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docrhw Weil's avatar

My mother (1913-2012), a pretty smart lady, used to say that it must be nice to put your brain in park and let other people do the thinking. Unfortunately frightened folks who want “answers” will look for vast conspiracies to explain their problems. And if their leader is appointed by a higher power, then as followers they are automatically the chosen people. The fact that none of this is not logical is beside the point; faith is not based on observable facts.

For example, if “Q” was really a hidden ally dropping “breadcrumb” hints about what is going on, why doesn’t the powerful Secret State just find and kill this person? Or why doesn’t Q go public, putting the evidence out on a thousand channels? Not everything is controlled by “them”. Those who believe in Qanon will, of course, have answers for these questions, not that they are logical. Being one of the elect “in the know” and expecting final victory are what matters.

Ultimately the problem is that desperate people whipped up by a new faith cannot be talked to in any sensible fashion. The YouTube interviews of Jordan Klepper talking to Trump supporters shows this pretty clearly: Facts don’t matter. In fact, experts (and by implication well educated people) are suspect and not to be trusted. What they say is irrelevant or worse as they may be part of the conspiracies claiming that that COVID or climate change are real concerns. Such assertions can make people feel powerless and thus should be ignored. Some followers will come to their senses, but when guns become involved the situation is far more toxic. Trump won’t live forever, but damage he has done and what he has tapped into will keep marching on.

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Michael G Cassidy's avatar

When you add the project of Putin and Russian Intelligence to feed the paranoia, it increases Thom's concerns exponentially.

Who is Q? Is "he" a real person, or a cabal of Russian hackers? I suspect the latter!

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