The Black Death inspired the flagellants — it seems to be a common human response to extremes of stress, that they may fall into religious manias and magical thinking. Our modern American equivalent, in response to a threat nowhere near as severe as the Black Death, seems to be QAnon and the cult of Trumpism. The cult of Q emerged from an unlikely place.
Yet, a consensus of leading researchers and critics who study and debunk QAnon disinformation told ABC News that a key to identifying “Q” has been hiding in plain sight for years — on a pig farm south of Manila in the Philippines — at least until recently.
And now it’s growing fast.
At least 24 candidates who have “endorsed or given credence to the conspiracy theory or promoted QAnon content” — 22 Republicans and two independents — have secured a spot on the ballot in the 2020 congressional elections, according to the media watchdog Media Matters, though it remains unclear how many could actually win their races. Last month, one candidate who pollsters say is almost certain to win her heavily GOP district in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, appeared to rescind her previous support for QAnon, telling Fox News that “once I started finding misinformation, I decided that I would choose another path.”
We also know who Q is now. It’s Jim Watkins.
This is the deranged conservative wackjob so many people have been following, hanging on his every insinuation, “prophecy”, and whisper. The cult is already doing real harm, beyond just seducing people into a loony religion. People have been murdered over this, crackpots have been threatening people, all over this nonsensical claim of “saving the children” from imaginary pedophiles. Most commonly, it’s been destroying families as individuals get lured into kooky conspiracy theories.
I think I’d prefer flagellants. If you’re a Q enthusiast, just go away right now.
It’s a minor point, maybe not really substantive, but ABC doesn’t report that Watkins actually writes the posts. He is the publisher, however. It’s not clear that he started the whole thing, more likely he took it over opportunistically, and while his motive is pecuniary, there may be others who are creating the actual content for other reasons. Don’t rule out Russian intelligence, he’s just the conduit.
Is that really true?
How do you/they know that anyway?
I do have a theory and strong feeling that someone in the US “Intelligence” community knows.
You know the alphabet soup people, DHS, FBI, CIA, NSA, DIA, etc..
Our spy agencies.
Given their vast resources, how could they not already know?
These are the people that found bin Laden and took down the dark web drug selling site, Silk Road, after all.
Oddly enough, even if we find out who Qanon is, it probably won’t stop the cult.
Jesus Christ isn’t dead.
He shows up often.
The Moonies guy, Moon was JC II.
This guy in Russia is also JC II.
Both JC II’s were crucified, which these days means spending a year or two in jail.
And both cults are still around.
I just said on Twitter today that if the true Q believers wanted to prove themselves right to the world, all they need to do is pool their money and start making purchases on Wayfair, then make unboxing videos while recording from the delivery being made to the box contents being emptied.
Reading.
Raven’s.
Comments.
Leaves.
Me.
Exhausted.
Paragraphs.
Raven.
Paragraphs.
Reading.
Raven’s.
Comments.
Leaves.
Me.
Exhausted.
Paragraphs.
Raven.
Paragraphs.
OK
Don’t
Read
Them
Please
Hoo boy, if anyone looks like a pedophile….These people are aces of projection.
He & his son run it – AFTER their child-porn ring via 8chan went south (which was AFTER the 4chan pedo-ring went south..) Their former business partner is like a deranged member of the lollipop-guild in a wheelchair stroking a Pomeranian.
@#7, rabbitbrush:
Since over 90% of sexual abuse of minors is done by family and authority figures approved by the family (like pastors), “somebody who looks like a pedophile” is presumably somebody who looks like they’re related to a child.
Behind the bastards interviewed Watkins.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/105-behind-the-bastards-29236323/episode/the-man-trying-to-resurrect-8chan-52653860/
He sounds like a pathetic, whining, sack of shit hiding behind (naturally) the pose of free expression.
@#8
Are you referring to Fredrick Brennan? He’s actually a pretty okay guy now, and has devoted a lot of time and resources to shutting 8chan down. Several podcasts that dig into and debunk QAnon (for example, QAnon Anonymous) have done extensive interviews with him. I recommend listening to them before jumping to conclusions.
Also, there’s not a lot of evidence that Watkins is Q, or that he is the originator (there are several theories about who that was, and it’s generally accepted that the title has changed hands multiple times) — he certainly plays a huge role in its popularisation, though, and is a truly bizarre and creepy man.
@raven #2 “…even if we find out who Qanon is, it probably won’t stop the cult.”
I’m reminded of James Randi’s great Carlos hoax. perpetrated on Australia in 1988. He essentially snookered the entirety of Australia, whose incredulous media didn’t bother to perform even minimal background checking of them. To wit: if they’s even bothered to call the phone number in the press packets, they’d have found a non-working number. In the end, one reporter, a ringer, asked Carlos the simple question “how did you do it?” To which he answered “I cheated,” and then went on to explain how. The pertinent point for me is that the Carlos converts still believed in it after that reveal!
Is he taking personal hygiene lessons from his tenants?
Slate has an update of sorts on the Watkins Hypothesis and other Q reportage.
I’m guessing that Jim Watkins is still angry that Bill Lumbergh took his red Swingline stapler.