hi i want to talk about q anon. i joke a lot but as (not to show my ass too much) someone who studies identity and the self for a living, i have some thoughts. if you follow me for poo poo jokes feel free to skip this thread (i don't mind at all)

so conspiracies like this are different than others in that they are community based. the rise of social media has made belief in this kind of thing a lot more appealing as you get validation/friendship/and even fame out of it. you can't really untangle the sense of community

that aside, belief in things that are fantastical or bizzarre, like blood drinking pedophile satanists or the idea that trump knows how to tie his own shoes, can see very weird from the outside- because they are! but they're rooted in a pretty simple concept which is control

people who fall into ideological cults tend to share the commonality that they feel the world is going in directions they don't like and they don't feel in control. this can be political, sure, but even they don't like their home lives, for example. so they look to escape

what makes qanon so attractive, as batshit as it is, is it goes further to say not only are you in control now, as you understand whats "really" going on, you are in fact *more aware of the truth* than others

and you are surrounded by other people PRAISING you adn recognizing you for how correct you are, how in control you are, and promising how much BETTER things are going to be soon. not today! not tomorrow! soon

the other thing here is puzzles. qanon's q drops, the numerology, all that horse shit is, on some major level, fun! it's fun for people to decode things and get more praise, clout, or even money for doing so.

there are also carny tricks that make incredible things seem credible. If I were to say “something big is happening soon” and say someone gets indicted, I can retroactively point to my statement and claim prior secret info that wasn’t real

And if you want to believe me? Boom. Proof! And you feel less lost. More in control. And thus builds loyalty to me.

Ok so why not get out of it once things don’t happen. No storm. Deadlines keep getting pushed back. I equate it to people who get married even though they know they’re in a bad relationship: it’s embarrassing and hard to get out of and keeping with it seems easier

Would YOU want to admit to friends and family let alone yourself you’ve alienated people, harassed people, or even committed crimes because you believed Hillary Clinton drinks baby blood in a pizza parlor? I fucking wouldn’t

So why do it? More and more people will tell you you’re NOT wrong anyway. These are your friends. Your NEW family. Sure your boyfriend is shitty but you know maybe he’s not THAT bad etc etc

So yeah no pun indented a perfect storm of carny parlor tricks, lack of source checking, and a world that’s changing when you don’t want it to while giving you a community you feel safe and special in. That’s some potent shit.

One last thing: note how reassuring and parental q shit is. “Where we go one we go all” “trust the plan” etc. it’s so soothing. Makes you feel like something is taking care of you. That’s deliberate!

One more postscript: intentional or not Q anon has very good branding: easy to copy iconography (the q logo is easy to print or mess w), catchy slogans etc.

Okay and another one: it should be considered how appealing the global cabal and the fight against evil is. It’s not just about fun but seeing the evil elite (you are justice) be brought down (they aren’t more powerful than you anymore) and how real life video game that is

don't underestimate the fact that a grift will gain grifters. q anon merch, videos, etc have been VERY profitable. it's not that different in a way than say, seth abramson/louise mensch, or the resistance grifters