What Makes People Fall for QAnon?

“I have three best friends here in the Seattle area, and one of them just fell down that rabbit hole,” said Seattle resident Cindy Roberts. “She really thinks that there are hundreds of thousands of kids being trafficked, and that Donald Trump is going to save them. My take is this: She just beat breast cancer last year, and that’s a hard thing to happen, and things are getting better. But it’s like she just wants to be this warrior.”

Like countless other Americans whose loved ones have become hypnotized by QAnon—the conspiracy movement that believes a cabal of Satan-worshiping deep state actors are out to get Trump—Cindy Roberts now fears her friend is past the point of no return. “She just acts like we aren’t woke enough to get it, you know?”

The Twitter account @SupportQAnon—which bills itself as a “support group for family members of people in the qanon cult & those who have left it”—has been a comforting place for individuals who have watched love ones fall prey to the messaging fromQAnon. Others have found solace in the subreddit “r/QAnonCasualties,” where people share personal stories about their experience: “Qparent Now Thinks Democrats are Nazis,” says one post, and “Writing a letter to my Dad about losing him to the qult; should I be pulling punches?” reads another.

These groups certainly provide some sense of support, but they still leave people wondering: How can their ordinary and seemingly rational friends, neighbors, or loved ones actually believe that Hillary Clinton sacrifices chickens to pagan deities in her backyard? Or that Tom Hanks tortures children so that he can harvest“adrenochrome” from their blood? QAnon has been around for just a few years, but it has gained traction online precisely because it plays on psychological phenomena that have been around for millennia. 

Create a free account
Access additional articles and newsletters for no cost, no credit card information needed. Continue ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN IN
Comments (24)
Join The Dispatch to participate in the comments.
 
  • Thank you for taking the time to write and research this sad phenomenon. It's very difficult to watch people you care about go down this path.

    Collapse
  • QAnon, greaT story. But why only pick on right wing conspiracies ? The are plenty of similar examples on the left. ‘’Trump’s an agent of Russia”. There’s b.s. in all humanity. Is this journalism?

    Collapse
  • A really well done article. This kind of piece is one of the reasons I subscribe.

    Collapse
  • This reminds me of Andrew comparing, in his first Dispatch Podcast guest appearance, the "Front Row Joes" (Trump fans who make a point to going to ALL the Rallies) to the Juggalos (fans of the band Insane Clown Posse), and it seems many conspiracy theorists also form similar groups, in which the sense of being out of step with and misunderstood by mainstream society, results in very strong in-group ties that are very difficult to renounce.

    I will note that although QAnon itself started as a conspiracy theory involving Trump basically being an anti-pedophile secret agent, many elements of it are hardly new. The idea of a shadowy cabal involving many prominent society members, not only molesting kids but murdering them, eating their brains, drinking their blood ... well, that strikes me as having chilling similarities to anti-Semitic conspiracy theories such as the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" , which itself was a 20th century update of the age-old "blood libel" that accuses Jews of kidnapping and drinking the blood of children.

    Sadly, "a group of elite Jews controls the world" is a theory that many, many people accept not as a nebulous conspiracy theory only understood by some Really Smart People, but Obvious Fact. I have seen people who don't fit most of the "tin foil hatted conspiracy theorist" stereotypes state as Obvious Fact that, for example, George Soros is paying left wing protesters.

    To be fair, I'd also concede that the Spy Novel version of "Russiagate" pushed by Seth Abramson and to a lesser extent by Rachel Maddow and more mainstream leftists, was also a conspiracy theory, and many anti-Trump "Resistance" types still firmly believe it. They think Mueller was either too incompetent to find out, or had the scope of his investigation excessively constrained by Rosenstein and other higher-ups, or was himself part of the conspiracy, and protected Trump because "after all, he's a Republican too, and ALL Republicans are EVUL!" (Ironic how both the Russiagate and QAnon True Believers think Trump and Mueller were in cahoots, BTW). And that brings me to the problem with conspiracy theories; most of them are basically unfalsifiable.

    They also seem to be especially attractive to emotionally disturbed people. I thankfully don't know any QAnon people in real life. But a young woman running a Twitter account I initially followed as a fairly pedestrian anti-Trump account, has degenerated in the last 2 months. First, she started to talk about how depressed, anxious, and suicidal she was. She went from supporting Biden to supporting Trump. Then she decided Pizzagate had some basis in fact, before eventually going all-in on it. Then she started interacting with QAnon accounts, and finally declared allegiance to the cause herself. Scary. But she actually seems much happier now that she is a virtual card-carrying member of a group of conspiracy theorists, than when her beliefs were much more mainstream.

    Collapse
    1. "She actually seems much happier now." Being part of something "big" may give her a temporary sense of purpose and belonging, but I would be a bit concerned how being a part of this will turn out for her mental health in the long run, given the history you describe.

      Collapse
      1. I certainly do fear what will happen to her mental health if Trump loses, though I suspect the Q cult will adjust and reinvent themselves as an anti- Biden / Democrat cult more than a pro-Trump one.

        Collapse
  • I wouldn't be at all surprised if the whole QAnon phenomenon was a successful Russian disinformation campaign.

    Collapse
  • Great job, Audrey!
    It breaks your heart to see people you know and care about sucked down the drain into this sewer. It has always gone on to one degree or another, but it has been increasingly intense and seemingly endless in the last year. There's a coin shortage which equals cashless society and the mark of the beast to them. Every meme has some ominous message of fear or doom. And, of course, the abduction of children is far worse than most of us can imagine!
    I can't keep up with all of them. They see it and accept the veracity of some person they don't know. Then accentuate it with a hashtag. I've resigned myself that the people I once knew who have fallen for this sewage may never again be the lovely souls I once knew.

    Collapse
  • Conspiracies are very hard to pull off and even harder (I would say impossible) to keep covered up forever. In other words, the truth is likely to eventually come out, even if it takes a hundred years. My question: What examples are there of conspiracy theories from the past which have been proven true in time? To qualify, it must be a theory which was dismissed (perhaps even "debunked") by popular media & the overhwhelming majority of people in its day, but later (say, for example after government records were unsealed, or a co-conspirator eventually confessed, etc.) was proven to be true, and was eventually universally accepted as true after all. Any examples come to mind?

    Collapse
    1. Chemical and mind control testing on unwitting citizens ;) Chemical weapons testing and general distrust of the US government in the 50's and 60's invited quite a few theories regarding illegal government testing programs. Narrowing it down, the very brief period of time between when details about MKUltra were first leaked and dismissed, and when it was confirmed and congressionally investigated might meet your criteria. This definitely isn't something I've researched though, and I don't know that there was a single conspiracy theory that actually lined up well with the CIA's program as it existed; keeping things vague seems to be a defense mechanism for some conspiracy theories.

      Collapse
  • I don't disagree with any of this but it brings this question to mind: If you think that conspiracy theories take root fastest in people looking for an answer and control to a confusing situation, why has it taken off so far and so fast in the Evangelical Christian community? You would think that a belief in the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ would make it almost impossible for these kinds of things to get any traction. Maybe that says more about the state of Christianity than it does anything else.

    I went down a rabbit hole reading about the McMartin Preschool abuse case in the '80s and so much of this sounds familiar, without the amplification that Social Media and multiple competing news channels to blow it up.

    Collapse
    1. John, I assume your question is sincere. Jesus answered it many times. He said, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me". He also called Satan the father of lies. People who believe lies, even when faced with the truth, are placing themselves in spiritual jeopardy. Christ told his followers over and over again to "be on guard," in particular for the yeast (sin) of Herod and the yeast of the Pharisees. One represents the sins of the flesh, the other of the heart. He then defines the sin of the Pharisees as "hypocrisy." (And he told them that they were going to Hell btw).
      American Christianity has been about the show of righteousness, rather than obedience to Christ. Modern day Pharisees are quick to point out the obvious sinners, but haven't guarded their hearts. Reread the Beatitudes and see if the church espouses any of those values anymore. As Tozer said 60+ years ago, "blessed" in our culture is the exact opposite of what Christ considered to be "blessed".
      One more thing: Discernment is one of the spiritual gifts. It is for recognizing and exposing false teaching. Sadly those voices are in the pews and not the pulpits today. We have an evangelical leadership that silences dissent and presents itself as as united in politics. Just last week a prominent pastor told the President "true Christians" support him. Sounds to me like, "we have no king but Caesar!" And we know how that worked out.

      Collapse
      1. I was baptized at age 11 and grew up in a Protestant church, I have been a deacon/elder/board member in more thanone church, I appreciate your comment and I am sure it's sincerely held.

        But, this to me illustrates exactly the problem. This is one of those standard responses that Christians give when they run into other Christians who disagree with them. If you just read the Bible and prayed for help with 'discernment' you would see you were wrong. The Christian Culture Warriors who are sitting in front of FaceBook firing off QAnon posts as fast as they can type would say exactly the same thing about you. They would tell you that you need to pray for help in discerning the will of God. Clearly you don't see that the Forces of Satan are at work in the Democrats and Progressives and are hellbent on taking away your God Given Rights to worship as you see fit, and to own firearms, and to say 'Merry Christmas'. You don't understand God's Mysterious Ways because your faith is weak and you are under the grasp of the Evil One.

        That's not overdramatic, by the way. I know because that's what I have heard so many times when people are having issues and ask for help. It's always the person having the problem's fault.

        Collapse
        1. You are right. I do need to be on guard. Both sides do say that about each other. I do hope for us all, the standard will be the truth. When "my side" says something that is a lie, I hope I will be just as quick to call the person out, as when it is the other side. I think we can agree that we can't put our hope in any kingdom of this world whether Republican or Democrat. I am guilty of that in the past and don't want to go back there. Thanks for your reply John!

          Collapse
    2. Many American evangelical Christians do find themselves in a deeply disorienting and confusing situation: the abrupt loss of the culture war over LGBT rights and the shift of social norms to the point where their views are not only likely to bring opprobrium but could lead to job loss. That's tested the robustness of their faith in the sovereignty and grace of God, and has clearly led many to succumb to fear and just echo back the hostility they feel from the world. (We're also talking about a mostly white evangelical population, so the demographic shift toward a minority-white America contributes to many people's disorientation and sense of losing influence.)

      On top of all that, we're reaping the fruits of the oppositional stance many evangelical leaders have taken for years toward the authority of major social institutions that can shore up a sense of shared reality: don't trust scientists, don't trust the mass media, just trust what you hear from inside the bubble, from people who use the language of evangelical faith. And Q speaks "evangelical" like a native.

      Collapse
      1. I cannot like this post enough. Thank you, deeply, for writing this. It is clear, concise, and helps me with a mental framework to view this problem. May you sleep well tonight, and may your coffee tomorrow be just right.

        Collapse
    3. I think it might say more about the state of the individual Christian, particularly in the U.S. An apparent devotion to one's faith and helping others vs. belief in a conspiracy theories seems to be an inverse relationship in my own (albeit limited) experience among friends and acquaintances. It may serve as a very unfortunate substitute for faith as well.
      I recall a minister at a former church having a service regarding Y2K (remember that?) and calmly debunking the hype with the aid of a computer expert, but also debunking the panic from a spiritual aspect. It may be there is need for much more of that same calm response from pulpits today when some of the online world seems to have turned into the "misinformation superhighway."
      Our current minister (we are still online) began the first series of online services with brief CDC recommendations for not spreading Covid as a way of caring for others. Our food bank changed to curbside pickup rather than shopping inside, and anyone who volunteers there needs to be masked, temp checked, and gloved. Someone is still free to believe Covid is a "hoax" but at least they know the church is not supporting them in that.

      Collapse
      1. Not sure if I was clear here--the most devout (meaning their lives--as opposed to just their words--actually demonstrate their faith) seem to be the least conspiratorial and worried.

        Collapse
    4. It’s not necessarily out of place. Yes, Christians ought to be focused on loving and serving even their enemies, but there are plenty of apocalyptic scriptures about end times and persecution. From my point of view, those are there to help me not be surprised if things are hard and to be patient with it. But if someone has a propensity to believe conspiracies, everything bad that happens to them was planned ahead by enemies of Christ.

      Collapse
    5. It says a great deal about the state of Christianity, which has devolved into a deeply toxic blend of religion and politics. Jesus was hardly a rightie.

      Collapse
  • While I think there are some people who truly believe in this garbage, I suspect that pundits from every side are overthinking it.

    The Republican party is no longer a *political party* for the majority of its voters anymore, it is their *tribe*. It's much more akin to ones loyalty to a sports team, but with the power of the law mixed in.

    And QAnon is now part of the Republican tribe, so Republicans "believe" in the conspiracy theories **because they think professing to believe them will help their team win**. And yes, Christianity has the same status for many as well.

    At some point more pundits and press will understand the pattern here: if it supports Trump, then it's true, if it doesn't, then it's false. Absolutely nothing else matters now.

    Collapse
  • Load More