The “Q-anon” Deal

The Search for “Q” — From the Mountain

“Q” Goes to Hollywood

Where we go one, we go all, sliding down the rabbit hole of crazy together. The actual rally cry of Q-anon believers is taken from a 1996 movie “White Squall”. The reptilian race of aliens hiding as humans is from the 1983 series “V”. Really. I wouldn’t make this up because I write non-fiction.

There is a great article from the LA Times here that goes deep into the various conspiracy theories and claims and provides links from them to Hollywood sci-fi. You just can’t make this up.

As one will find in the LA Times article, the links to Hollywood are quite accurate, numerous, and hysterical. As Kenneth Johnson, the writer/author and director of “V” put it, “It’s terrifying. It’s weird.” And it’s America today.

Thousands upon thousands of allegedly sane and intelligent people have fallen for this and ruined their lives over it. The fact many of these ‘believers’ are jobless, homeless, living at home with their parents, divorced indicates that some just might have some extenuating issues.

I readily admit, researching and writing this deepens my worries for human society and particularly American society. We are allegedly intelligent beings, residing in a relatively structured, yet free and educated society. I have been trying to rationalize, to understand what this “Q Deal” really is. It makes my head hurt.

Far-Right Conservative Cult Fantasies?

Most non-believers like myself have tied it to far-right conspiracies. After all, many of them support Trump and his MAGA coup-backers. Sheep wandering ever so close to the brink, recognizable by their red ‘Make America Great Again’ hats and “Q” t-shirts. It’s already a proven, one hell of a grifter paradise.

But maybe we (I) have it all backward. And this is why I decided to do a bit of research on “Q”. What got me here I attribute to a couple of articles I read a month or so ago about how certain personality types are drawn to conspiracies, any conspiracy, but especially those that address things in the persons daily life.

And this led me to a Rolling Stone article (here) and an interview with Joseph Uscinski, considered the country’s foremost expert on the topic of the nature of conspiracy theories.

His prognosis is that these Q-Anon believers were not somehow coerced into believing irrational conspiracy theories. Instead, they are predisposed to believe them, to believe any conspiracy theory that fits their need. They are attracted by certain conspiracy theories because they already believe them in some fashion or form and were already searching for theories to bolster their beliefs.

As Uscinski says, people weren’t tricked by the internet into believing these quack theories. Instead, the internet simply gave them what they were already searching for themselves. Kind of like Fox News or Newsmax.

I have read articles this past year that indeed certain people are predisposed to certain mindsets making them easy targets for quackery as I call it.

Who Are These Quackerites?

Making oneself an oddity in society is a sure-fire guaranteed way to attract attention and to have your life studied, prodded, poked, and laughed at. I mean seriously… aliens reptiles that look like humans, who are Democrats running a cabal of pedophiles, and who traffic children from the basement of a pizza shop in New Jersey or wherever, while awaiting the return of Robert Kennedy (he died).

Yes, there are many thousands believing this is real.

I mention the Rolling Stone article and interview with Uscinski because it is a marvelous piece, very informative if not tainted with a bit of humor. As Uscinski documents, approximately 5–7% of society is predisposed to some form of conspiracy theory. Not only predisposed but are already (as he eloquently states) wackadoos.

He mentions he repeatedly reads stories like “my cousin used to be normal” but became this whacked-out follower because of “Q”. His response: “Well, no … your cousin was always a wackadoo. I’m sorry.”

Killing 2 Birds With One Stone

Interestingly, Joseph Uscinski has spent the past three-plus years polling “Q” believers, Republicans, Far-Right Conservatives, and others. His polls are extensive, and the results and the data verify what he states.

His conclusion is there is absolutely no connection between Q-Anon or these other groups, whether Republican or Conservative or Trump supporters or any other group.

But then there’s this. Another recent poll (not one of his) that concluded 62% of Republicans believe in at least one conspiracy theory born of “Q”. So what do I make of this? Well, it makes sense to me then that a majority of Republicans must make up a large part of the 5–7% of society prone to belief in conspiracy theories.

Therefore a majority of Republicans are absolutely wackadoodle. Makes sense right? Logical and all that? This would also explain the Trump phenomenon… these people really are nuts.

So I just killed two birds with one stone so to speak, determining the followers of “Q” and “Trump” both are riding around the country in burning clown cars, which was an unexpected result when I started writing this.

I do try really hard to be both logical and funny.

One Last Tidbit

If you read this article in the NY Times found here, you will find out who “Q” is. He (both of them) have been discovered by linguistic teams using AI. These linguistic sleuths have discovered, with a 98–99% probability, there are two “Qs”. How cool is this?

The humor for me personally though, is this. After 46 years I finally moved from Arizona to Georgia. That Arizona citizens and politicians (Republicans) are riding on a massive crazy train, led by an insane clown posse, helped my decision-making. But, there’s more! One of the two men (Ron Watkins) now identified as “Q”, is now running for the Senate in Arizona.

Perfect or what?

I’m so appreciative of the fact my new representative in Congress, as a result of the move, is none other than Marjorie Taylor Green! Oh, the irony. As with some of my readers, I’m on meds too, so I am able to find this all amusing.