'This is the real story of QAnon - what it is, what it means, and where it goes. And be warned - none of it is pretty.'
It's my turn on the BlogTour The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything by Mike Rothschild. A must read for the 21st century!
Mike Rothschild is a journalist, author, and the foremost expert in this ever-changing QAnon conspiracy theory. He is a contributing writer for the Daily Dot, where he explores the intersections between internet culture and politics through the lens of conspiracy theories. As a subject matter expert in the field of fringe beliefs, Mike has been interviewed by the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN and Yahoo - among many others.
He is also a frequent speaker, and podcast and radio guest on the topic of conspiracy theories, including NPR’s weekly show “On the Media” and a Vice documentary. Rothschild has been studying the QAnon phenomenon since early 2018, and was one of the first journalists not only to reveal its connections to past conspiracy theories and scams, but also to openly address its danger to the American public—and beyond. Follow @rothschildmd on Twitter
About the book
On 5th October 2017, President Trump made a cryptic off-the-cuff remark in the State Dining Room. He called this gathering of top-ranking military officials ‘the calm before the storm’ and refused to elaborate as journalist and politicos inquired further. But on the online message boards of 4chan, elaboration began all on its own. In the days that followed, an anonymous poster spun a yarn inspired by Trump’s remarks satisfied the deepest desires of MAGA-America. Did any of it come to pass? No. Did that stop people from clinging to every word they were reading, expanding its mythology and promoting the theory for years? No.
The first in-depth book on the QAnon phenomenon, The Storm is Upon Us is a guided tour through the conspiracies and cults that first fed the flowering of Q; its embrace by right-wing media and a complex of grifters, gurus, and eventually, former President Donald Trump; the rending of families whose loved ones became swept away by Q’s increasingly violent rhetoric; and ultimately, the storming of the Capitol on January 6, which revealed the full power of the venomous movement for all to see as it unfolded live on national television.
QAnon and their movement are the new extremists. It is a radicalisation of thought and thought process resulting in the willingness to ignore all logic and commit crimes in the name of hive thinking. This is the bane of the 21st century and has been exacerbated in the last year and a half by the pandemic.
In combination with the movement of Q is the rise in the number of conspiracy theorists. Research studies have shown that people who believe in conspiracy theories make connections where non-believers don't. They see patterns, which then validates the theory, at least in their minds.
The rise of Trump, his ilk and their use of fake news, fake data and misinformation is similar to the way Brexit came to pass, through manipulation and false facts. It has created even more people who believe in the oddest of theories and also those theories that are based on a kernel of truth. When you throw the world into a situation of extreme stress, worry and panic it automatically increases the number of people seeking a solution and to ease their distress. It has created hoards of people willing to flock to the dark side - and it is the dark side.
It is a cult of thought. An extremist movement with the same type of hold as a terror organisation - when they act upon their theories they become domestic terrorists. The problem is they mistake their radicalisation for a revelation.
This should be standard reading material for everyone, trying to open eyes and minds one by one. It is hard when the world around us has become so scary that any safe haven is welcomed, even if it's a dangerous one. Kudos to Rothschild for saying it like it is.
Buy The Storm Upon Us at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Published by Monoray pub date 22nd June 2021 | Paperback | 14.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at octopusbooks.co.uk
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