The Cult of Q
In 1967, Charles Manson was able to convince his followers that they were to be soldiers in the imminent race war, leading to several murders. Ten years later, Jim Jones would coax his followers into drinking the literal Koolaid, cyanide-laced juice resulting in a mass suicide of 918 people. Marshall Applewhite’s followers believed suicide was the only way to “evacuate the Earth,” and reach their own version of heaven, a UFO following a space comet. These infamous leaders were said to be charming, convincing speakers—how could so many people have followed and believed in them if they weren’t?
In the past, cult leaders’ ideas, teachings, and plans were constricted in one way: they could only convince those they actually met with in person. So they toured, they held sermons, they built churches and preached to potential new members. Then came the popularization of the Internet. Communes turned into online forums, and for QAnon, in particular, charming front-facing leaders turned to anonymous sources with seemingly top-level security clearance from the White House.
QAnon is, on the surface level, a series of conspiracies ranging from child trafficking conducted in pizza shop basements, secret military trials that will inevitably convict every Democrat politician in D.C., satanic cults consisting of those same Democrats, and of course, COVID-19 is a hoax (created and perpetuated by the satanic Democrats).
Most followers of QAnon get their information from ‘Q drops’, believed to be information straight from the White House. It is a strongly pro-Trump movement, gaining traction in 2016. Followers of the theory, throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, believed he would “save society from a cabal of Democratic pedophiles running a global child trafficking ring.” QAnon is considered alt-right and extremist— but these theories are often repackaged and rebranded, to be sold to unsuspecting social media users in a phenomenon called Pastel QAnon.
And that is the beauty (read: danger) of online cultism. Remember the Wayfair conspiracy of summer 2020? To recap, a QAnon believer noticed that the online furniture retailer Wayfair had several items listed with “extremely high prices,” and labeled with female names. Several members theorized that these storage cabinets were actually coverups for missing, trafficking children (some even believed the furniture would be delivered with the missing children inside), and the theory caught like wildfire across Tiktok, Facebook, and Twitter.
That is where the issue lies: many people would write off “Deep State Democrat cannibal pedophiles are trying to take over the world,” as nothing more than a wild theory. But present an almost-convincing, thought-out conspiracy that involves children being harmed, and suddenly thousands are buying into QAnon—rhetoric without realizing it, a path that can lead to full indoctrination. That was the case for Bear*, a firm Q believer I spoke with over QAnon discussion forum greatawakening.win.
“One day I stumbled upon an article about the Podesta Wikileaks (maybe Alex Jones - don't remember). Basic research led me to Reddit for the first time to r/pizzagate.”
Pizzagate, now debunked, was similar to the Wayfair theory— but it went much deeper. The 2016 theory alleged that leaked emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager, contained coded messages incriminating high-level politicians as pedophiles and sex traffickers. The ‘Pizzagate’ moniker comes from Comet Ping Pong— a Washington D.C. pizza shop, owned by major Democratic Party donor James Alefantis. Believers were convinced that Alefantis ran a child sex trafficking ring out of the basement of his pizzeria, and it was frequented by major politicians— ignoring the fact that Alefantis has no association to trafficking, and Comet Ping Pong does not have a basement.
Bear tells me he lives in D.C. A lifelong Republican, his roots in the QAnon movement can be traced back over a decade ago— beginning with the Obama birther conspiracy. We spoke only over anonymous messages (QAnon forums tend to value anonymity over all- greatawakening does not require an email or any identifying information to make an account), and he is one of few who responded with much other than threats or harsh language. Q believers are notoriously anti-mainstream media, having absorbed Donald Trump’s infamous, constant decrying of “fake news.” I ask him in a message what he considers to be the “goal” of QAnon.
“The goal of the Plan is to completely destroy the Deep State/Cabal in one fatal fell swoop that there is no recovery— Sun Tzu. I also think there may be Divine Intervention involved— I'm not religious (in fact dislike organized religion), but maintain a very strong belief in God to include praying.”
The “Deep State” he’s referring to is believed to be a shadow government of sorts, evil forces set out to not only block any action or legislation from former President Donald Trump but scrub the United States of godliness and order. Themes of God and religion permeate QAnon, as they historically have in other cults. Great Awakening is a term often used by Q believers, a belief in the inevitable mass of people “waking up” to the “truth:” Q was right, the Cabal is real, and we must fight for what is good.
Another user, who goes by Yep*, tells me, “Q is many different things to many different people. Q represents the saving of Humanity from very dark forces that want to bring the world to its knees. The evidence is right in our faces. Lil Nas.” He’s referring to, of course, the music video by rapper Lil Nax X; a video in which Nas dances suggestively on the devil to his queer-themed pop song, a clear indicator of evil forces taking over our world.
While talking to Q believers, it’s hard not to notice a sense of isolation— they feel othered from society, and view those who haven’t “woken up” yet as separate. Bear lives in the notably blue city of Washington D.C., and he tells me he must, “play his cards close to the vest” in order to not be “targeted.” What does this targeting entail?
“Targeting ranges from individuals in positions of power going after someone they recognize as being against the "leftist narrative" to organized gangs and cyberstalking.” He references Jen Moore, a journalist who was murdered shortly after interviewing a child sex trafficking victim of politicians such as Bill Clinton and reporting to the FBI— or that’s what the conspiracy theory surrounding her death alleges, anyway. In reality, Jen Moore’s “investigative journalism” consisted of posting QAnon-themed videos to her Youtube channel, Task Force, and no evidence exists that she interviewed a survivor, made an FBI report, or was murdered (official reports claim she passed away after having a seizure). Nevertheless, she is a martyr as far as Q believers are concerned; a clear indicator that their beliefs are dangerous and incriminating enough for the government to intervene, and take out outspoken Q members.
To believe that being an outspoken Q believer could mean a death sentence, Q believers require a great deal of devotion to the ideology, a devotion that sounds a lot like religion to hear Yep tell it. I asked him how he remains so dedicated to the cause, and what motivates him to continue posting on online message boards. For him and many others, it is not a spooky conspiracy theory to discuss for fun (like the moon landing being faked, or Avril Lavigne being replaced by a doppelganger)- it is good versus evil.
“You must understand that Satan worship is very, very real. Part of the nature of the religion...is to lie, confuse, and cheat. The more "pious" Satan worshipers are the ones who participate in all the dark rituals— including human sacrifice. Part of being able to fulfill Satanic acts as rite, is getting the victim to participate willingly (abortion, vaccinations, etc.) as they are being told what is being done to them. This is all part of the mystery. Part of The Big Lie.”
When we look at the roots of QAnon, it is easier to understand not only how followers have remained loyal, but how they have translated that loyalty into real-world violence and destruction. The Capitol riot of January 6th is perhaps the most famous example, but there are many Q-linked stories that do not make major headlines. In the last two years alone, multiple kidnappings and kidnapping scheme perpetrators were found to have been online QAnon advocates. The FBI labeled QAnon a “dangerous extremist group,” in 2019, and the Q-inspired actions of several extremists are reminiscent of the consequences of cults in the past.
Subreddit r/QAnonCasualties serves as a space for those who have lost loved ones to the cult of Q. The about section reads, “Have a friend or loved one taken in by QAnon? Look here for support, resources, and a place to vent. Peruse old posts, settle in and relax. Learn to heal, deal and deprogram.” In this forum, users commiserate and share stories that range from humorous to heartbreaking. I spoke to a member of the board, Hannah*, whose mother passed away after being heavily involved in QAnon for years.
“It started with pedophiles. I think it does for a lot of them. They’re scared- they think there’s a powerful group of people who are sex trafficking kids. I get how she fell down that hole to begin with, I just don’t know how she kept falling.”
She fidgets nervously over Zoom, cracking her fingers and fixing her hair. She’s not much older than me, 24 years old, and her purple under-eye circles are visible even via webcam. Her mother died just a few months ago, and I assure her about a hundred times that it is okay if it’s too soon for her, and that we can cut the interview short whenever.
“No, I think it’s really important to talk about. My mom- she wasn’t crazy. She was very conservative, but she wasn’t always a conspiracy theorist. I thought it would get somewhat better after Biden won. I knew she’d be angry, and I assumed she’d believe the election was stolen, but I thought it would fade after a while.”
Unfortunately, it never did. Hannah’s mother took her own life shortly after attending the Capitol riots. She says her last conversation with her mother was on the phone, and that her mother had ended the conversation with screamed obscenities and a forceful hangup.
“I think the hardest part is, I haven’t known my mother for years. I watched her morph into someone I didn’t recognize. She stopped calling, and whenever she did call, it was only to rant. She was hateful. She hadn’t been hateful before.”
Cults have operated similarly in the past, isolating members from those who care about them. Anyone who doesn’t buy into the message the group represents is seen as either a blind sheep or an enemy, and members will try to convince their loved ones until eventually distancing themselves. With QAnon, there is no charming leader that we’ve seen of cults in the past, no communes providing hospitality, or lively church services.
So what is the appeal? Beyond the established child-protection angle, what draws people into this world of conspiracy, dark imagery, and distrust? Several QAnon predictions have failed— Donald Trump being inaugurated instead of President Joe Biden on January 20th, Hillary Clinton’s arrest that never materialized, The Storm that never was of 2017, to name a few. I asked Bear how he’s handled these failed plans.
“Expecting things in specifics is a good way to end up on lithium, LOL.”
There is a plan in place, but understanding the timeline is maddening...Yeah, I've battled with some big dates passing without Justice. Then I realize that everything is bigger than what we think. Nothing has happened yet which cannot be undone, but the people MUST be shown.”
This is reminiscent of the overall attitude in Q communities, in a post-Trump America. The tides are turning, and many members feel that it’s not about Trump anymore, it’s about something much more important.
Ultimately, believers feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. QAnon touched something inside its members. Perhaps they felt unfulfilled before coming across the fringe group, and through memes, theorizing, and discussing with like-minded individuals, have found a purpose. To them, they aren’t spending their days hanging out on message boards— they’re fighting evil. Biden isn’t just a centrist Democrat President, he’s the devil’s spawn looking to pull God out of schools... and our hearts.
“Dig deeper” is a phrase thrown around a lot on Q forums. The idea is that the information proving everything Q has alleged is out there if one only searches with an open mind. And while the only way to fight misinformation is with solid information, what good does that do for a group whose core mantra is to not trust anything the media says? Check on your friends and family- remind them to ignore the #savethechildren Q-based theory circulating social media this month, and focus their efforts instead on reputable anti-trafficking efforts and missing children. Try to only share news stories that have been highly verified and fact-checked. But most importantly, as Q believers often say:
“Enjoy the show. Nothing can stop what is coming.”