The Qonvention in Dallas taught me a lot about the QAnon movement's most fervent supporters. For starters, they sure aren't economically anxious. Not only did tickets cost $500 minimum, some spent thousands on memorabilia at an auction. 1/

They compare figures like Flynn and Powell to the founding fathers, and spent thousands on images depicting them fighting in the revolutionary war. They openly embrace rhetoric about military coups and hanging politicians. 2/

There isn't a single narrative. Multiple threads come together in the Quilt. What appears to tie them together is a fear that they have "lost" their country to a nefarious outside force. Sometimes it's Communists. Sometimes it's the Deep State. Sometimes it's a satanic cabal. 3/

This fear drove some 1/3 of the crowd to attend the January 6 events, based on the amount of people who raised their hand when asked if they were there. There was suggestion that if things don't go their way in 2022, then 2024 "won't happen." 4/

A common theme was that becoming a part of the movement has caused some of them to "lose everything." Ostracization from friends and family, losing business ties, being kicked off social media platforms. The intensity of their beliefs is zealot-like. 5/

Some of the people in attendance seemed to deeply believe some of the more wild ideas. Whether the bigger names like Flynn, West and Powell truly ascribe to them is still unclear to me. What is clear is that they've created a cottage industry—or, grift—around the movement. 6/

Ultimately I don't think it matters whether the power players are true believers. As Schopenhauer argued, intentions don't really matter up to a certain point because we can never know someone's true intentions. What matters is the pattern and results of their actions. 7/

For close observers of the movement, the pattern of actions and results is quite disturbing. Some critics have described the movement as a domestic terrorist threat, and actions of some adherants as stochastic terrorism. 8/

The overlaps with elements of fascism have been widely noted by folks like @chadloder and @shane_burley1, among others. QAnons have a deep fear of a highly organized "hidden enemy" and combine that with religious/spiritual/mythical dispensationalism. 9/

A recent interview I did with @shane_burley1 about his new book touched on the overlaps between QAnon, fascism, antisemitism, and religiosity.

"It’s incredibly church-like. If you’ve ever been to a QAnon rally, these people are really in a fervor."

10/ https://proteanmag.com/2021/05/05/why-we-fight-an-interview-with-shane-burley/

An insider source at the Qonvention described the atmosphere as "like church." The time I spent inside over the last two days reminded me of a fire and brimstone sermon in Texas, albeit with more openly violent rhetoric and the occasional mention of aliens. 11/

The silliest thing I learned is that they're not very good at OpSec. Though they kicked out a few other (arguably more well known) reporters, I never got caught. They also (unknowingly?) gave a press pass to an actual communist who ironically mocks them on a popular podcast. 12/

The most concerning thing I learned is that there are some very "serious" people with significant resources that have embraced this movement. It doesn't matter if they're doing it cynically. It matters that they're adding fuel to a fire that spread uncontrollably. 13/

What I didn't expect: the average age of attendees was over 40. I was definitely one of the younger people there, which makes it all the more hilarious that they didn't identify me and kick me out (though social media suggests they certainly tried!). It's a Boomer movement. 14/

A thread I haven't explicitly mentioned yet is white supremacy. The crowd was certainly dominated by white folks and there were plenty of incidents of casual racism. While there were several Black speakers, I will leave it to people of color to describe the role they play. 15/

There's a lot more that I could say about the event. If you're an editor or producer and are interested in commissioning an article or having someone speak about what it was like inside the event, feel free to reach out. My DMs are open. 16/