, FOX News is admitting to spreading lies just to get ratings. Not really a complete shocker to those of us who have been saying that for the last decade.
QAnon is damned scary, no matter how you look at it. To anybody who has had to deal with family members who have fallen down that rabbit-hole, it’s a real problem. And even doctors and psychologists are stymied. QAnon acts like a cult, but it’s far more difficult to “deprogram” a QAnoner simply because there is no actual leader or any actual ideology.
Sommer’s book is worth a read if you are confused or angry about QAnon. It may help to understand that idiot co-worker who claimed that Covid-19 was a “plandemic” created by Bill Gates and Barack Obama back in 2012 as a way to sell masks so that the pedophile Democrats can hide their identities when they come to kidnap and eat your children. (Based on an actual conversation...)
If QAnon doesn’t scare the shit out of you, you have either been living in a cave for the past six years or you have fallen down the QAnon rabbit-hole yourself. The fact that idiots like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert are in positions of power within our government should terrify any rational-minded person.
And don’t be fooled by your friends and relatives who are playing the whole “What’s QAnon?” game, after years of trying to convert you into believing that a cabal of Democrats and Hollywood types (Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg among them) have secretly been running a pedophilic child-trafficking ring in the nonexistent basements of pizza parlors where they engage in Satanic ritualistic rape and murder of children and then extract the chemical adrenochrome from their bodies to use as an elixir of youth. They may not use the terms “QAnon” or “Q” but they probably still believe the bat-shit beliefs. (https://www.prri.org/press-release/ne...)
Will Sommer—-whom I am surprised is both still alive and sane—-has been following Q since the first official Q post on 4chan in October 2017, which alerted everybody to the impending arrest of Hillary Clinton. Her arrest never happened, of course, but 4chan users were somehow still impressed by this mysterious “Q”, who was either an intelligence expert working secretly within the Trump administration or a fat teenager in a wheelchair in his mom’s basement posting made-up shit just to get a rise out of people. Nobody knows. It doesn’t matter, though, because Q immediately picked up followers and believers.
Sommer writes about the phenomenon of QAnon in his frightening book “Trust the Plan”, which succinctly asks the question “How far will lonely, socially-awkward idiots that are so gullible as to believe the most ridiculous conspiracy theories out there actually go?” The answer, of course, is the Capitol on January 6, 2021, in the hopes of overturning the government to keep Trump president.
QAnon gets its roots, according to Sommer, from several age-old beliefs. One is millenarianism, a belief from early Christians that all of the world’s problems—-corruption, illness, pedophelia, homosexuality, pronoun abuse, BLM, Judy Blume, the Muppets—-will be destroyed once and for all when Jesus comes back on Judgment Day, which is supposed to happen at the millennium. (In lieu of Jesus, an orange-faced obese New York businessman will do.)
Another belief rooted in QAnon is left over from the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, which was the widespread belief that schools, day-care facilities, and babysitters around the country were engaging in Satanic rituals in which children were molested, tortured, murdered, and—-in worst-case scenarios—-eaten. The Satanic Panic was, itself, rooted in the ancient anti-Semitic “blood libel” conspiracies, which was the belief that Jews routinely kidnapped, murdered, and drank the blood of children.
All of this perfect storm of awfulness came to a head when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. The shutdown happened and people were now stuck at home with very little to do other than go on the Internet. It didn’t help that the pandemic happened the same year as one of the most contentious and controversial election years in U.S. history. It also didn’t help that the Idiot-in-chief was not only at the center of QAnon (QAnon loved Trump, believing him to be a messianic figure that would bring about a new world order) but did nothing to dissuade the crazies from promulgating their crazy conspiracies. Why would he do that, since he was promulgating his own crazy conspiracies?
Of course, now we are hearing that FOX News helped to boost some of the crazy beliefs that QAnon believed, not because they actually believed them (Tucker Carlson has intimated that QAnon isn’t even real and yet still manages to spout the same drivel that QAnoners spout. (https://www.thewrap.com/tucker-carlso...)) but because to say they didn’t believe them would turn away viewers. In other words, FOX News is admitting to spreading lies just to get ratings. Not really a complete shocker to those of us who have been saying that for the last decade.
QAnon is damned scary, no matter how you look at it. To anybody who has had to deal with family members who have fallen down that rabbit-hole, it’s a real problem. And even doctors and psychologists are stymied. QAnon acts like a cult, but it’s far more difficult to “deprogram” a QAnoner simply because there is no actual leader or any actual ideology.
Sommer’s book is worth a read if you are confused or angry about QAnon. It may help to understand that idiot co-worker who claimed that Covid-19 was a “plandemic” created by Bill Gates and Barack Obama back in 2012 as a way to sell masks so that the pedophile Democrats can hide their identities when they come to kidnap and eat your children. (Based on an actual conversation...)
April 19, 2023
Adrenochrome:
A chemical compound produced by exposing adrenaline (epinephrine) to oxygen.
Most of us accept this. Many QAnon followers, however, dismiss this scientific fact and instead believe that "adrenochrome can only be found in the brains of children who have been sexually tortured in Satanic rituals."
They further believe that adrenochrome is the until-now elusive fountain of youth and is sought after by bankers, political elites (scary liberals and smart people), and Hollywood stars to keep them young. They have created and run an international child sex trafficking ring to supply them with everlasting youth serum and keep their wrinkles at bay.
(I'm a little confused why celebrities bother getting face lifts and Botox injections when they have this wonder drug at their disposal.)
As Will Sommer explains in this book, "At its heart, QAnon has a simple message: the world is run by a cabal of Satanic cannibal-pedophiles from the ranks of the Democratic Party, Hollywood, and global finance who sexually abuse children and even drink their blood in rituals."
Sommer traces the history of QAnon and many of the beliefs held by its followers. He explores the need many people have to believe in conspiracy theories, to accept as truth things that boggles the minds of the rest of us.
It is an interesting book and I learned a lot about QAnon - I only had a fuzzy idea of what it was about before reading this book.
I was shocked and abhorred by many of their beliefs, even though I already knew about Pizzagate and some of the other "alternative facts" held by members.
I didn't realize that some liberals are now joining their ranks, and I also didn't know how widespread it is throughout the world. I thought Q's followers were mainly United Statians. Instead, groups are found on five continents and in many countries.
"Germany has roughly 200,000 QAnon devotees active in online groups, making it the largest non-English QAnon community."
There are many other conspiracy theories believed by QAnon members besides the cabal of satanic cannibal-pedophiles . These include:
∙Mask mandates were not to protect people from the SARS-CoV-2 virus but to prevent kidnapped children from asking strangers for help. (I guess they could only move their mouths and not actually speak out loud?)
∙John F. Kennedy is alive and in hiding. He will soon return like a Messiah and be trump's vice-president.
∙trump owns medical technology that will cure any and every disease but the evil elites are preventing him from sharing it with the world.
∙The massive snow storm that killed hundreds and knocked out power to nearly 10 million people in the state of Texas in 2021 was created by a snow machine to punish Texans for being a red state.
I could go on but you get the idea. If you'd like to learn more, Trust the Plan is well worth reading.
A chemical compound produced by exposing adrenaline (epinephrine) to oxygen.
Most of us accept this. Many QAnon followers, however, dismiss this scientific fact and instead believe that "adrenochrome can only be found in the brains of children who have been sexually tortured in Satanic rituals."
They further believe that adrenochrome is the until-now elusive fountain of youth and is sought after by bankers, political elites (scary liberals and smart people), and Hollywood stars to keep them young. They have created and run an international child sex trafficking ring to supply them with everlasting youth serum and keep their wrinkles at bay.
(I'm a little confused why celebrities bother getting face lifts and Botox injections when they have this wonder drug at their disposal.)
As Will Sommer explains in this book, "At its heart, QAnon has a simple message: the world is run by a cabal of Satanic cannibal-pedophiles from the ranks of the Democratic Party, Hollywood, and global finance who sexually abuse children and even drink their blood in rituals."
Sommer traces the history of QAnon and many of the beliefs held by its followers. He explores the need many people have to believe in conspiracy theories, to accept as truth things that boggles the minds of the rest of us.
It is an interesting book and I learned a lot about QAnon - I only had a fuzzy idea of what it was about before reading this book.
I was shocked and abhorred by many of their beliefs, even though I already knew about Pizzagate and some of the other "alternative facts" held by members.
I didn't realize that some liberals are now joining their ranks, and I also didn't know how widespread it is throughout the world. I thought Q's followers were mainly United Statians. Instead, groups are found on five continents and in many countries.
"Germany has roughly 200,000 QAnon devotees active in online groups, making it the largest non-English QAnon community."
There are many other conspiracy theories believed by QAnon members besides the cabal of satanic cannibal-pedophiles . These include:
∙Mask mandates were not to protect people from the SARS-CoV-2 virus but to prevent kidnapped children from asking strangers for help. (I guess they could only move their mouths and not actually speak out loud?)
∙John F. Kennedy is alive and in hiding. He will soon return like a Messiah and be trump's vice-president.
∙trump owns medical technology that will cure any and every disease but the evil elites are preventing him from sharing it with the world.
∙The massive snow storm that killed hundreds and knocked out power to nearly 10 million people in the state of Texas in 2021 was created by a snow machine to punish Texans for being a red state.
I could go on but you get the idea. If you'd like to learn more, Trust the Plan is well worth reading.
February 17, 2023
As someone who loves learning about cults, conspiracy theories, and mass delusions in general, I thought this was a great breakdown of the proliferation of Qanon and the long-term effects on American politics. This is a great read for anyone affected by loved ones consumed by something that seemed so ridiculous and dangerous.
February 22, 2023
Not the definitive account I'd hoped for. Ultimately reads like cobbled together articles from the Daily Beast, which of course, it is. While Sommer does cite some interesting studies and input from authorities on conspiracy, the book is too pedestrian and breezy for such a massive topic. Only toward the end does Sommer begin to drink deep of the madness, recounting the pathetic ballad of "Baby Q". Needed more deep cuts like that. QAnon is a plot that's been marinating for millions of man-hours in some of the dankest depths of the internet. Weirdness beyond what makes it into the New York Times on a regular basis barely bubbles to the surface in this accounting. Casual enthusiasts of the conspiracy won't find much here they didn't already skim elsewhere.
(Sommer does include some thoughtful and well-reported personal accounts of QAnon victims--the family members of Q acoyltes. I enjoyed reading these, but again, was left hoping for a bit more)
(Sommer does include some thoughtful and well-reported personal accounts of QAnon victims--the family members of Q acoyltes. I enjoyed reading these, but again, was left hoping for a bit more)
July 12, 2023
On Sunday I listened to a podcast about Social Media misinformation called Offline its from Crooked Media and the author of this book was was interviewed. Later on that same day I watched a video on YouTube from The Daily Show called Fingers the Conspiracy its hosted by Jordan Klepper about the rise of QAnon and once again this author was interviewed. So I obviously felt that the universe wanted me to read this so on Monday I went and picked it up. I basically read it in one day and I couldn't put it down.
QAnon is a conspiracy theory that states that Democrats, Hollywood elites, and other powerful people are kidnapping children sexual assaulting them, torturing them and killing them to obtain their adrenochrome to stay young. This is obviously crazy and yet a staggering number of people believe it. QAnon also believes that Donald Trump is the only person who can stop these evil elites. It started out the Right wing message board 4chan when a mysterious person going only by the Q started saying that "The storm was coming" meaning Hillary Clinton would soon be arrested...this was back in 2017...spoiler alert Hillary Clinton has still not been arrested.
Trust The Plan investigates the origins of Q, who Q might be and how exactly it got so influential...another spoiler alert...it was Facebook, YouTube and Twitter's fault, along with the feckless Republican party. It maybe funny to listen to the completely unhinged rantings on Q followers but we really should take them seriously. In multiple states they have taken over the Republican party and although they may not call themselves QAnon, the people behind the national book bans are all getting their talking points from QAnon. The hell the Trans and Drag communities are going through with the groomer accusations are all out of the playbook.
As someone who is fascinated by cults, I find it interesting that seemingly normal and intelligent people have fallen into the Q trap. I'm not concerned about myself but my sister does worry me. She believes in "Ancient Aliens" and I fear that her gullible nature will lead her down the Q street. I do my best to try to explain rational reasons for why some things on the internet are crazy. So far so good but I still worry. I like alot of people was first introduced to QAnon during the early days of Covid, luckily I just found it stupid and funny but from reading this book I learned that many more people fell for it hook line and sinker.
As I stated before I'm very interested in cults and I'm hoping to read more about some of the biggies The Branch Davidians, Manson, and Jonestown in the near future. And possibly some more QAnon since despite the fact most people don't want to be call QAnon they are still spreading the message and they aren't going anywhere.
A must read for anyone who is interested in cults and politics.
QAnon is a conspiracy theory that states that Democrats, Hollywood elites, and other powerful people are kidnapping children sexual assaulting them, torturing them and killing them to obtain their adrenochrome to stay young. This is obviously crazy and yet a staggering number of people believe it. QAnon also believes that Donald Trump is the only person who can stop these evil elites. It started out the Right wing message board 4chan when a mysterious person going only by the Q started saying that "The storm was coming" meaning Hillary Clinton would soon be arrested...this was back in 2017...spoiler alert Hillary Clinton has still not been arrested.
Trust The Plan investigates the origins of Q, who Q might be and how exactly it got so influential...another spoiler alert...it was Facebook, YouTube and Twitter's fault, along with the feckless Republican party. It maybe funny to listen to the completely unhinged rantings on Q followers but we really should take them seriously. In multiple states they have taken over the Republican party and although they may not call themselves QAnon, the people behind the national book bans are all getting their talking points from QAnon. The hell the Trans and Drag communities are going through with the groomer accusations are all out of the playbook.
As someone who is fascinated by cults, I find it interesting that seemingly normal and intelligent people have fallen into the Q trap. I'm not concerned about myself but my sister does worry me. She believes in "Ancient Aliens" and I fear that her gullible nature will lead her down the Q street. I do my best to try to explain rational reasons for why some things on the internet are crazy. So far so good but I still worry. I like alot of people was first introduced to QAnon during the early days of Covid, luckily I just found it stupid and funny but from reading this book I learned that many more people fell for it hook line and sinker.
As I stated before I'm very interested in cults and I'm hoping to read more about some of the biggies The Branch Davidians, Manson, and Jonestown in the near future. And possibly some more QAnon since despite the fact most people don't want to be call QAnon they are still spreading the message and they aren't going anywhere.
A must read for anyone who is interested in cults and politics.
March 20, 2023
Talented writer and good story teller, but isn’t groundbreaking if you’ve been following these stories. Would definitely recommend this as the best option to people not as familiar though
March 13, 2023
Humanity is buck wild
February 25, 2025
Moim zdaniem absolutnie doskonały (przerażający, absurdalny, alarmujący) reportaż. Szczególnie gorzko się go czytało po kolejnej elekcji Trumpa, który w tej książce odgrywa kluczową rolę.
March 5, 2023
Some interesting anecdotes from Wills time on the Q beat that were new to me but otherwise not a ton that was new to me. This is not the fault of this book; I'm just also a crazy person who has been following the machinations of this conspiracy since PizzaGate. I would definitely still recommend this and think it is a great, in-depth exploration of QAnon.
Read
November 22, 2023Very interesting and depressing book (the two are not mutually exclusive apparently). This books tries to explain the origin of the movement as well as the mechanism that helped it thrive (the complacency and enabling from both social media platforms and the GOP). It also investigates its real life very violent consequences and on the American political life. Some people have lost their life savings to this movement (dare I say cult) or have broken the law and so ended up in prison. The only niggles would be the lack of historical perspective through a more systematic comparison to similar collective delusions that have preceded it. I'm not saying that this aspect is fully absent but I wanted more on that front. Other than that it was very informative and I learned a lot.
August 17, 2024
Za każdym razem dziwię się w jaki sposób jest w stanie uwierzyć w takie głupie teorie spiskowe
May 12, 2025
3.5
Nie ma nadziei. Teorie spiskowe, w które jest w stanie uwierzyć wystarczająco duża część społeczeństwa by wywołać problemy nie mają granicy absurdu.
Nie ma nadziei. Teorie spiskowe, w które jest w stanie uwierzyć wystarczająco duża część społeczeństwa by wywołać problemy nie mają granicy absurdu.
May 10, 2023
I am worried.
May 17, 2023
There's a LOT of Qanon stuff out there. From documentaries to movies and think pieces and everything In between. I love this one because it provides a detailed history rather than just 'who is Q'. It discusses its connections with satanic panic and antisemitic conspiracy theories. It addresses the pain that families experience when they lose someone to Q and the damage that it has done to society while also providing a smart history that is sure to educate most readers. I listened to this on audiobook and I really enjoyed it.
March 15, 2025
I don’t know what to say except this was fascinating, highly entertaining, and frightening. These people live in their own reality
June 11, 2023
This is a solid informational survey of the history, current state, and potential future of Qanon, but it didn’t impress me too much as a book.
I’ve had a pretty strong personal fascination with Qanon since 2017, not as a believer, but as someone curious about religion, politics, sociology, and technology. It represents a hypermodern way of conceptualizing religion which, to my knowledge, has no real precedent. It seems to have started as a tongue-in-cheek alternate reality game, only to be accidentally taken seriously by people with limited exposure to the language and function of niche internet memes. Then, it spread via the algorithms of social media, forming a self-replicating kind of ideological singularity in which anyone’s speculation could quickly become canon. It was then coopted by opportunistic bad actors who saw its potential for financial and political grifting. In a matter of a few years, it became one of the dominant belief systems in contemporary American (and, to a lesser extent, global) politics, inspiring legislation, terrorism, and a total structural breakdown of information media. Many of its religious qualities definitely do fit into familiar categories: apocalyptic millennialism, prophecy, devotion to a God-King messiah, an in-group/out-group dichotomy, secret knowledge and lingo, the forcible estrangement of skeptical family and friends, the dehumanization of perceived enemies, etc. But its method of growth and the consequences thereof are utterly fascinating. Qanon thrives at the node of social media disinformation, far-right political radicalization, alternative medicine, social alienation, and existential despair. It has, despite not really having a leader and mutating on its own currents, become so simultaneously mainstreamed and obfuscated that many people believe in its tenets despite not even knowing where they come from or what they imply.
I knew of the author and was looking forward to this book, but I was surprised by its relatively shallow analysis and slightly amateurish writing style. The best parts of the book are the middle chapters, where the author explores zoomed-in human interest stories, specialized facets of the belief system, or major historical shifts in the movement. The introduction and conclusion are both pretty weak, though. The early sections really struggle to get off the ground, with a weird habit of repeating the same point in several sentences in a row, sometimes even with the same words in a different order. It feels like the author put in placeholder sentences so he could choose the best one, then forget to edit them out. Then, after a greatly improved middle of the book, it wraps itself up quickly with a portentous warning and a plea to our government to take this stuff seriously. This is all to say that the book feels like a parade of interesting facts and anecdotes in recent history without much to say about the big picture. It cites, from time to time, sociologists, historians, religious scholars, social media experts, psychologists, and political scientists, but it doesn’t really dive deeply into any of those fields.
I also don’t love the dismissive tone the author sometimes uses when describing believers. He pays lip service to the emotional and social states that drive people towards communities like Qanon, but he also frequently uses words like “weirdo,” “oddball,” “gullible,” and “kook.” This isn’t to say there aren’t some funny aspects of Qanon. The constant stream of prophecies that haven’t come true, for example. And it isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of cynical, amoral scumbags willing to profit off vulnerable believers, consequences be damned. Those people absolutely deserve public contempt. But I believe we all have the capacity to be drawn into a cult, scam, gang, or extremist sect. We just have to be in a fragile place in our lives with a need we can’t fill on our own, and someone has to come along with an offer to join a community of special, uniquely empowered people who will accept us just as we are and validate our contempt for the people we think have wronged us. I think everyone in the world is victimized to some extent by Qanon, but I think the believers are the first in line to be hurt. And I’m not sure this book, as written, shares that perspective.
It's a good resource for the curious, but I think much better books will be written about Qanon in the coming years.
I’ve had a pretty strong personal fascination with Qanon since 2017, not as a believer, but as someone curious about religion, politics, sociology, and technology. It represents a hypermodern way of conceptualizing religion which, to my knowledge, has no real precedent. It seems to have started as a tongue-in-cheek alternate reality game, only to be accidentally taken seriously by people with limited exposure to the language and function of niche internet memes. Then, it spread via the algorithms of social media, forming a self-replicating kind of ideological singularity in which anyone’s speculation could quickly become canon. It was then coopted by opportunistic bad actors who saw its potential for financial and political grifting. In a matter of a few years, it became one of the dominant belief systems in contemporary American (and, to a lesser extent, global) politics, inspiring legislation, terrorism, and a total structural breakdown of information media. Many of its religious qualities definitely do fit into familiar categories: apocalyptic millennialism, prophecy, devotion to a God-King messiah, an in-group/out-group dichotomy, secret knowledge and lingo, the forcible estrangement of skeptical family and friends, the dehumanization of perceived enemies, etc. But its method of growth and the consequences thereof are utterly fascinating. Qanon thrives at the node of social media disinformation, far-right political radicalization, alternative medicine, social alienation, and existential despair. It has, despite not really having a leader and mutating on its own currents, become so simultaneously mainstreamed and obfuscated that many people believe in its tenets despite not even knowing where they come from or what they imply.
I knew of the author and was looking forward to this book, but I was surprised by its relatively shallow analysis and slightly amateurish writing style. The best parts of the book are the middle chapters, where the author explores zoomed-in human interest stories, specialized facets of the belief system, or major historical shifts in the movement. The introduction and conclusion are both pretty weak, though. The early sections really struggle to get off the ground, with a weird habit of repeating the same point in several sentences in a row, sometimes even with the same words in a different order. It feels like the author put in placeholder sentences so he could choose the best one, then forget to edit them out. Then, after a greatly improved middle of the book, it wraps itself up quickly with a portentous warning and a plea to our government to take this stuff seriously. This is all to say that the book feels like a parade of interesting facts and anecdotes in recent history without much to say about the big picture. It cites, from time to time, sociologists, historians, religious scholars, social media experts, psychologists, and political scientists, but it doesn’t really dive deeply into any of those fields.
I also don’t love the dismissive tone the author sometimes uses when describing believers. He pays lip service to the emotional and social states that drive people towards communities like Qanon, but he also frequently uses words like “weirdo,” “oddball,” “gullible,” and “kook.” This isn’t to say there aren’t some funny aspects of Qanon. The constant stream of prophecies that haven’t come true, for example. And it isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of cynical, amoral scumbags willing to profit off vulnerable believers, consequences be damned. Those people absolutely deserve public contempt. But I believe we all have the capacity to be drawn into a cult, scam, gang, or extremist sect. We just have to be in a fragile place in our lives with a need we can’t fill on our own, and someone has to come along with an offer to join a community of special, uniquely empowered people who will accept us just as we are and validate our contempt for the people we think have wronged us. I think everyone in the world is victimized to some extent by Qanon, but I think the believers are the first in line to be hurt. And I’m not sure this book, as written, shares that perspective.
It's a good resource for the curious, but I think much better books will be written about Qanon in the coming years.
March 3, 2023
At this point, I've read several books about Q-Anon in particular, and conspiracy theories in general. And no matter how much I read, I will never understand how so many people can buy in wholeheartedly to ideas that are patently and obviously insane. And yet they do, by the hundreds of thousands.
In his book, Mr. Sommer does a good job covering the foundation, history, and philosophy of the movement, as well as the many mysteries attached. (Who is Q?) He looks at the milestones passed on the way from tin-hat fringe to what today is virtually politically mainstream. He also shares the stories of several individuals who get caught up in the movement, intentionally or often very unintentionally. He talks to broken families. He looks at all sorts of crimes born in Q-Anon. And, always of interest to me, he looks at the antisemitism that is a huge part of their ideology. Because, of course. Ignorance and hate, two great tastes that taste great together.
Sommer, himself, becomes a part of the story, as his reporting gains him infamy and a bit of a target on his back. In the end, he's not really sharing anything new or reinventing the wheel, but when you read this stuff, it's hard to look away. For my money--and I take no pleasure in saying this --this is proof that America is a nation in decline. When you get right down to it, this book is scarier than a Stephen King novel.
In his book, Mr. Sommer does a good job covering the foundation, history, and philosophy of the movement, as well as the many mysteries attached. (Who is Q?) He looks at the milestones passed on the way from tin-hat fringe to what today is virtually politically mainstream. He also shares the stories of several individuals who get caught up in the movement, intentionally or often very unintentionally. He talks to broken families. He looks at all sorts of crimes born in Q-Anon. And, always of interest to me, he looks at the antisemitism that is a huge part of their ideology. Because, of course. Ignorance and hate, two great tastes that taste great together.
Sommer, himself, becomes a part of the story, as his reporting gains him infamy and a bit of a target on his back. In the end, he's not really sharing anything new or reinventing the wheel, but when you read this stuff, it's hard to look away. For my money--and I take no pleasure in saying this --this is proof that America is a nation in decline. When you get right down to it, this book is scarier than a Stephen King novel.
February 26, 2023
This book provides an excellent introduction to, undoubtedly, the strangest political phenomena in our recent very strange times. Indeed, QAnon is so odd that even Robert Lifton who is a battle hardened leading expert on cults and extremist thinking has called out QAnon for the bizarreness of its beliefs.
In this book, Sommer's writing style is highly engaging and the 220 pages breezed by in just a few sittings. Sommer does a good job of balancing between discussing QAnon from the high level, including its historical antecedents and current context (Covid in particular) and giving concrete examples of how it directly impacts those who are taken in and those close to them. Sommer also does a good job of sounding the alarm bells of the danger posed: something he makes a convincing case is highly underestimated.
Sommer describes QAnon as a "big tent" super conspiracy theory, with vague predictions of its own. He credits this “big tent" approach for its success in drawing in such a broad spectrum of a new generation of conspiracy theorists willing to go even farther than Alex Jones. In its manifestation as "Pastel QAnon" Sommer discuses how the #SaveTheChildren movement was able to draw in non-conservatives and even progressives, including even many new-age, hippy, yoga instructor types.
The big tent approach, however, is not without its problems for the movement. For instance, many did not like the non-conservatives that Pastel QAnon drew in. Sommer does an excellent job of detailing other infighting of which there is a great deal. Indeed, he discusses just how dangerous the infighting can be. Since followers of Q are so apt to see "evidence" of the cabal everywhere the infighting frequently degenerates into followers finding evidence that their opponents are, in fact, cabal members themselves. Sommer discusses one case, in particular, which even led to murder.
One of the main themes of this book is that anyone can end up being a target of QAnon. QAnons can stretch, since to them it is no stretch, to find secret codes and read "evidence" into anything. Given the extremity of the beliefs it is not surprising that some should act violently or be waiting for orders (which, of course, are likely to come through "secret codes") to do so. If 15% of the population truly believes that children are being sex trafficked and killed en masse the real surprise is, actually, that there has not been more violence already. (This is likely a consequence of what some describe as QAnon's tendency to make people politically passive thinking Donald Trump and the "white hats" have it all under control as part of “The Plan" with nothing left for Anons to do other than grab the popcorn, watch and be "digital soldiers" online...)
One particularly interesting discussion in the book is how hard it is to dislodge Anons of their beliefs. Indeed, Sommer thinks this just may not be possible if done through outside agents. Anons already see themselves as outsiders and attempts to change their beliefs will likely just be seen as part of the conspiracy thus forcing them to dig in deeper in defiance.
Although the book is an excellent introduction overall, there are some relatively minor problems with it:
1) Sommer underestimates how difficult it would have been for Republicans to reject the QAnon movement early on. Sommer seems to take the word of former Anons that they would have dropped their beliefs if prominent Republicans had disavowed it all. What seems more likely is that they would have just rationalized that such disavowals were insincere and just necessary as a part of The Plan to maintain some kind of "operational security".
Along similar lines, Sommer thinks there would have been just a "temporary" division in the Republican Party if QAnon was later denounced by prominent Republicans. What seems more likely is that Trump would have split and formed his own party without hesitation rather than tolerate such "disloyalty". With the right split, Democrats would likely have swept the House, the Senate and Presidency with large enough majorities to enact some of their own fringe ideas, making division in the country even worse and giving QAnons even more confirmation of their biases. (The current political stalemate may, indeed, be the environment in which QAnon is mostly likely to diffuse to the extent that it can on its own.)
In both cases, Sommer seems to either be playing politics or being naive about how easy dealing with Q would have been: "Oh, Republicans just had to do this early on..."
2) A recent pattern that Sommer follows is to call QAnon anti-semitic because it modifies tropes that have been used by anti-Semites in the past and because QAnon theories do, indeed, have some Jews in their cross hairs. This does not seem like an accurate conclusion since in a world wide cabal you would expect some involved to be Jewish. Jews would have to be particularly focused on for it to be anti-semitic or Anons would have to argue that there is something sinister about Jewish culture that makes them more likely to be part of the cabal. As it stands, it is questionable if Soros is a particularly favorite target because he is Jewish or just because of how high profile and politically active he is. Hilary Clinton is another favorite target, for instance, but not Jewish.
What seems more fair to say is that QAnon does attract anti-Semites and there is a risk that they could take over. Sommer gives example of some current QAnon "thought leaders" trying to do just that. It is, however, not at all clear whether a move by Q to overt anti-semitism would cost or hurt their overall appeal.
3) Finally, it would be nice to see more discussions of the psychology behind it all. There is some discussion of this in Chapter 7 but, unfortunately, the field of what causes attraction of conspiracy theories is rather nascent. Still Sommer could have dived a bit more into what is known about the demographics of QAnon, for instance. (Unfortunately, the answer is that, other than being more likely to be conservative, and slightly more likely to be religious, the demographics do not appear to be that much different from the general population. This includes in areas such as income and education.)
In this book, Sommer's writing style is highly engaging and the 220 pages breezed by in just a few sittings. Sommer does a good job of balancing between discussing QAnon from the high level, including its historical antecedents and current context (Covid in particular) and giving concrete examples of how it directly impacts those who are taken in and those close to them. Sommer also does a good job of sounding the alarm bells of the danger posed: something he makes a convincing case is highly underestimated.
Sommer describes QAnon as a "big tent" super conspiracy theory, with vague predictions of its own. He credits this “big tent" approach for its success in drawing in such a broad spectrum of a new generation of conspiracy theorists willing to go even farther than Alex Jones. In its manifestation as "Pastel QAnon" Sommer discuses how the #SaveTheChildren movement was able to draw in non-conservatives and even progressives, including even many new-age, hippy, yoga instructor types.
The big tent approach, however, is not without its problems for the movement. For instance, many did not like the non-conservatives that Pastel QAnon drew in. Sommer does an excellent job of detailing other infighting of which there is a great deal. Indeed, he discusses just how dangerous the infighting can be. Since followers of Q are so apt to see "evidence" of the cabal everywhere the infighting frequently degenerates into followers finding evidence that their opponents are, in fact, cabal members themselves. Sommer discusses one case, in particular, which even led to murder.
One of the main themes of this book is that anyone can end up being a target of QAnon. QAnons can stretch, since to them it is no stretch, to find secret codes and read "evidence" into anything. Given the extremity of the beliefs it is not surprising that some should act violently or be waiting for orders (which, of course, are likely to come through "secret codes") to do so. If 15% of the population truly believes that children are being sex trafficked and killed en masse the real surprise is, actually, that there has not been more violence already. (This is likely a consequence of what some describe as QAnon's tendency to make people politically passive thinking Donald Trump and the "white hats" have it all under control as part of “The Plan" with nothing left for Anons to do other than grab the popcorn, watch and be "digital soldiers" online...)
One particularly interesting discussion in the book is how hard it is to dislodge Anons of their beliefs. Indeed, Sommer thinks this just may not be possible if done through outside agents. Anons already see themselves as outsiders and attempts to change their beliefs will likely just be seen as part of the conspiracy thus forcing them to dig in deeper in defiance.
Although the book is an excellent introduction overall, there are some relatively minor problems with it:
1) Sommer underestimates how difficult it would have been for Republicans to reject the QAnon movement early on. Sommer seems to take the word of former Anons that they would have dropped their beliefs if prominent Republicans had disavowed it all. What seems more likely is that they would have just rationalized that such disavowals were insincere and just necessary as a part of The Plan to maintain some kind of "operational security".
Along similar lines, Sommer thinks there would have been just a "temporary" division in the Republican Party if QAnon was later denounced by prominent Republicans. What seems more likely is that Trump would have split and formed his own party without hesitation rather than tolerate such "disloyalty". With the right split, Democrats would likely have swept the House, the Senate and Presidency with large enough majorities to enact some of their own fringe ideas, making division in the country even worse and giving QAnons even more confirmation of their biases. (The current political stalemate may, indeed, be the environment in which QAnon is mostly likely to diffuse to the extent that it can on its own.)
In both cases, Sommer seems to either be playing politics or being naive about how easy dealing with Q would have been: "Oh, Republicans just had to do this early on..."
2) A recent pattern that Sommer follows is to call QAnon anti-semitic because it modifies tropes that have been used by anti-Semites in the past and because QAnon theories do, indeed, have some Jews in their cross hairs. This does not seem like an accurate conclusion since in a world wide cabal you would expect some involved to be Jewish. Jews would have to be particularly focused on for it to be anti-semitic or Anons would have to argue that there is something sinister about Jewish culture that makes them more likely to be part of the cabal. As it stands, it is questionable if Soros is a particularly favorite target because he is Jewish or just because of how high profile and politically active he is. Hilary Clinton is another favorite target, for instance, but not Jewish.
What seems more fair to say is that QAnon does attract anti-Semites and there is a risk that they could take over. Sommer gives example of some current QAnon "thought leaders" trying to do just that. It is, however, not at all clear whether a move by Q to overt anti-semitism would cost or hurt their overall appeal.
3) Finally, it would be nice to see more discussions of the psychology behind it all. There is some discussion of this in Chapter 7 but, unfortunately, the field of what causes attraction of conspiracy theories is rather nascent. Still Sommer could have dived a bit more into what is known about the demographics of QAnon, for instance. (Unfortunately, the answer is that, other than being more likely to be conservative, and slightly more likely to be religious, the demographics do not appear to be that much different from the general population. This includes in areas such as income and education.)
May 30, 2023
Ugh, GR did not save what I wrote so here's my abbreviated take:
The chapters are short and punchy.
Explains lots about the origins and main aspects of Q and QAnon.
There are some dark and dangerous aspects of the movement.
Not written in a hyperbolic fashion despite the subject matter.
Social media is a cesspool (see also Elizabeth Williamson's excellent book "Sandy Hook").
The chapters are short and punchy.
Explains lots about the origins and main aspects of Q and QAnon.
There are some dark and dangerous aspects of the movement.
Not written in a hyperbolic fashion despite the subject matter.
Social media is a cesspool (see also Elizabeth Williamson's excellent book "Sandy Hook").
March 15, 2023
Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this non-fiction book in a GoodReads Giveaway. This did not influence my review whatsoever. My review is my opinion alone.
Since this is non-fiction, my basis for the 5 star rating is based solely upon the clarity, facts, detail of research involved...all of which I found impeccably accomplished.
In my opinion if we are to be informed knowledgeable citizens and voters we must keep up with all of these conspiracy theories and forces that drive others among us, no matter how ridiculous we believe them to be. This is scary stuff folks and until you have read this book you probably don't have all the facts one way or the other. A must read.
Since this is non-fiction, my basis for the 5 star rating is based solely upon the clarity, facts, detail of research involved...all of which I found impeccably accomplished.
In my opinion if we are to be informed knowledgeable citizens and voters we must keep up with all of these conspiracy theories and forces that drive others among us, no matter how ridiculous we believe them to be. This is scary stuff folks and until you have read this book you probably don't have all the facts one way or the other. A must read.
March 6, 2023
I procured this book because I've been hearing about QAnon for years without really knowing what it was.
Sommer's book has enlightened me, but not in the way he intended. I found myself thoroughly agreeing with a lot of the QAnon philosophy, despite the author's unsubtle and overpowering bias. I will have to find a way to join QAnon, despite the fact that I rarely use the Internet.
Sommer's book has enlightened me, but not in the way he intended. I found myself thoroughly agreeing with a lot of the QAnon philosophy, despite the author's unsubtle and overpowering bias. I will have to find a way to join QAnon, despite the fact that I rarely use the Internet.
April 14, 2023
Well written and researched, accessible. Depressing.
October 2, 2024
Dość topornie napisane i toporniej przetłumaczone
Read
September 27, 2023Muistan, kun luin lapsena Iltalehdestä ”hullu maailma”-palstaa, johon oli nostettu yksittäisiä kreisejä tapahtumia ympäri maailmaa. Ilmeisesti jossain vaiheessa, somen yleistyttyä, kävi niin että tuon palstan kaltaiset tarinat karkasivat käsistä, ja nykyisin vastaavia juttuja tulee merkittävien amerikkalaispoliitikkojen suusta. 4chan-kuvalaudan kryptisistä viesteistä lähteneen QAnon-salaliittoteorian ydinväitteisiin uskoo nykyään jopa viidennes kaikista yhdysvaltalaisista. Viidennes. Koko kansasta. Uskoo siihen, että eliitin – erityisesti demokraattisen puolueen – saatananpalvojarinki kaappaa lapsia tunneleiden kautta hyväksikäytettäviksi. QAnon on myös kasvattanut ympärilleen melkoisen käärmeöljykauppiaiden joukon, koska siihen uskovat ovat valmiita menemään pitkälle – WWG1WGA, eli ”where we go one, we go all”, kuten heillä on tapana sanoa.
QAnon on yhdistänyt salaliittoteoriaksi hämmentävän moninaisen joukon porukkaa, natseista joogaohjaajiin. Liike vetoaa tunteisiin ”pelastakaa lapset”-agendalla. Lääkekin kirjailijalla olisi hahmoteltuna: ”Lopulta paras ratkaisu salaliittoteorioihin tulee mielestäni sitä kautta, että rakennetaan sellainen hallinto, joka täyttää kansalaistensa perustarpeet, jotta ihmiset eivät alun alkaenkaan ala hakea salaliittoteorioista lohtua.”
Toimittajataustainen Sommer kirjoittaa perusteellisesti ja mukaansatempaavan narratiivisella tavalla salaliiton kehityksestä, erikoisimpien hahmojen radikalisoitumisesta, poliittisesta vaikutusvallasta ja yhteiskunnallisesta kehyksestä. Joissain kohdissa Sommerille olisi ollut tehokkaampaa valita näyttämisen eikä kertomisen tie. Kultin jäsenten tekojen kuvaus eleettömästi mutta yksityiskohtaisesti kautta linjan olisi riittänyt; vahvojen adjektiivien kuten ”sekopäisen” käyttö ei olisi ollut tarpeen. Nyt se ylikorostaa toimittajan suhtautumista. Ymmärrän kyllä hyvin Sommerin turhautumisen lahkon meininkiin ja siitä kumpuavan tarpeen tykitellä pidäkkeettä.
Suurin ongelma lukemassani niteessä on kuitenkin käännöksen laatu. Kirja olisi pitänyt kirjoittaa vielä kertaalleen uudestaan suomeksi, sillä nyt se sisältää paljon englannin lauserakenteita, vain puolittain kääntyneitä ilmauksia ja täytesanoja – aivan liian moni lause alkaa ”niin”-sanalla. Lukemiseni töksähteli todella monta kertaa. Liekö kiire ollut syynä tällaiseen lopputulokseen.
”Oli se sitten tietoista tai ei, Didulo tajusi, että QAnon loi yhteisön sellaisille ihmisille, jotka halusivat epätoivoisesti seurata ohjeita, oli niiden antajana sitten vaikka itsensä kuningattareksi kruunannut taho.”
QAnon on yhdistänyt salaliittoteoriaksi hämmentävän moninaisen joukon porukkaa, natseista joogaohjaajiin. Liike vetoaa tunteisiin ”pelastakaa lapset”-agendalla. Lääkekin kirjailijalla olisi hahmoteltuna: ”Lopulta paras ratkaisu salaliittoteorioihin tulee mielestäni sitä kautta, että rakennetaan sellainen hallinto, joka täyttää kansalaistensa perustarpeet, jotta ihmiset eivät alun alkaenkaan ala hakea salaliittoteorioista lohtua.”
Toimittajataustainen Sommer kirjoittaa perusteellisesti ja mukaansatempaavan narratiivisella tavalla salaliiton kehityksestä, erikoisimpien hahmojen radikalisoitumisesta, poliittisesta vaikutusvallasta ja yhteiskunnallisesta kehyksestä. Joissain kohdissa Sommerille olisi ollut tehokkaampaa valita näyttämisen eikä kertomisen tie. Kultin jäsenten tekojen kuvaus eleettömästi mutta yksityiskohtaisesti kautta linjan olisi riittänyt; vahvojen adjektiivien kuten ”sekopäisen” käyttö ei olisi ollut tarpeen. Nyt se ylikorostaa toimittajan suhtautumista. Ymmärrän kyllä hyvin Sommerin turhautumisen lahkon meininkiin ja siitä kumpuavan tarpeen tykitellä pidäkkeettä.
Suurin ongelma lukemassani niteessä on kuitenkin käännöksen laatu. Kirja olisi pitänyt kirjoittaa vielä kertaalleen uudestaan suomeksi, sillä nyt se sisältää paljon englannin lauserakenteita, vain puolittain kääntyneitä ilmauksia ja täytesanoja – aivan liian moni lause alkaa ”niin”-sanalla. Lukemiseni töksähteli todella monta kertaa. Liekö kiire ollut syynä tällaiseen lopputulokseen.
”Oli se sitten tietoista tai ei, Didulo tajusi, että QAnon loi yhteisön sellaisille ihmisille, jotka halusivat epätoivoisesti seurata ohjeita, oli niiden antajana sitten vaikka itsensä kuningattareksi kruunannut taho.”
August 29, 2024
„QAnon to symptom świata, w którym żyjemy, wytwór niekontrolowanych mediów społecznościowych, podupadającego systemu edukacji, coraz większej polaryzacji politycznej oraz kryzysu wspólnot w świecie rzeczywistym, pozainternetowym. Zwolennicy Q zareagowali na współczesność ucieczką w pełną przemocy fantazję równoległą do świata rzeczywistego.”
Gdy oglądałam kultową scenę w filmie „Matrix”, w której musisz zdecydować czy łykasz czerwoną pigułkę prawdy czy wybierasz niebieską i co za tym idzie, świat ułudy, to nigdy bym wtedy nie pomyślała, że dziś przekształci się to w zjawisko red-pilling. Czerwona pigułka prawdy stała się paliwem, już nie metaforą, dla wyznawców teorii spiskowych, celem radykalizacji nowych członków QAnonu.
Niepokojący wzrost liczby wierzących w teorie spiskowe to coś, co bardzo mnie zajmuje, dlatego bez wahania sięgnęłam po reportaż Sommer’a, który zakłada, że QAnon to dopiero początego tego, co nasz czeka. To, co stało się na Kapitolu 6.01.21r. nie dziwi, kiedy dowiemy się w co wierzą ci ludzie. Autor spotyka ludzi, którzy wierzą, ze Trump rozkaże rządzącej światem Klice składającej się z wpływowych demokratów, celebrytów i bogaczy, by udostępnili lek na raka, dlatego z wyznawców nie martwi się brakiem ubezpieczenia, które uniemożliwia mu leczenie, ponieważ Trump zmusi Klikę do jego udostępnienia. Matka nie martwi się o autystycznego syna, bo Klika zostanie zmuszona do udostępnienia skrywanego leku na autyzm po rzekomej „Burzy”.
Sommer sprawia, że wypływa to, co drażni najbardziej w teoriach spiskowych - że cierpią na nich biedni, marginalizowani ludzie liczący na to, że ktoś ich uratuje, gdy tylko zawierzą w najbardziej absurdalne teorie. Autor przygląda się właśnie też takim odosobnionym przypadkom, ale przede wszystkim sam był kiedyś zagorzałym prawicowcem, którego obecną misją jest prześledzenie poczynań skrajnych prawicowych ruchów typu QAnon wraz z ich nowymi teoriami i rosnącymi wpływami w polityce. Zwłaszcza, by zrozumieć jak z czegoś, co wydawało się zaledwie mroczną sektą, zaczęło mieć znaczący wpływ na politykę.
„Ideologia zrodzona w odmętach internetu doprowadziła do zerwania więzi tysięcy ludzi z ich bliskimi, zniszczyła przyjaźnie i małżeństwa.” Co jednak najgorsze potrafi doprowadzić do aktów przemocy, morderstw czy strzelanin. „Nie wierzę w to, co czytam” przewija się przez głowę już przy pierwszych stronach i nie mija wraz z kolejnymi. I don’t „trust the plan”. Ani trochę nie wierzę w plan. Will Sommer nienawidzony i nękany przez wyznawców teorii spiskowych i QAnon wchodzi w gniazdo os, by prześledzić całą drogę tworzenia się tego ruchu. Zwraca uwagę na przerażający fakt, że nawet jeśli głoszone przepowiednie się nie spełniają, to wyznawców nie ubywa, a teorie nie stają się mniej atrakcyjne, zawsze wyrośnie kolejna. „Uwierz w plan” to rzetelny reportaż, który jest ostrzegawczą flarą przed pobłażaniem takim ruchom. Trafnie formułuje hipotezy na temat tego, dlaczego ludzie ulegają takim teoriom i choć trudno „nawrócić” wyznawcę, to wskazuje na przydatne sygnały ostrzegawcze, które mogą doprowadzić do utraty bliskiej osoby na rzecz czerwonej pigułki, która powinna pozostać jedynie fikcją w popularnym filmie science-fiction.
Gdy oglądałam kultową scenę w filmie „Matrix”, w której musisz zdecydować czy łykasz czerwoną pigułkę prawdy czy wybierasz niebieską i co za tym idzie, świat ułudy, to nigdy bym wtedy nie pomyślała, że dziś przekształci się to w zjawisko red-pilling. Czerwona pigułka prawdy stała się paliwem, już nie metaforą, dla wyznawców teorii spiskowych, celem radykalizacji nowych członków QAnonu.
Niepokojący wzrost liczby wierzących w teorie spiskowe to coś, co bardzo mnie zajmuje, dlatego bez wahania sięgnęłam po reportaż Sommer’a, który zakłada, że QAnon to dopiero początego tego, co nasz czeka. To, co stało się na Kapitolu 6.01.21r. nie dziwi, kiedy dowiemy się w co wierzą ci ludzie. Autor spotyka ludzi, którzy wierzą, ze Trump rozkaże rządzącej światem Klice składającej się z wpływowych demokratów, celebrytów i bogaczy, by udostępnili lek na raka, dlatego z wyznawców nie martwi się brakiem ubezpieczenia, które uniemożliwia mu leczenie, ponieważ Trump zmusi Klikę do jego udostępnienia. Matka nie martwi się o autystycznego syna, bo Klika zostanie zmuszona do udostępnienia skrywanego leku na autyzm po rzekomej „Burzy”.
Sommer sprawia, że wypływa to, co drażni najbardziej w teoriach spiskowych - że cierpią na nich biedni, marginalizowani ludzie liczący na to, że ktoś ich uratuje, gdy tylko zawierzą w najbardziej absurdalne teorie. Autor przygląda się właśnie też takim odosobnionym przypadkom, ale przede wszystkim sam był kiedyś zagorzałym prawicowcem, którego obecną misją jest prześledzenie poczynań skrajnych prawicowych ruchów typu QAnon wraz z ich nowymi teoriami i rosnącymi wpływami w polityce. Zwłaszcza, by zrozumieć jak z czegoś, co wydawało się zaledwie mroczną sektą, zaczęło mieć znaczący wpływ na politykę.
„Ideologia zrodzona w odmętach internetu doprowadziła do zerwania więzi tysięcy ludzi z ich bliskimi, zniszczyła przyjaźnie i małżeństwa.” Co jednak najgorsze potrafi doprowadzić do aktów przemocy, morderstw czy strzelanin. „Nie wierzę w to, co czytam” przewija się przez głowę już przy pierwszych stronach i nie mija wraz z kolejnymi. I don’t „trust the plan”. Ani trochę nie wierzę w plan. Will Sommer nienawidzony i nękany przez wyznawców teorii spiskowych i QAnon wchodzi w gniazdo os, by prześledzić całą drogę tworzenia się tego ruchu. Zwraca uwagę na przerażający fakt, że nawet jeśli głoszone przepowiednie się nie spełniają, to wyznawców nie ubywa, a teorie nie stają się mniej atrakcyjne, zawsze wyrośnie kolejna. „Uwierz w plan” to rzetelny reportaż, który jest ostrzegawczą flarą przed pobłażaniem takim ruchom. Trafnie formułuje hipotezy na temat tego, dlaczego ludzie ulegają takim teoriom i choć trudno „nawrócić” wyznawcę, to wskazuje na przydatne sygnały ostrzegawcze, które mogą doprowadzić do utraty bliskiej osoby na rzecz czerwonej pigułki, która powinna pozostać jedynie fikcją w popularnym filmie science-fiction.
May 7, 2023
"When conspiracy theories fail supporters are faced with a choice, admit they were wrong and deal with the humiliation, or commit to their beliefs even further."
I think we can all see what choice has been made by the followers of QAnon, even when all the prophecies fail, and they face incontrovertible facts disproving their assertions, they continue to believe and spread their lunacy. Unfortunately this "virus" has also found its way into our politics and is now political capital for some aspiring or elected officials, all of which makes me worry for the future of our nation.
I think we can all see what choice has been made by the followers of QAnon, even when all the prophecies fail, and they face incontrovertible facts disproving their assertions, they continue to believe and spread their lunacy. Unfortunately this "virus" has also found its way into our politics and is now political capital for some aspiring or elected officials, all of which makes me worry for the future of our nation.
June 29, 2025
Ogólnie niby dobra, ale jakaś taka przyciężka i odrobinę napompowana na siłę. Bardzo amerykańska, faktycznie dobrze, że mam o USA jako takie pojęcie, bez tego byłoby ciężko. No i bardzo mi brak aktualizacji, bo kończy się w 2021, a znacznie ciekawsze jest dla mnie, co się dzieje z Q teraz, gdy Trump wrócił?
June 1, 2025
Przerażające jak ludzie dają sobie robić wodę z mózgów.
May 3, 2023
A sad read. Disjointed at times. I thought it was best when it dived into individual lives that have been hurt by this. Made me sad thinking about those in my life affected. 6.5/10
March 10, 2023
I already knew that our country was going to Hell in a handbasket, but after reading this book I realize that the lunatics are truly running the asylum. Moral of the story: when you feel like you're not getting the life you deserve, blame it on a shadowy cabal of child sexual abuser Democrats and other liberal elite who force their victims to live in underground tunnels, and harvest the "adrenochrome" the children's bodies produce when terrorized to stay young. It's easier to believe that than the fact that capitalism has screwed us all.
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