Tag: #TheGreatAwakening

Was John McCain Executed for Treason?

Mike Rothschild30 Comments

John McCain’s memorial service saw Republicans and Democrats alike praise his candor and heroic service in the Vietnam War, while rebuking how Donald Trump’s brutish simple-mindedness has taken over the Republican Party.

Afterwards, Ohio governor John Kasich (himself an ardent Trump foe) appeared on CNN to talk about how the spirit of the memorial hasn’t carried over to the contentious Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court hearings going on at the same time.

The media hit would have gone totally unnoticed except for a rather odd slip of the tongue by Kasich, where he clearly said that it had been 24 hours since John McCain was “put to death.”

Read More »

Advertisements

Is #QAnon a Cult?

Mike Rothschild1 Comment

Earlier this week, I tweeted a few screen caps of #QAnon believers announcing that they had foregone sleep, housework, and family responsibilities in order to research the fusillade of “breadcrumbs” that Q had left in the past few days.

I added a sarcastic comment that the movement isn’t a cult – because not feeding yourself or sleeping in order to read internet posts seems pretty culty to me.

I was deluged with responses by Q believers mocking me for calling it a cult, when Q apparently encourages members to think for themselves, asks for no money or adulation, and has no coercive mechanism by which to make members stay.

Read More »

Does it Actually Matter Who QAnon Is?

Mike RothschildLeave a comment

The subject of whether conspiracy theory avatar QAnon is actually a Trump administration insider, a naughty prankster, or something else has consumed the right wing infotainment sphere.

While liberals debate whether or not QAnon should be given oxygen (and I think we need to, if nothing else, to debunk it), conservative personalities are doing their best to simultaneously inflame and shoot down the whole thing.

On one side, you’ve got prominent conservative personalities who are absolutely sure Q is a live action roleplaying game that’s snared a massive amount of suckers. On the other side, you’ve got Q devotes who are utterly convinced that Q is real, and that the others are delusional.

They’re arguing a lot on Twitter and reddit, but it’s likely that where a conservative media personality falls regarding Q rests entirely on the makeup of their audience – more mainstream infotainters will be skeptical, while those on the fringes will shift their allegiance depending on what their followers want.

Read More »

Why We Have to Talk About QAnon

Mike Rothschild7 Comments

I’ve been writing about online conspiracy theory QAnon for a while, and figured it was just too weird, esoteric, and creepy to make mainstream news.

I mean, fascist fantasies about a massive purge of Democratic baby-eaters, with a cadre of self-proclaimed “autists” deciphering rhetorical clues to the events to come left by a secret insider?

So imagine my surprise when a large and vocal group of Q believers swamped a Trump rally in Tampa on July 31st.

Suddenly, QAnon was everywhere – from the New York Times to the BBC and back.

It introduced Q to millions of people and brought mainstream recognition to a movement that had primarily been a secret club with very specific codes and keys to get in.

The coverage also brought up a very real backlash asking an important question: why are we talking about this crap?

Read More »

QAnon Is Setting His Followers Up For Massive Disappointment

Mike Rothschild2 Comments

Amazingly, the #QAnon conspiracy theory is continuing to grow in both followers and mainstream coverage.

In fact, as the conspiracy has gotten weirder, it’s also gotten more mainstream.

To be clear, the supposed Trump administration insider known as Q has revealed nothing in the way of classified information. In fact, he seems to be relying more and more on wild theories and empty promises, spinning fantastical (and unprovable) tales of missile launches against Air Force One, false flag forest fires, and secret, unredacted FISA memos that will utterly take down the dreaded deep state.

Read More »