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The Storm Is Upon Us

How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything

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About this listen

In 2017, President Trump made a cryptic remark at a gathering of military officials, describing it as 'the calm before the storm' - then refused to explain himself to puzzled journalists. But on internet message boards, a mysterious poster called 'Q Clearance Patriot' began an elaboration all of their own.

Q's wild yarn hinted at a vast conspiracy that satisfied the deepest desires of MAGA-America. None of Q's predictions came to pass. But did that stop people from clinging to every word, expanding Q's mythology, and promoting it ever more widely? No.

Conspiracy culture expert Mike Rothschild is uniquely equipped to explain QAnon, from the cults that first fed into it, to its embrace by Trump and the right-wing media. With families torn apart and with the Capitol under attack, he argues that mocking the madness of QAnon will get us nowhere. Instead, he argues that QAnon tells us everything we need to know about global fear after Trump-and that we need to understand it now, because it's not going away.

©2021 Mike Rothschild (P)2021 Octopus Publishing Group Art & Literature Elections & Political Process Journalists, Editors & Publishers Media Studies Politics & Government Religious Studies Social Sciences

Critic reviews

"An ideal tour guide for your journey into the depths of the rabbit hole that is QAnon, and even shows you a glimmer of light at the exit." (Cullen Hoback, director of HBO's Q: Into the Storm)
All stars
Most relevant
This is required listening for the baffled. Whether you just want to make sense of the nonsensical beliefs of qanon or have a friend/family member who fell down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole, this is a good place to start. As well as giving sadly needed context to the current madness of American politics, it also offers a few tips on how to help people affected by the ramblings of Q, which offers a lot of rare sympathy for those affected.

How we got here and how to get out of it

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it gives a very good overview on conspiracy theories and how everything gets out hand.

kinda scary that it's real

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If you want a concise and enthralling take on Q, this is it. Didn't disappoint, didn't get too political, just went with the facts. Also includes advice for helping talk people out of the ludicrous positions Q puts them in.

An excellent insight to Q

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Breaks the subject down into digestible segments, offering a chronological approach to the subject. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn about the Qanon movement in all of its stages.

Incredibly insightful

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laying out its history on relation to relying on anti semitic tropes and pandering to racists the book charts how Q sucks people in with vague predictions and the devastating impact its bonkers worldview had on friends and family of Q adherents.

fascinating look at Qanon

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