"Examining Extremism: QAnon" - CSIS

[orangecrush]

Center for Strategic & International Studies


QAnon is a “big tent” conspiracy theory that emerged in the fringe corners of the Internet in 2017. It has since amassed millions of supporters, a small portion of whom have been motivated to conduct QAnon-inspired violence, leading the FBI to label it a domestic terrorism threat in 2019. The following backgrounder provides an overview of the movement’s history, ideology, and structure, as well as the tactics and targets of QAnon extremists. It concludes that while QAnon violence has been relatively sporadic, the movement’s ecosystem is resilient and may be militarizing.

History
The QAnon conspiracy started in October 2017 when an anonymous user known as “Q” on the Internet forum 4chan began posting cryptic messages about the imminent arrest of Hillary Clinton. Q is an alleged government official claiming privileged access to classified information. Since 2017, they have posted thousands of messages, including ones naming other Democratic party figures as part of a secret network of nefarious political actors. Although there have been no such “Q drops” since December 2020, the QAnon movement has continued to subsist on its own.

QAnon has ideological roots in earlier conspiracy theories such as the John Birch Society’s New World Order theories during the Cold War, the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, Bill Cooper’s 1991 militia manifesto Beyond a Pale Horse, and David Icke’s writings from the 1990s. Segments of QAnon draw from the influential early-2000s internet hoax of John Titor, a military time-traveling savior. Finally, not long before Q appeared, there were various other “anon” posters claiming government insider knowledge, such as FBIAnon and CIAAnon.

Weeks after Q’s original post, three individuals began significantly amplifying the Q drops: YouTuber TracyBeanz (Tracy Diaz) and 4chan moderators Pamphlet Anon (Coleman Rogers) and BaruchtheScribe (Paul Furber). Working together, they generated posts and videos analyzing Q’s messages, which gained traction among conspiracy theorists and the far right, particularly among supporters of then-President Donald Trump.



https://www.csis.org/blogs/examining-extremism/examining-extremism-qanon


Much much more info in this article from last year.

[Klaralven]

1. Excellent article

[orangecrush]

2. I agree.