I know a lot of people only started hearing QAnon conspiracy theories this year (because they've been coopting the anti-human trafficking movement) but it started in 2017 & involves a lot you probably don't know about. This podcast ep is a good primer! https://open.spotify.com/episode/7I4TVlgq1H3535rTZWizri?si=udSmPtBTTluaokIgvyK-Gg
I see people using QAnon-related hashtags like savethechildren who I'm sure do not know the full context of what QAnon is actually about and if you're going to do that, you have a responsibility to educate yourself on the actual beliefs and goals of this group.
I KNOW many of y'all don't know the context bc I've seen tweets like "why won't people accept that Trump is connected to Epstein?" The reason is because QAnon is a far-right, pro-Trump conspiracy theory. The entire thing was created in his favor by his diehard supporters.
In short, the theory is that there's a cabal of powerful, evil pedophiles that really control the world and Trump is waging a secret war to stop them. Q has been predicting the arrests of political figures like Hillary Clinton & John Podesta since 2017 & none of it has happened
They use anti sex trafficking language to draw people in because who the fuck doesn't hate sex trafficking? But they don't actually do anything to combat sex trafficking & repeatedly make things worse by clogging tip lines with baseless conspiracy theories.
They also make things worse by misrepresenting the reality of trafficking. Human trafficking exists & it's a real problem, but it usually looks very different from the picture QAnon paints. Many victims are exactly the people the far right denies help - undocumented immigrants.
I see people who support BLM tweeting savethechildren but if you click on that hashtag and read it, it's full of posts saying shit like "BLM wants to defund police so the police can't stop them from abusing children." That's the shit you're unknowingly supporting.
Why is it so important not to spread QAnon shit, besides the fact that spreading lies and supporting Trump are two of the worst things a person can do? Because ultimately this movement is very dangerous and it's growing rapidly.
First off, it tells people they can't trust any media or really any person who isn't a QAnon believer. Anyone who criticizes QAnon is labeled a pedophile sex trafficker. And this insulation from the rest of the world is why they don't believe in things like masks & vaccines.
Part of the reason 150,000 Americans are dead is because of the spread of this belief system - truly, the growth of this cult. They think masks and vaccines are part of the cabal's conspiracy to control people. Masks to break down their individuality and vaccines for mind control
And ultimately it sets the stage for fascism. Not only does the "cabal" theory have its roots in the same anti-Semitic conspiracy theory that led to the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust (Jews control the world & want to eat your kids, basically) -
it counts on and supports extrajudicial means of destroying the "deep state." If you REALLY believe your country is controlled by a secret group of pedophiles, you can justify any measure taken to stop them. Anything Trump does is defensible bc somehow it's secretly part of his
plan to take down the cabal. The cabal is trying to steal the election through the mail, so you support postponing it. Anti-democratic takeovers are framed as taking back the country from the deep state. Persecuting political opponents justified by calling them demonic pedophiles
There's no limit to what measures they'll support and as this cult grows in size & popularity, the Republican Party is seizing on it and a larger and larger percentage of America begins to support Republicans going full fascist takeover.
This isn't wild conjecture on my part, this is just history repeating itself. Anti-democratic takeovers are ALWAYS framed as justified. The opponents are ALWAYS characterized as heinously evil. And this particular theory has stunning connections to Nazi ideology.
So please educate yourselves (by doing actual research, not fucking YouTube videos and 4chan threads) and don't let this group manipulate you into spreading their ideology by preying upon your desire to protect kids from sex trafficking. It's not actually about that for them.
You can follow @erikaheidewald.
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