What is Qanon? The Role of Conspiracy Theories in Modern Politics
QAnon supporters talk about their political beliefs near the Republican National Convention last month. Source.
The founding fathers’ iconic belief of “We The People” has echoed in a new group with a similar belief: “Where We Go One, We Go All (#WWG1WGA).” To Donald Trump, they’re yet another right-wing group of fans who “love our country.” To the FBI, they’re terrorists. Meet Qanon.
Born in 2017, Qanon (pronounced Q-uh-nawn) started in with a single ominous post on 4chan, a popular imageboard website known for its users’ anonymity, wealth of meme origin stories, and intense controversies surrounding racist, misogynistic, and violent content. A single post was written by an anonymous user named Q Clearance Patriot, titled “Calm Before the Storm,” soon after, the group began to flourish.
Without evidence, the Qanon conspiracy theory believes that President Trump is fighting a satanic “deep-state” comprised of global elites that are involved in pedophilia, human trafficking, and the harvest of a life-extending chemical found in the blood of abused children.
In May 2020, the FBI affirmed that extremists driven by conspiracy theorists have become a domestic terrorist threat and made specific mention of Qanon. So why does Donald Trump approve of Qanon believers?
Let’s examine some history first. Qanon is not the first conspiracy theory to have shaped modern politics. One year before Qanon’s birth, the Pizzagate Scandal was born and went viral during the 2016 elections. Pizzagate theorists believed that several high-ranking Democratic Party members and U.S. restaurants had ties to a human trafficking and child-sex ring. A pizzeria in D.C., Comet Ping Pong, was one of the alleged restaurants. Pizzagate managed to seep through the internet and had real world consequences. In June 2017, a 29-year-old North Carolina man fired a military-style assault rifle inside Comet Ping Pong, hoping to save the children that he believed were suffering. He received 4 years in prison.
While Pizzagate was debunked by D.C. police, Qanon lives on. The theory recently came back into the larger conversation in August thanks to a controversial primary election result in Georgia. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch supporter of Qanon, triumphed in her House primary runoff election in Georgia. Greene has claimed that Qanon is “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out.” With her on the ballot of one of Georgia’s most Republican districts - Georgia’s 14th Congressional District - the presence of conspiracy theories may have begun to solidify in Deep South politics.
What does Donald Trump think about this conspiracy theory? Not negatively, according to a press conference that shortly followed Greene’s victory in Georgia. When asked by a reporter on his thoughts on Qanon, Trump made no disparaging remarks about the movement. When told what Qanon believes Trump is doing regarding the “deep-state,” Trump asked “is that supposed to be a good thing or a bad thing.”
Seemingly avoiding the negative implications of having a base of conspiracy theorists as staunch supporters, Trump throws subtle nods to the group as well. He claims that they’re correct in their disgust for the current state of affairs in democrat-run cities such as Portland, New York, Chicago, and that they’re simply “people who love our country.”
As it stands, conspiracy theories are becoming louder in modern politics. The number of users in the 10 most popular Qanon facebook groups grew from 6000 to 40,000 between March and July - a massive 600% increase. The growth likely will not subside given the recent victories of Qanon supporters.
In a modern political world congested with fake news, conspiracy theories have a ripe breeding ground. Only time will tell what dangerous fruits continue to blossom.