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[two-cats-and-a-library]

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was eye opening and wilder than I ever thought possible. I have more thoughts than listed in the pictures so they will be listed below the cut.

Thoughts

There are a lot more things related to Qanon than there appears to be on the surface, the rhetoric is pervasive and starts to bleed into “normal” things like the news, media, music, ETC.

Not everyone that falls for Qanon related things is an extreme right-wing ideologist. There are a lot of people that disagree with some/ most of the rhetoric but are drawn in by “the good things” for example

Save the Children

Anti-corruption in politics

Seeking answers for things like Covid (before we fully understand what Covid-19 was)

Feelings of depression, loneliness, isolation and fear drive very normal and average people into joining fringe groups to find a sense of community and acceptance. This can lead to people falling down the alt-right pipeline and becoming indoctrinated into these deeper and darker beliefs

Things I liked about the book

The snark, there was enough sarcasm and dry snarkiness to make the book palatable

The book was comprised of experts in cults, psychology and sociology along with the stories of people that were in Qanon and people that had left, describing how and why they got sucked in

It was humanizing. It reminded the reader that the followers of Qanon were just people. But it also didn’t excuse their actions or crimes, it was able to recognize both sides of that story without becoming an apologist.

There was an easy-to-follow progression from the way it started as a meme or perhaps an ARG on 4Chan to it becoming a global phenomenon that led to an attempted coup of the government and how it has bled into other countries

Conclusion

It doesn’t really matter who Q is. They are undoubtedly not who they say that they are, but it is difficult to figure out who is or is not Q. Q is everyone and everything but at the same time is nothing at all. They use pseudo- military jargon, riddles, nonsensical information and key smash ramblings to scream into the void that is the internet. Q wouldn’t exist without the belief of the followers, and the followers can’t imagine a life without Q. Is it a cult? I don’t know. It has many of the indicators of a cult, but without an identifiable central leader it doesn’t quite fit that model. To me, it is more of a MLM (multi-level marketing) where the social media influencers, alt right political commentators and the dredges of Twitter (or X) manage to keep alive.  Either way, it’s a slippery slope of faith, belief, and lies that fuels this dangerous group of individuals. 

[two-cats-and-a-library]

Meet the cats! Kimchi is our second baby, and about 4 years old. We adopted him from a litter with 2 moms and we're not sure if they're actually brothers or not. Kimchi is our one eyed sweetheart that circles our feet like a shark. He loves to demand attention and then get moody when we pet him. He also likes to sleep with his head upside down, the top of his head pressed against the cat bed or blanket when he sleeps.

[two-cats-and-a-library]

Meet the cats! Teaberry is our first baby, and about 4 years old. We adopted him from a litter with 2 moms and we're not sure if they're actually brothers or not. He's our sweet stoic prince that is sometimes cuddly and sometimes too cool for pets. He loves to stare out the kitchen window and take naps on our legs.

[two-cats-and-a-library]

These are the 4 audio books I finished for July. Really enjoyed all of them, I found "The Storm Is Upon Us" the most fascinating and "Broken Faith" the most emotionally frustrating since it is on going. I will have in-depth reviews coming out for each one. ❤️ Faye

All book titles and authors listed below the cut

Broken Faith: Inside the Word of Faith Fellowship, One of America's Most Dangerous Cults by H.D. Moore, Holbrook Mohr, and Mitch Weiss

Don't Call It a Cult: The Shocking Story of Keith Raniere and the Women of NXIVM by Sarah Berman

The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything by Mike Rothschild

Counting The Cost by Craig Borlase, Derick Dillard, and Jill Duggar Dillard