One Nation Under Q?

What drives a person’s commitment to a political ideology? Is it love for that party, and is a passion worth risking the decline of morals in all of society? Is that love worth genuinely wishing the death or demise of leaders of an opposing position because you have a problem with the current political climate? Is that love and loyalty to this ideology worth endangering relationships with the ones that are dearest to you? These questions are at the heart of an issue that has the potential to tear this country apart. 

Background of Qanon

Qanon is a political conspiracy theory that originated on the website 4chan in late 2017. An anonymous user named “Q,” who claimed to be a high-clearance government employee, would post cryptic messages to the site, called “drops,” leading other users to piece the information together. Believers of the theory claim that Donald Trump, who has been deified by many of his supporters, is secretly fighting an organization of cannibalistic, satanic pedophiles, who hold positions of power in the Democratic Party, Hollywood, and the alleged deep-state. 

Qanon stems from a 2016 conspiracy theory called Pizzagate. Pizzagate was based off of a series of emails that were stolen by a group of Russian hackers from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager. These emails were exposed on a site called WikiLeaks, and soon after found their way to 4chan, an online forum, infamous for its lack of moderation and rampant hate speech. Users of the website, known as anons, quickly began to speculate that the emails alluded to a child trafficking ring whose headquarters were located in a basement (which did not actually exist) underneath the Washington D.C. pizzeria, Comet Ping Pong. This resulted in a user named Edgar Welch, taking action and investigating things for himself. Arming himself with a revolver, an AR-15, and a shotgun, he made the trip from his home in North Carolina, to Washington D.C. to try and uncover the secret operation. Upon arrival, he fired a few rounds into the restaurant, which miraculously did not kill or injure anyone. Welch surrendered to police and was arrested, being sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison. He later deeply regretted his actions and apologized to the people he potentially could have killed, stating, “It was never my intention to harm or frighten innocent lives, but I realize now just how foolish and reckless my decision was.” While Edgar Welch did have righteous motives—freeing the supposed enslaved children and abolishing an evil underground organization—this story serves as a perfect example as to how a conspiracy theory and the individuals who endorse it can become dangerous and out of control.

Most people agree that the government cannot be trusted all of the time; conversely, blindly believing everything that is told to the public might not be the wisest idea either. Therefore, in this climate of distrust, people come up with speculations and theories. It is safe to say that almost everyone is a conspiracy theorist to some degree. Everyone at some point in their life has just accepted a so-called fact as true without looking into all of the details. Ultimately, a conspiracy theory is just a form of gossip, on a grand scale. 

But what really is a conspiracy theory? A conspiracy theory, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.” Generally, the people who believe these theories feel a lack of control. The political system is moving in a direction they do not like, and therefore, there must be a reason for that, whether logical or not. Conservatives (who are the main supporters of Qanon) are generally unhappy with current politics, which results in a feeling of uncertainty (Hurst 2022). Many then, try and find security in something else—in this case Donald Trump, who is considered by Qanon to be a messiah for the United States of America.

While endorsing a conspiracy theory is not necessarily a terrible thing to do, people need to spend more time looking into the origins of whatever it is they are accepting as truth, or near truth. This is the case with so many people who openly support Qanon. They are either unaware that they are supporting a conspiracy theory that has a very dark past and that freely embraces groups like the Proud Boys and the KKK, or they are in denial about it. People must weigh their actions wisely, and not overlook the dangers of joining an organization that could quite likely do harm to themselves and to those they love. People need to consider what their choices inadvertently say about them, and they need to look thoroughly into the origins of conspiracy theories before readily accepting them. 

Because of the solely negative effects Qanon has, and already had in society, the world would be much better off without it. This paper is intended to evince the dangers, and potential dangers of Qanon, and demonstrate the devastating impacts it could potentially have on society. Upon considering conspiracy theories, and Qanon in particular, one must first ask these questions: What will its effect be on society as a whole? Are there any dangers to be considered? And what will be its effect on individuals? 

Effects of Qanon on Society 

The American public needs to be made aware that Qanon is a threat to democracy. Within the Qanon community, there is a growing number of people who tolerate white nationalism and neo-Nazism. One of the core beliefs of Qanon is that there are Jewish masterminds behind the alleged cabal of satanists who control the government (Speckhard 2022). The supporters of the conspiracy theory had no problem with indulging in hate speech against Jewish people on 4chan, but as the Qanon conspiracy theory began spreading to other “cleaner” parts of the internet, like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, their rhetoric needed to change in order to be seen as permissible on mainstream platforms. Of course because of its move onto more common social media sites, its following grew. However, after the January 6th attack on the capital, social media platforms began their mass ban of Qanon content. This then resulted in its followers flocking to a new form of communication. Telegram. Telegram is a private messaging platform, where users are able to create channels, where hundreds of thousands of people could communicate with one another without moderation. This is where Qanon now thrives. “Even as early as spring of 2018, the average QAnon follower had probably never visited 4chan or 8chan. Instead, they consumed Q’s material outside of its original context – Q drops were reposted on Facebook and Twitter, dissected in YouTube videos and collected on aggregator websites. All these developments let people see, and speculate about, Q’s posts without ever going straight to the source. This means they never had to see the raw hatred that surrounded Q in Q’s native environment…From 2018 to the end of the Trump administration, this [normification] of QAnon – meaning the spread of QAnon from one of the most repulsive corners of the internet to more respectable areas – kept a lid on the movement’s overt antisemitism.” (adl.org 2023) Now that there is no threat of being banned, antisemitism has become commonplace, and more and more people have become desensitized to it. One individual in particular who has risen up in the community, and become one of the most influential voices inside of Qanon is a user named GhostEzra. He is a proud Neo-Nazi and claims that “Hitler did nothing wrong”. Before the ban of Qanon on mainstream social media, he had about 18,000 followers on Twitter, but on Telegram, he has now succeeded to amass over 300,000 subscribers, who frequently interact with him in a positive way, his posts getting thousands of comments and being viewed hundreds of thousand of times. Only several users ever condemn or differ with him on his blatantly antisemitic content, indicating that most people either agree with him, or are too afraid to stand up to him. (adl.org) 

It takes only a small amount of time to uncover the rampant antisemitism that thrives in many Qanon circles. The sheer amount of people willing to listen to Neo-Nazis like GhostEzra is truly astonishing. Many people who support Qanon are not openly antisemitic, but despite what they say, or believe about themselves, there is a high chance of slowly slipping down the hole of Neo-Nazism. “Bad company ruins good morals” could not be more true, especially in a situation like this. 

Not only has Qanon allowed antisemitism to run rampant in its circles, it has also led to a terrible schism in American politics, specifically in the Republican Party. Qanon has spread into higher forms of government like the Senate and the House. U.S. Representatives Lauren Boebert from Colorado, and Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia have both been outspoken in their support for Qanon, Boebert saying that she hopes that the prophecies affiliated with Qanon (i.e. the defeat of the cabal) were true because, “it only means America is getting stronger and better.” (Mathias 2023). Both representatives won the 2022 midterm elections and have been sworn into office. House Republican Peter Meijer, who voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2021 stated, “When we say QAnon, you have the sort of extreme forms, but you also just have this softer, gradual undermining of any shared, collective sense of truth…” This “softer”form of Qanon is more palatable to the general public, which in many ways can be more detrimental because more people, including those in positions of power, can easily fall into the trap of the conspiracy theory, and its many destructive ideologies. Because of Qanon slowly seeping into the Republican Party, there has been a divide created between those who are tolerant to Qanon, and those who see it for what it truly is. “The GOP is playing with fire, because if they allow the extremists to dominate their primaries, you will not end up with strong candidates, you will end up with Trumpian sycophants. It should not be too hard for a Democratic opponent to cause mischief between the thin-skinned former president and those candidates whose raison d'être is fealty to the leader.” (Schlegelmilch et al.). 

The Republican Party is slowly being divided into two groups: the people who are complicit to Qanon, and those who see it for what it really is. Division of a party could ultimately lead to its demise.

Dangers of Qanon

Qanon is also proving to become more and more of a danger to society. For instance, it inspires and endorses violence. While there have only been about 22 incidents of Qanon-inspired violence since 2018, that does not do away with the fact that Qanon supporters are open to considering violent action. One of Qanon’s teachings is that Donald Trump is fighting against, and will eventually defeat the cabal of elite satanists who are in league with the deep-state. Their defeat will end in death. The supporters of the conspiracy theory are eagerly awaiting the supposed public execution of  people like Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and others. In May of 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a bulletin which labeled adherents to “fringe political conspiracy theories”, like Qanon, as possible threats of domestic terrorism (Holoyda 2023).

Joining a group of people that are primed and ready to violently fight for a cause that is not even based in reality is definitely not the best idea. More importantly, if the FBI classifies that group of people as potential terrorists, then there is good reason to question whether or not those people are truly being patriotic, upstanding citizens, no matter what the individuals in the group might say. As Voltaire, a 18th century philosopher said, “Those who can make people believe absurdities, can make people commit atrocities.” 

But even if the majority of people reject it, and do not act upon their violent urges, Qanon still constitutes as a danger. Even if no one commits crimes or acts of violence, the Qanon conspiracy theory is dangerous in other ways. It is steeped in hateful ideologies and can lead people to accept racism, sexism, and other harmful beliefs (Millman 2022). Mia Bloom, who is a communications professor at Georgia State University, and an expert on extremism stated, “We need to worry about Q not because it’s about to overthrow the government, We need to worry about Q because the long-term effect is corrosive to democratic values.” (Rogers 2021) According to a 2021 survey conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, about 23% of Republicans wholeheartedly support the Qanon theories, while 55% reject most of them, and 21% completely reject them. While it is true that only a little less than a quarter of Republicans are in full support of Qanon, there is still danger with accepting it as partial truth. The 55% of people who generally disregard most Qanon theories are still buying into, at least to some measure, the Qanon “belief system”. There are dangers in “playing along” with the fellow members of one's political party. Take the 2020 election for example: as a poll done by Monmouth University shows, 61% of Republicans believe the false claims that the election was stolen from Donald Trump. This statistic includes Qanon supporters, but it also includes the doubters, or the people who do not necessarily endorse all of the conspiracy theory, showing that even the individuals who do not agree with some of the more extreme views that true Qanon supporters hold to, they are still willing to entertain some of the ideas that are closely connected to Qanon. This inadvertent tolerance of a potentially violent group of people (i.e Qanon believers) was a major factor in the January 6th attack on the capital. While followers of the Qanon conspiracy theory were very much present on that day, the majority of people there were not full blown devotees. Rather, they had partially bought into the conspiracy theory, and accepted the untrue claims of the election being rigged. Acting as if the 2020 election was stolen resulted in millions of dollars worth of damage to the Capitol building, hundreds of arrests, multiple deaths and put American democracy in jeopardy (Harris 2022). 

A practical way to avoid unintentionally endorsing a movement which readily favors violence is to do research beforehand. Of course many Conservatives felt upset over the fact that they had lost the election, but in order to clearly see the potentially detrimental effects that accepting a conspiracy theory like Qanon could have on not only the individual, but society as a whole, one must take a step back from their emotions and look at things form a logical, rational point of view. Not through the lenses of irrational, Facebook-disseminated, misinformation. 

Despite the label “conspiracy theory”, Qanon can also be constituted as a political cult. A cult is a “great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work” (Miriam-Webster) integrated into a fixed set of authoritarian ideologies that endeavors to hold possession of reality by its very nature. There are many similarities between the way cults operate, and the way Qanon operates. For example, the most zealous devotees of QAnon manifest characteristics that have been exhibited among many dangerous cults, that is a willingness to disregard their own individuality for a supposed common good (Blazakis 2023). They want to create a utopia based off of their political beliefs. This way of thinking has been proven to fail time and time again, as demonstrated by political movements like Communism, Stalinism, Nazism, and China’s Cultural Revolution. As with other cults, the members of Qanon view anyone who opposes their beliefs as an enemy and consider even the presence of someone who holds a differing opinion than they do as a public threat (Pavela 2023). An example of this can be seen in the way former President Trump reacted to a statement made by Republican senator Mike Rounds. Rounds stated, “We simply did not win the election, as Republicans, for the presidency. And moving forward — and that’s the way we want to look at this — moving forward, we have to refocus once again on what it’s going to take to win the presidency.” Trump, who did not want to admit that he had lost the election declared, “Is [Rounds] crazy or just stupid? The only reason he did this is because he got my endorsement and easily won his state in 2020, so now he thinks he has time, and those are the only ones, the weak, who will break away. Even though his election will not be coming up for 5 years, I will never endorse this jerk again.” (Pavela 2023). As with members of many cults, Qanon supporters are unwilling, and oftentimes unable to accept reality. When someone points out the fact that they are wrong, the conspiracy theorists jump to the conclusion that they are under personal attack, and feel the need to make excuses for themselves.

Effects of Qanon on the Individual

As mentioned before, Qanon has proven itself to be a peril for the general public. Engaging in such a political movement can be detrimental to individual people as well. Conspiracy theories can easily turn into addictions. There are many links between belief in conspiracy theories and mental health issues. Many people who partake in Qanon exhibit signs of behavioral addiction. In 2012, the National Library of Medicine conducted a study on behavioral addiction versus substance addiction. They stated that, “Behavioral addiction such as internet addiction is similar to drug addiction except that in the former, the individual is not addicted to a substance but the behavior or the feeling brought about by the relevant action. In addition, the physical signs of drug addiction, are absent in behavioral addiction. Others have stated that behaviorally addicted individuals have certain symptoms and will undergo the same consequences brought about by addiction to alcohol and drugs as well as other obsessive behaviors.” (Alavi et al. 2012) Often times Qanon followers isolate themselves from others who do not share the same views, which only makes the problem worse. They cannot see that they are in need of help, and are unwilling to seek guidance and counseling from others.

This study offers insight into the psychology of not just behavioral addictions, but also into the general mindset of people who have become obsessed with conspiratorial beliefs. People who engage with conspiracy theories on an obsessive level usually feel like they are misunderstood, or have no control over the environment around them. They also typically feel the need to show themselves to be intellectually superior (Hurst 2022). Qanon provides an environment where everyone is included, where everyone has a voice, and can problem solve. All members of Qanon are able, and invited, to pitch in and help uncover deeper layers of the conspiracy theory, and dig deeply to find “proof” supporting their claims, resulting in a sense of satisfaction and community in the hearts of those participating.

But the problem does not stop with the individual alone, it also affects family members and friends of Qanon believers. People who fall victim to the Qanon conspiracy theory often experience broken relationships with family and friends. Believing these conspiracy theories can turn into an obsession; an obsession that leads to fractured relationships. NPR’s Audie Cornish interviewed several family members of Qanon believers. One person, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that their loved one was spending 16 to 18 hours a day consuming Qanon material (NPR 2023). 

Because avid consumption of conspiracy theories can be classified as an addiction, there are, as stated above, harmful side effects. Mainly, the loss of family and friends. Many Qanon adherents damage their relationship with loved ones because they value their political ideology over their relationships. Supporters of the conspiracy theory oftentimes ostracize their own children because they are “unbelievers”. Conversely, children, spouses, parents and friends will cut ties with the person who is wrapped up in the Qanon theories (Chabria 2021).

Is Qanon Really That Bad?

Notwithstanding all of this seemingly well founded information, some might argue that conspiracy theories sometimes turn out to be true. As Daniel Cohnitz notes in his article entitled Are Conspiracy Theories a Force for the Good?, “Before Edward Snowden leaked classified information in 2013, which confirmed [that the NSA spies on you], many would probably have shrugged it off as a ‘mere’ conspiracy theory. What about now? Is the theory that the NSA spies on you still a conspiracy theory, now that it is a widely held (and apparently well-evidenced) belief?” (Grain 2021) There have been instances where a so-called conspiracy theory turned out to be true, or  to at least have some very convincing evidence to back up the claims of the conspiracy theorists. It is true that there is almost always a chance of a conspiracy theory being true, and it never hurts to research and look at the facts. That being said, Qanon falls into a different category. In 2020, a man from California who had insisted that he had been “enlightened” by QAnon, killed his own two children because he believed they had the DNA of serpents (Klepper 2022).

Qanon is known as a conspiracy theory, rightfully so, but it goes deeper than just theory or speculation. It is a political ideology, which as explained previously, is rooted in hate speech, violence, and far-right extremism. People are even willing to commit heinous crimes because of their belief in a seemingly nonsensical premise. To brush it off as just another conspiracy theory, makes it all the more dangerous. If it is breezed over and pushed aside, people will fail to see how truly hazardous embracing beliefs like those promoted by Qanon really are. This is why it is so important to deeply ponder what you are willing to give countenance to. If not taken seriously, you too could fall into its trap.

Another argument some might try to make is that Qanon will dissipate as quickly as it materialized. It is true that Qanon is somewhat of a fad. It has been relatively popular for a while now, and it will, like every other trend, fade away over time, but the problem with the idea that Qanon will just dissipate eventually is that its ideals and beliefs will still linger. There is no easy solution to stopping the spread of Qanon’s ideals. Taking out its leaders might seem like a good idea, but in the long run, it will not work. “You have to go from the bottom up to start trying to siphon off radicalized people, and treat the organization more as a terrorist group, in terms of any hearts and minds policies.” (Knispel 2021). Yes, the name might change, or the conspiracy theories themselves might become altered in some way, but the hateful, and in many cases violent ideas that are so integrated into the Qanon belief system will most likely never completely disappear.

We have explored a couple of the ways Qanon could pose a threat to democracy as a whole, such as its overt tolerance of blatantly antisemitic viewpoints, and the divide it is causing in American politics. Then we looked over the potential dangers of such a radical political movement; more specifically, its violent nature, the slippery slope into inadvertently becoming complicit to the Qanon conspiracy theories, and how Qanon could be classified as a virtual cult. And finally, we examined the ways in which Qanon is harmful to individual people. How behavioral addictions can form conspiratorial thinking, and the destructive consequences Qanon adherents face as a result of their rabid love for their political beliefs. 

A Reasoned Response to Qanon

One might wonder, as you very well could be right now, “How does this affect me?” or, “What difference does it make if I know all this information or not?” The answer to those questions is this: the point of this essay is not to just fill your head with a bunch of facts, statistics, and information, but rather to give you a clearer perspective on what Qanon is, and to present some of the grave consequences that come with blindly following a political ideology or movement, because you think you generally agree with what it stands for. While this paper is written to all people, there is a catch. I would specifically like to address conservative Americans in this last paragraph. Is this political ideology worth the decline of morals in society? Is it worth wishing the death or demise of leaders from the opposite party because you have a problem with the current political climate? Is loyalty to this ideology worth endangering your relationships with the ones you love most? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, this paper is not for you. You are too deprived of reason by American politics to clearly understand how serious this matter is. To the rest of you reading this paper, I urge you to think before readily accepting and joining, or even entertaining the views that Qanon promotes. Pause. Take a step back. Thoroughly look into the things you have questions about. Refrain from jumping to hasty, premature conclusions.

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