QAnon

QAnon is a sprawling far-right conspiracy theory that emerged on social media in late 2017. The theory is based on the idea that there is a global cabal of elites who are involved in various nefarious activities, such as child trafficking and satanic rituals. It's sort of an extension of the earlier Pizzagate conspiracy. QAnon has since been banned from various social media websites like Facebook and by online marketplaces like Amazon.

QAnon is baseless and dangerous, promoting false information and encouraging distrust of mainstream media and institutions. The theory has been linked to real-world harm, including numerous murders, shootings, kidnappings, and the storming of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. QAnon has also been associated with other forms of extremism, including white nationalism and anti-Semitism. QAnon is also tied to some modern day cults, such as those of the self identified queen of Canada, Romana Didulo and the numerology cult of the now deceased Michael Protzman, alias Negative 48. Some other famous "anons" are Marjorie Taylor Greene, Kash Patel and the Q Shaman.

Supporters of the theory believe in a huge range of related conspiracy theories, including the belief that Donald Trump is a heroic figure fighting against the global cabal, that the Covid-19 pandemic is a hoax, and that the 2020 US presidential election was stolen from Trump. QAnon is an umbrella conspiracy theory meaning it contains multiple different, sometimes opposing, conspiracy theories within it. The core claim is that Trump is and has been secretly draining the swamp, sending prominent democrat politicians to Guantanamo Bay and that Trump is bringing "the storm", a sort of day of reckoning and retribution where the deep state will be cleansed from the US.

The origin of all of this nonsense is a long series of rambling anonymous posts on message boards like 4chan, 8chan, and 8kun by an individual calling themselves "Q". Q claims to be highly placed in the US military and have inside information about the fight against the cabal. One does not need to look far to figure out that it is certified bullshit. Indeed, "Q's" first post claimed that Hillary Clinton would be arrested that same week in 2017 and that the national guard would be activated. While Q has not been definitively identified, there are good reasons to think that Ron Watkins is responsible for many of the Q posts made on 8kun.