QAnon (3 Viewers)

[Dragon]

This organisation and its reach is seriously scary. When the head of the New York Police Department's second-largest police union openly shows his support of this "organisation" then something is seriously wrong!

The head of the New York Police Department's second-largest police union gave a television interview Friday afternoon while sitting in front of a mug emblazoned with QAnon imagery and slogans.

The mug behind Mullins featured the word "QANON" and the hashtag #WWG1WGA, which stands for "where we go one, we go all," a popular slogan among QAnon supporters. At the center of the mug was a large letter Q, which refers to a supposed government insider who, according to QAnon supporters, posts cryptic clues on the Internet about the "deep state."


More than a year ago, the FBI reportedly assessed that QAnon was a dangerous movement that was likely to inspire its most extreme members to commit violent acts of domestic terrorism.

In recent weeks, QAnon supporters have been posting videos of themselves reciting an oath and repeating the "where we go one, we go all" catchphrase that is seen on the mug. They say they are preparing "digital soldiers" for an apocalyptic reckoning, when thousands of "deep state" pedophiles will be arrested and prosecuted at military courts at Guantanamo Bay.

https://us.cnn.com/2020/07/17/us/head-nypd-union-qanon-mug/index.html

 

[cuddlemonkey]

Today's winner in the Stupid Games lottery
=============================
A leading QAnon promoter who urged both her followers and strangers she passed on the street not to take the COVID vaccine died Thursday of the coronavirus, making her just the latest vaccine opponent killed by the disease.

Cirsten Weldon had amassed tens of thousands of followers across right-wing social media networks by promoting the pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy under the screenname “CirstenW.” She was prominent enough to become a sort of QAnon interpreter for comedian conspiracy theorist Roseanne Barr, and started recording videos about QAnon with her.

Weldon focused on attacking vaccines and other efforts to fight COVID-19, saying in one video that Dr. Anthony Fauci “needs to be hung from a rope.” She claimed the vaccine killed people, and even recorded herself yelling at people standing in line to receive vaccines.

“The vaccines kill, don’t get it!” Weldon warned the waiting vaccine recipients in an undated video posted to one of her online accounts. “This is how gullible these idiots are. They’re all getting vaccine!”...

MSN

At the risk of being labeled hateful and vile... good.

 

[superchuck500]

He dedicated years of his life to QAnon. One day made him question it all.

Unlike so many fellow conspiracy theorists, Justin would ultimately crawl out of the dark place his own mind had taken him. His first steps began at the U.S. Capitol.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Complex Kid]

He dedicated years of his life to QAnon. One day made him question it all.

Unlike so many fellow conspiracy theorists, Justin would ultimately crawl out of the dark place his own mind had taken him. His first steps began at the U.S. Capitol.

www.nbcnews.com

The mob, the flag, the violence. Justin thought: It didn’t feel right.

“It got me,” he later said. “I was supposed to be a part of a movement, but did I just get duped?’”


Hey man I just came for the mass execution of Hollywood actors, politicians and journalists who I thought were pedophiles and the military to take over the government what is this mob violence stuff!!??!?!!!

 

[MT15]

This is a pretty good summary of the appeal of conspiracy theories for a lot of people:

 

[Optimus Prime]

For those who thought Pizzagate wasn’t quite silly enough
====================================

After spending years coming after furniture and pizza, QAnon followers are finally ruining life for butterflies and those who enjoy them.

Far-right conspiracy theories have latched onto baseless claims that major Texas butterfly sanctuary is a hub for sex trafficking, leading to real-world threats against the sanctuary’s staff. On Thursday, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, sent out an email blast letting supporters know that the hub would be closed from Friday through Sunday “due to credible threats we have received from a former state official.”

You might be scratching your head about why a bunch of conspiracy theorists are losing their shirt over the National Butterfly Center, a nature sanctuary whose claim to fame is housing more than 240 species of butterflies. But it’s not the butterflies at issue here (thank goodness), it’s where the sanctuary is located.

The center is located right on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, it’s the site of one of the biggest border wall fights during the Trump era. The former president wanted to build a wall along the refuge, sparking an outpouring of anger and a two-year campaign to stop construction because of the threat it would pose to the delicate ecosystems. (This was a common theme in the Trump era, and the sections of the wall that were built have already seen that play out.)..........

QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Force Butterfly Sanctuary to Shut Down

Sadly, this isn't the first time that the National Butterfly Center has been forced to take cover from QAnon followers—and it likely won't be the last.

gizmodo.com

 

[MT15]

Oh good lord, it’s like a mass psychosis.

 

[Taurus]

For those who thought Pizzagate wasn’t quite silly enough
====================================

After spending years coming after furniture and pizza, QAnon followers are finally ruining life for butterflies and those who enjoy them.

Far-right conspiracy theories have latched onto baseless claims that major Texas butterfly sanctuary is a hub for sex trafficking, leading to real-world threats against the sanctuary’s staff. On Thursday, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, sent out an email blast letting supporters know that the hub would be closed from Friday through Sunday “due to credible threats we have received from a former state official.”

You might be scratching your head about why a bunch of conspiracy theorists are losing their shirt over the National Butterfly Center, a nature sanctuary whose claim to fame is housing more than 240 species of butterflies. But it’s not the butterflies at issue here (thank goodness), it’s where the sanctuary is located.

The center is located right on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, it’s the site of one of the biggest border wall fights during the Trump era. The former president wanted to build a wall along the refuge, sparking an outpouring of anger and a two-year campaign to stop construction because of the threat it would pose to the delicate ecosystems. (This was a common theme in the Trump era, and the sections of the wall that were built have already seen that play out.)..........

QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Force Butterfly Sanctuary to Shut Down

Sadly, this isn't the first time that the National Butterfly Center has been forced to take cover from QAnon followers—and it likely won't be the last.

gizmodo.com

Why can't we harness this power for good?
Marches and protests for better wages, clean water, better healthcare...can't we point the crazies somewhere useful?

 

[Optimus Prime]

For those who thought Pizzagate wasn’t quite silly enough
====================================

After spending years coming after furniture and pizza, QAnon followers are finally ruining life for butterflies and those who enjoy them.

Far-right conspiracy theories have latched onto baseless claims that major Texas butterfly sanctuary is a hub for sex trafficking, leading to real-world threats against the sanctuary’s staff. On Thursday, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, sent out an email blast letting supporters know that the hub would be closed from Friday through Sunday “due to credible threats we have received from a former state official.”

You might be scratching your head about why a bunch of conspiracy theorists are losing their shirt over the National Butterfly Center, a nature sanctuary whose claim to fame is housing more than 240 species of butterflies. But it’s not the butterflies at issue here (thank goodness), it’s where the sanctuary is located.

The center is located right on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, it’s the site of one of the biggest border wall fights during the Trump era. The former president wanted to build a wall along the refuge, sparking an outpouring of anger and a two-year campaign to stop construction because of the threat it would pose to the delicate ecosystems. (This was a common theme in the Trump era, and the sections of the wall that were built have already seen that play out.)..........

QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Force Butterfly Sanctuary to Shut Down

Sadly, this isn't the first time that the National Butterfly Center has been forced to take cover from QAnon followers—and it likely won't be the last.

gizmodo.com

 

[H B Lowrey]

At the risk of being labeled hateful and vile... good.

Yeah well, I don't mind at all either. No one's labels mean anything to me.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Well, this doesn’t sound scary at all
======================

QAnon, the extremist conspiracy movement whose followers believe Donald Trump is waging war against the “deep state”, appears to have instigated a nationwide effort to take control of the US election process in critical battleground states ahead of America’s 2024 presidential election.

In recent months concern has risen over the coordinated efforts of at least 15 candidates – committed to Trump’s “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen from him – who are now running to serve as chief election officials in key swing states.

At least eight of the candidates standing for secretary of state positions have formed an alliance in which they share tactics and tips for success, details of which the Guardian revealed last month.

Should any of the candidates be elected, they would be in prime position to distort or even overturn election results in favor of Trump or another preferred presidential candidate in ways that could have a profound impact on or even determine the national outcome.

All the big lie candidates vying to gain control of election counts at state level present themselves as Republicans. It is now emerging that QAnon played a critical role in steering far-right candidates towards the secretary of state races as part of what appears to be a calculated nationwide assault on American democracy.

“This is the way that QAnon could trigger a constitutional crisis,” said Alex Kaplan, senior researcher at the watchdog Media Matters for America who is a close observer of the conspiracy theory. “QAnon is linked to an effort to recruit and elect candidates to positions directly controlling election administrations, and given their ties to harming democracy, that is very concerning.”………

‘We have a project’: QAnon followers eye swing state election official races

As part of a calculated assault on democracy, QAnon steered far-right candidates toward secretary of state contests

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

Using Wordle to lessen Qanon's influence
====================================

Erin was running out of patience with her mother's QAnon obsession.

"My mom thinks my sister and I have graphene in us or something from the (coronavirus) vaccine," Erin told Insider, referring to a QAnon conspiracy theory that vaccinated people have graphene oxide, a substance used in medicine and biotechnology, in their bodies. Erin requested she and her mother's names be changed to protect their privacy. "She believes the 5G stuff. Governments conducting weather warfare. She reads about all this stuff, then calls her closest friends to fill them in."

"We don't talk about conspiracies or even regular news anymore because it's become a minefield," she added.

Erin, 40, said her relationship with her 71-year-old mother, Lisa, took a turn when she introduced Wordle, the five-letter word game that has swept the Internet, into her life. Erin, who lives with Lisa in Gainesville, Florida, began playing and shared it with her mom, who initially blew her off because "she was always 'too busy' doom-scrolling."

Since distracting Lisa with Worlde, Erin said her mother has been noticeably happier and word games have kept her mother from sharing stories about celebrities drinking adrenochrome from babies.

"In recent days, she's spent up to 2 or 3 hours on word puzzles. It's not that she's quit reading and believing conspiracies, but she has been devoting far less time to it. I've noticed she's been in a perkier, happier mood, too," she said.

Erin couldn't have imagined her mother, a well-educated woman with two master's degrees, would fall for the QAnon movement, which revolves around a baseless far-right conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump was secretly fighting an elite "deep state" cabal of human traffickers. However, Lisa was also gullible, Erin said. She was gradually "sucked into" a whirlwind of conspiracy theories after a family member introduced her to QAnon in 2019.

When Erin's father died in 2021, Lisa lost the one person she would listen to and he "would have never gone for any of this nonsense," Erin said.

A deep dive and investment in conspiracy theories isn't something that randomly happens to someone, according to Joseph Uscinski, a political science professor at the University of Miami and co-author of American Conspiracy Theories. Rather, people have preconceived tendencies and beliefs that make them susceptible to conspiracy theories.

"What made that person go to the internet in the first place to look into this thing? They didn't slip on a banana peel and become a QAnon believer," Uscinski told Insider.

According to Uscinski's research, only a certain percentage of people – he estimates 5 to 7% – will be predisposed to believe a certain type of anti-establishment conspiracy theory, he told Rolling Stone..............

MSN

 

[insidejob]

Using Wordle to lessen Qanon's influence
====================================

Erin was running out of patience with her mother's QAnon obsession.

"My mom thinks my sister and I have graphene in us or something from the (coronavirus) vaccine," Erin told Insider, referring to a QAnon conspiracy theory that vaccinated people have graphene oxide, a substance used in medicine and biotechnology, in their bodies. Erin requested she and her mother's names be changed to protect their privacy. "She believes the 5G stuff. Governments conducting weather warfare. She reads about all this stuff, then calls her closest friends to fill them in."

"We don't talk about conspiracies or even regular news anymore because it's become a minefield," she added.

Erin, 40, said her relationship with her 71-year-old mother, Lisa, took a turn when she introduced Wordle, the five-letter word game that has swept the Internet, into her life. Erin, who lives with Lisa in Gainesville, Florida, began playing and shared it with her mom, who initially blew her off because "she was always 'too busy' doom-scrolling."

Since distracting Lisa with Worlde, Erin said her mother has been noticeably happier and word games have kept her mother from sharing stories about celebrities drinking adrenochrome from babies.

"In recent days, she's spent up to 2 or 3 hours on word puzzles. It's not that she's quit reading and believing conspiracies, but she has been devoting far less time to it. I've noticed she's been in a perkier, happier mood, too," she said.

Erin couldn't have imagined her mother, a well-educated woman with two master's degrees, would fall for the QAnon movement, which revolves around a baseless far-right conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump was secretly fighting an elite "deep state" cabal of human traffickers. However, Lisa was also gullible, Erin said. She was gradually "sucked into" a whirlwind of conspiracy theories after a family member introduced her to QAnon in 2019.

When Erin's father died in 2021, Lisa lost the one person she would listen to and he "would have never gone for any of this nonsense," Erin said.

A deep dive and investment in conspiracy theories isn't something that randomly happens to someone, according to Joseph Uscinski, a political science professor at the University of Miami and co-author of American Conspiracy Theories. Rather, people have preconceived tendencies and beliefs that make them susceptible to conspiracy theories.

"What made that person go to the internet in the first place to look into this thing? They didn't slip on a banana peel and become a QAnon believer," Uscinski told Insider.

According to Uscinski's research, only a certain percentage of people – he estimates 5 to 7% – will be predisposed to believe a certain type of anti-establishment conspiracy theory, he told Rolling Stone..............

MSN

Jesus. This reminds me of the story I read yesterday where Wordle saved some woman's life after she didn't respond to her daughter's game. Someone had broken into the woman's home and beaten and raped her, IIRC. The daughter called the police for a welfare check and they busted this dude with the mother bound and gagged. A stupid word puzzle game literally saved this woman's life.

Here is one of the many links about this story: https://news.yahoo.com/missed-game-wordle-may-saved-153719180.html

And here's a quote from that link:

A Chicago-area grandmother had a habit of sending her daughter a Wordle game every morning. When she didn't send a game on February 6, her family knew something was wrong.

Denyse Holt, who is 80 years old, had woken up to a real-life nightmare the night before. A naked stranger had crept into her bedroom — with scissors in his hand. He was covered in blood, Holt told CBS Chicago.

"I was in shock," she told the station of the 17-hour ordeal. "I was trying to survive — that's all."

She stayed calm when the man got in next to her. She was even ordered to take a shower with him, then a bath — all while wearing her nightgown.

Holt said he told her he had cut himself while breaking into the house. Leaving a trail of blood, she and the man went around the house, while he disconnected her phones.

"He took two knives from my kitchen. He told me he liked those," she said. "I didn't think I was going to live."

Denyse Holt / Credit: CBS Chicago WBBM-TV
After forcing her into a windowless bathroom in the basement, Holt said he barricaded the door with a chair. To pass the time, she began to do exercises, marching and stretching as much as she could.

Her daughter, more than 2,000 miles away in Seattle, was worried after she noticed her mother had not read her texts and did not played their daily game.

"I didn't send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning. And that was disconcerting to her," Holt said.

 

[BullSheetBuddha]

Using Wordle to lessen Qanon's influence
====================================

Erin was running out of patience with her mother's QAnon obsession.

"My mom thinks my sister and I have graphene in us or something from the (coronavirus) vaccine," Erin told Insider, referring to a QAnon conspiracy theory that vaccinated people have graphene oxide, a substance used in medicine and biotechnology, in their bodies. Erin requested she and her mother's names be changed to protect their privacy. "She believes the 5G stuff. Governments conducting weather warfare. She reads about all this stuff, then calls her closest friends to fill them in."

"We don't talk about conspiracies or even regular news anymore because it's become a minefield," she added.

Erin, 40, said her relationship with her 71-year-old mother, Lisa, took a turn when she introduced Wordle, the five-letter word game that has swept the Internet, into her life. Erin, who lives with Lisa in Gainesville, Florida, began playing and shared it with her mom, who initially blew her off because "she was always 'too busy' doom-scrolling."

Since distracting Lisa with Worlde, Erin said her mother has been noticeably happier and word games have kept her mother from sharing stories about celebrities drinking adrenochrome from babies.

"In recent days, she's spent up to 2 or 3 hours on word puzzles. It's not that she's quit reading and believing conspiracies, but she has been devoting far less time to it. I've noticed she's been in a perkier, happier mood, too," she said.

Erin couldn't have imagined her mother, a well-educated woman with two master's degrees, would fall for the QAnon movement, which revolves around a baseless far-right conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump was secretly fighting an elite "deep state" cabal of human traffickers. However, Lisa was also gullible, Erin said. She was gradually "sucked into" a whirlwind of conspiracy theories after a family member introduced her to QAnon in 2019.

When Erin's father died in 2021, Lisa lost the one person she would listen to and he "would have never gone for any of this nonsense," Erin said.

A deep dive and investment in conspiracy theories isn't something that randomly happens to someone, according to Joseph Uscinski, a political science professor at the University of Miami and co-author of American Conspiracy Theories. Rather, people have preconceived tendencies and beliefs that make them susceptible to conspiracy theories.

"What made that person go to the internet in the first place to look into this thing? They didn't slip on a banana peel and become a QAnon believer," Uscinski told Insider.

According to Uscinski's research, only a certain percentage of people – he estimates 5 to 7% – will be predisposed to believe a certain type of anti-establishment conspiracy theory, he told Rolling Stone..............

MSN

A friend of mine lost his father when he was around 16. He told me his mother subsequently became a sucker for religious organizations looking for money. Same thing. She had a predisposition and when she lost her husband's advice it came to the fore.

 

[Optimus Prime]

Three weeks ago I had never even heard of wordle

Now it’s everywhere

 

[samiam5211]

Three weeks ago I had never even heard of wordle

Now it’s everywhere

Yea, right around the time the NYT bought it, it started poping up everywhere.

I'm sure that's just coincidental.

 

[MT15]

I will admit to playing it fairly much every day. It’s a fun little game and I enjoy it. It’s still free, even though NYT bought it.

 

[MT15]

A friend of mine lost his father when he was around 16. He told me his mother subsequently became a sucker for religious organizations looking for money. Same thing. She had a predisposition and when she lost her husband's advice it came to the fore.

People who have been married a long time do some strange things when one partner dies. It must be really traumatic.

 

[BullSheetBuddha]

People who have been married a long time do some strange things when one partner dies. It must be really traumatic.

I lost my wife to early-onset Alzheimers. Prior to that, I considered wailing to be something that only occurred in third world countries after some terrible loss of a child, etc. However, let me assure you that isn't the case. When I lost my wife I wailed and it wasn't a one time occurrence.