Q Into The Storm

[baffled]

What the fuck?

I used to think these people were whacky goofballs. Now I'm more concerned for the mental health of this country than ever.

It's a good and interesting series so far, though.

[nafod]

What the fuck?

I used to think these people were whacky goofballs. Now I'm more concerned for the mental health of this country than ever.

Amen

I'm trying to think of a similar mass hallucination.

[Ronald RayGun]

Iffin' you're a fan of crazy, this here is what ya need.

[baffled]

What the fuck?

I used to think these people were whacky goofballs. Now I'm more concerned for the mental health of this country than ever.

Amen

I'm trying to think of a similar mass hallucination.

There have been some other panics, but for the true believers, this is right up there at the top.

I remember the Slenderman thing actually cost at least one kid his life. I don't think the Q people have killed anyone, but that guy who fired into Comet Pizza because he wanted to rescue kids in the non existent basement dungeon could have.

The Watkins are creepy as hell

[nafod]

I’ve been thinking about how to monetize it.

If you can’t beat them, fleece them.

[baffled]

Pretty sure the Q tubers beat you to it

[Fat Cat]

I tried to watch the first episode with my wife, but neither of us could sit through it. I was as uninterested in the doc as I was is QAnon to begin with.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

I don't have any streaming services, so I haven't seen any of this. But I'm wondering if you guys watching the train wreck can riddle me this:
Is the Q shit actually legit in the minds of the followers, or is it just a way for them to identify other right wingers? In other words, do they believe this shit or is it a nod-and-a-wink type of deal?

I see it like I see the flat Earthers. I'm sure there is a very small minority of the people involved in the FE garbage that believe the Earth is flat, but most are just along for the ride to have fun and be "counter culture".

[Bram]

I made it through a few minutes, and found myself staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open, mouth agape, brain shut off, before stopping it.

Then restarted it, and lasted less than ten seconds.

I can't take filling my head with this nonsense: "when I see the number seventeen, I think Q, because Q is the seventeenth letter of the alphabet."

No, thank you.

[baffled]

I don't have any streaming services, so I haven't seen any of this. But I'm wondering if you guys watching the train wreck can riddle me this:
Is the Q shit actually legit in the minds of the followers, or is it just a way for them to identify other right wingers? In other words, do they believe this shit or is it a nod-and-a-wink type of deal?

I see it like I see the flat Earthers. I'm sure there is a very small minority of the people involved in the FE garbage that believe the Earth is flat, but most are just along for the ride to have fun and be "counter culture".

I think most are/were true believers. There weren't that many Qanon people to begin with, and when you see some of the video and pictures of their get togethers, they weren't really packing in anything other than conference rooms. They'd be there in small groups at rallies or whatever, but the republicans have their cult of personality that's a little worse than the dems had with Obama. We'll see whether the Trump family keeps its grip on the party or if someone new shows up who is Trumpy, but not quite as caustic. Maybe a Desantis type since he's having a moment in Florida. If so, I don't think the Q stuff will factor since they've been scrubbed from YouTube, 8Chan is all but defunct, and most have kind of had their world's collapsed on them.

A lot of people, both left and right, feel like their side got cheated in every election because nobody trusts anyone anymore. When you look at a lot of the rallies, protests and counter protests, Q people play a really small part. Whether they're having a disproportionate impact or not, I don't really know.

[Fat Cat]

I made it through a few minutes, and found myself staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open, mouth agape, brain shut off, before stopping it.

Then restarted it, and lasted less than ten seconds.

I can't take filling my head with this nonsense: "when I see the number seventeen, I think Q, because Q is the seventeenth letter of the alphabet."

No, thank you.

Don't take this personally, but this reaction is what I don't understand. If the whole Epstein scandal laid one thing bare, it's that there really is an elite--with ex-presidents, moguls, and movie stars among them--in this country that considers themselves above the law and engages in a lifestyle of objectionable behavior, to include sex trafficking and pedophilia. That's not made up or delusional in the slightest, and if some people see that and assume it's part of a larger conspiracy, that's hardly surprising.

[Bram]

Don't take this personally, but this reaction is what I don't understand. If the whole Epstein scandal laid one thing bare, it's that there really is an elite--with ex-presidents, moguls, and movie stars among them--in this country that considers themselves above the law and engages in a lifestyle of objectionable behavior, to include sex trafficking and pedophilia. That's not made up or delusional in the slightest, and if some people see that and assume it's part of a larger conspiracy, that's hardly surprising.

Do I believe that sex trafficking and pedophilia exists? Yes.

Do I believe that high-powered and wealthy people engage in it? Yes.

Do I think Q-Anon is a bunch of bullshit, piggy-backing on these truths? Yes.

Filling my head with weirdo nonsense (Q is the 17th letter, there’s 17 varieties of Krispy Kreme’s?!), attached as it may be to kernels of truth, ain’t the way I want to roll.

[Fat Cat]

Don't take this personally, but this reaction is what I don't understand. If the whole Epstein scandal laid one thing bare, it's that there really is an elite--with ex-presidents, moguls, and movie stars among them--in this country that considers themselves above the law and engages in a lifestyle of objectionable behavior, to include sex trafficking and pedophilia. That's not made up or delusional in the slightest, and if some people see that and assume it's part of a larger conspiracy, that's hardly surprising.

Do I believe that sex trafficking and pedophilia exists? Yes.

Do I believe that high-powered and wealthy people engage in it? Yes.

Do I think Q-Anon is a bunch of bullshit, piggy-backing on these truths? Yes.

Filling my head with weirdo nonsense (Q is the 17th letter, there’s 17 varieties of Krispy Kreme’s?!), attached as it may be to kernels of truth, ain’t the way I want to roll.

I'm the last person on earth that would want to convince you of the validity of QAnon. I couldn't even watch the documentary, it made my head hurt. My point, which I think you kind of get based on your response, is that there are certain ideas at the core of their narrative that have merit, and which almost encourage conspiratorial speculation. I mean, if Epstein didn't kill himself, what other evils are out there, hidden from view? And once that threshold has been crossed, it's difficult to avoid a descent into the weird paranoia and fantasies that emerged as QAnon.

[Bram]

Gotcha.

I watched one of the Epstein documentaries on Netflix, which is as nauseating and evil as it gets. And there's a ton of loose threads there attached to the high and mighty.

QAnon seems like a red herring for a big issue, so I avoid it, but seeing all those young people traumatized is fucking horrible. A just world would see people punished :(

[Fat Cat]

QAnon seems like a red herring for a big issue, so I avoid it, but seeing all those young people traumatized is fucking horrible. A just world would see people punished :(

Right. I think that the reason the whole Q crowd attracts older, boomer types is because it allows them to inject some meaning into their lives by casting themselves as part of a crusade against true evil, instead of powerless plebs feeling increasingly alienated in a changing and often scary world.

[Bram]

I hope I can find meaning via working on being a better personal trainer and surfer.

I don't want to neglect all the other things that are important (a strong global education, a healthy global environment, justice and opportunity for all), but it's challenging to know the best ways to help those goals bear fruit.

:(

[baffled]

QAnon seems like a red herring for a big issue, so I avoid it, but seeing all those young people traumatized is fucking horrible. A just world would see people punished :(

Right. I think that the reason the whole Q crowd attracts older, boomer types is because it allows them to inject some meaning into their lives by casting themselves as part of a crusade against true evil, instead of powerless plebs feeling increasingly alienated in a changing and often scary world.

Agreed. I have an aunt, and two of my parents' closest friends that were into the Q stuff. All 65 and older.

The younger are starting to turn to the fringes of the respective political wings. The Q stuff was just weird and sad to see people latch onto something when they so clearly just wanted to feel like they were part of something bigger.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

The thing with these conspiracy theories is the kernel of truth that gets thrown into the reductio ad absurdum blender, to the point that it's beyond comical.
It's not like it's a secret that a VERY small group of VERY powerful people/corporations run this rock. They don't try to hide it, they just try to placate the masses through a combination of bread and circus and playing one side against the other. Brilliant strategy. If you can keep the public dumbed down on reality TV and sports while convincing them that their real enemy is the "other side" of the political spectrum, you can rob them blind of both their money and their liberty.
Until ANTIFA/BLM/Proud Boys/etc. come together and realize they're fighting the wrong fight, it's the "elites" laughing all the way to the bank.
I'm done with all of it. I can't change any policy, I can only control me and my reactions to the bullshit. So I've chosen to withdraw and just enjoy my cycling and try to find a way to get to the woods as much as I can.

[Gene]

Until ANTIFA/BLM/Proud Boys/etc. come together and realize they're fighting the wrong fight, it's the "elites" laughing all the way to the bank.

They come together to fight because they're manipulated to fight.