Believe in the plan. Why do Americans cling to conspiracy theories? [talking]

krytykapolityczna.pl 10 months ago

Dawid Krawczyk: Among Donald Trump's voters in 2016, there were those who went to the election not only to elect a president. They supported their warrior, who was to win over an global pedophile gang, kidnapping children and draining their blood. According to this conspiracy theory, the ringing was to be led by Hillary Clinton. What conspiracy explanation do they believe today, a fewer months before the next election?

Will Sommer: Since 2016, the foundations of conspiracy reasoning have not changed much. Most theories are based on the presumption that the planet controls a mysterious, sinister and powerful group that has evil goals, e.g. sexual abuse of children, sucking out their blood, and precisely obtaining from it adrenaline-derived adrenaline, which is intended to supply elites with youth, even immortality, or flooding America with immigrants. In 2024 we see, of course, seasonal updates of these theories, we have already heard that the "state in the state" or the service, were to plan an assassination of Trump or that the mysterious interior government forced Biden to retreat from the race.

When Trump fought for the presidency of Hillary Clinton, Pizzagate reigned—the explanation that high-ranking members of the Democratic Party, including Clinton, held kidnapped children at Comet Ping Pong pizzary in Washington. Are we gonna hear about her this year?

Probably not, but the essence of these accusations – namely the belief that Democrats are Satanists utilizing children, is inactive present in the public debate.

Why so many of these theories concern pedophilia?

Because this is simply a subject that emotionally engages people, much more than the prosaic problems of everyday life. Imagine that you want to mobilize voters by offering them a bid for lower taxes or a regulation to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Now think of it as saying to them: “Listen, the most powerful people in the planet are committing crimes on helpless children. If we do not act, no 1 will halt them.” What's more stimulating? Supporters of these theories, frequently focused on online forums, say of themselves that they are "digital soldiers" or the Army of God. They get a sense of mission, excitement, and conviction that they are active in something important. You don't gotta join the army anymore or hazard your life, all you gotta do is connect to the net and post satanic Democratic organization plots.

There is no shortage of returns in the ongoing election campaign. The most unexpected event so far was The assassination of Donald Trump.

Indeed, no 1 expected the assassination itself, but how it was utilized was no longer hard to foretell – immediately Trump's supporters moved to the keyboards with a tendency to conspire. Theories of this kind always arise on the basis of any hard to embrace event, something simply unusual and unusual. An example of specified events may be pandemic or suspected death of Jeffrey Epstein, an American financier and torturer convicted of sexual abuse of minors. Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, was known for his connections with the most influential people in the world, including Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump.

This, like the Trump assassination, is situations where there truly are unanswered questions. How come the bomber got so close to the erstwhile president? Conspiracy supporters are incapable to accept the unknown. So they respond in their own way: “It must have been planned. Joe Biden is behind this due to the fact that he and the Satanists of the Democratic organization would benefit most from it."

And how did you respond to the news that the bullet was virtually millimeter from Trump's skull?

I remember eating dinner that night and looking at X. The first thing that occurred to me, it must be a Facebook, most likely individual generated a movie utilizing artificial intelligence. But I started scrolling, and that's all everyone talked about. Then I thought this event would set the speech of the full campaign, and Trump could practically announce victory. It's not so apparent now. The assassination took place a fewer weeks ago, since then it has been forever – Democrats replaced candidate for candidateThe race to the White home has taken a completely different pace. We have specified a stormy time in American politics that even the assassination was news that only excited people for a fewer days.

The Republicans tried very hard to build a affirmative mythology around this event and keep Trump's photos with a clenched fist as long as possible in media circulation. This is not as easy as it might seem. The fact that the bomber wasn't any fanatical supporter of Biden doesn't aid them. We don't know much about his political views. On the another hand, it is the perfect ground for all plotters, as they can fill this void with their own fashion. individual found information on the net that the bomber as a young boy played in an advertisement of 1 of the large companies in the financial manufacture – the way from this fact to the explanation that it was then that he was recruited by this company and on her behalf tried to kill Trump, was short.

Hillary Clinton was a hero of hundreds, if not thousands of specified uncreated stories. Biden, according to many theories, has long been dead, and the man we see on tv is his double. What about Kamala Harris?

Surely there is not yet specified a rich conspiracy universe that accompanied Hillary Clinton. Harris is expected to be part of the same Satanist ellipse ruling the world, but is alternatively a puppet in the hands of specified powerful characters as George Soros or Bill Gates. She is much shorter in politics than the Clintons or Biden, she simply did not supply as much fuel as her predecessors. Besides, conspiracy theories about Biden have weakened in fresh years. The main charge against him was his old age and mediocre condition – and these are not uncreated inventions, but facts visible to the bare eye.

Donald Trump challenges Kamala Harris' cultural background – at a gathering with black journalists he said that the Democratic candidate was only late black, and previously only admitted from Indian roots. There are besides those who challenge her right to run for office, suggesting she was not born in the States. A rerun from amusement – the same charges were made against Obama.

Trump was the best known promoter of conspiracy explanation questioning Obama's birthplace long before he became president and became active in politics. Out of these accusations, the full movement, called the Birther Movement, grew – many people say that it was on the wave of this movement Trump decided to run for election. And indeed, we see the echoes of this explanation that are about to hit Kamala Harris – from the fact that her parents did not have American citizenship the minute she was born, Trump supporters point out that she is not an American and can not run. It's complete nonsense, completely unconstitutional. If that were true, millions of Americans wouldn't be de facto Americans. There is no basis for a reasonable legal argument, but that is not the case. To challenge its origin is simply a way to instill among voters the thought that Harris herself does not know who she is, and turns her cultural identity into a public.

Another popular conspiracy explanation assumes that we are ruled by lizards from outer space who have the art of embodiment into different human forms. Do specified beliefs have a real impact on political life?

Pretty big. In American media and among the political establishment, there was a long belief that since conspiracy theories are so absurd, they believe in them any marginal groups of fanatics and should not be given attention. In addition, there was a long tradition of seeing both sides of the political scene in the same way, which is connected with the belief that various madmen are in both camp.

Everything changed on January 6, 2021, erstwhile Trump's crowd made An assault on the Capitol. Many of the people who entered the building belonged to the movement QAnon. Previously, his representatives were tried for murder, but even then, their meaning was underestimated.

In the book Believe in the plan You're describing what the raves looked like with QAnon members. Who are these people? What do they believe?

QAnon is an extended conspiracy theory. Its followers believe that the planet is controlled by a secret group of financiers and rich people from Hollywood, the Democratic Party, NATO and the United Nations. The main intent of their existence is the sexual exploitation of children in satanic rituals, during which they drop their blood and then drink it to live forever. They besides believe that Donald Trump was recruited by the elite of the American military, which prompted him to take part in the presidential election. His goal was to become president in order to arrest members of this secret group at any point and halt their action – this event is called QAnon "Burza" mythology. erstwhile that day comes, the evil forces will be imprisoned in Guantanamo, and the remainder of us – that is, those in Guantanamo who will not land – will be able to enjoy life in a peculiar utopia. The name QAnon came from the fact that supporters of this explanation get tips on online forums from a character with an undisclosed identity called Q – it's individual who started publishing his mysterious entries in 2017. QAnon members are convinced that it is individual closely connected to Trump, and any fishy that he himself.

You reported the assault on Capitol Hill, being there, among the people who tried to enter the building. The full planet was watching scenes from Washington. Did you have a sense of satisfaction that turned out to be yours? These supposedly marginal groups of believers of absurd conspiracy theories proved to be indeed dangerous.

Honestly, I've been reasoning a lot about how to take care of my safety. Like at another rallies of the far right, I had my typical “dress” – dark glasses, a baseball cap, a loose beard. But I wrote about QAnon for any time, for many of its members I was an enemy – unfortunately I was rapidly recognized in the crowd. I expected a protest to take place at the Capitol, but not that it would be a crowd so bloodthirsty.

I was besides reasoning about what has led us to this place in history. On January 6, it was a culminating minute for many conspiracy and right-wing theories of American politics that were born in 2016, during Trump's first campaign. QAnon followers hoped that on the day of Biden's inauguration, the “Burza” would arrive, and patriotic people would trap and justice members of the Satanist sect ruling America. They fought to death there. 1 of the women who lost her life fighting the police was powerfully active in QAnon.

During the QAnon Capitol assault, did it play an crucial role, but are these uncreated stories present in the regular debate between serious politicians?

Conspiracy theories in American politics prepare the ground for various attack strategies that are utilized by key politicians. Let me give you an example. In the run in which Trump competed with Clinton, there began to be allegations against the Democratic candidate that she would be a pedophile, a murderer and the head of an organized crime group dealing with human trafficking. How could Clinton deny it? After all, he will not make an election place in which he will announce: “Dear fellow countrymen, I wanted to tell you that I am not a paedophile or a murderer.” So these theories live their lives outside of mainstream, but in conventional media or even during tv debates, Republican politicians let go of their eyes to followers of specified theories, for example, by throwing a conviction like, "And you know what you and your children can do" – it is impossible for specified a blurry accusation to hold individual accountable, but the effect is achieved.

In American politics, we truly do not deficiency problems that politicians should deal with. Access to arms, wellness care, rising costs of surviving are not breathtaking adequate for voters?

Certainly not like Qanon. It is simply a sense of perpetuity and order in life, in which the messages that come to us are frightening. Let's look at the pandemic. It is more hard to admit that we are simply dealing with a chaotic course of events than to say: “Here are the fewer who are liable for all the evil of this world. justice George Soros and Bill Gates.” In American politics, and in fact in all developed democracy, it is very hard to make a real change. There is besides polarization, which practically prevents cooperation between the 2 feudal camps.

If I can't change anything in politics, at least I'll fight for large stakes, like a war on a global conspiracy?

That's precisely how this reasoning works. People choose specified political battles that are about fundamental values due to the fact that they give them a sense of community. QAnon is simply a ready-made community that, in a sense, resembles a game – you can spend time looking for conspiracy leads online. There are many reasons why people are involved, but I think it is worth paying attention to the disappointment of modern America.

Many of the people I've talked to have gotten active in QAnon due to the fact that they had very bad experiences with the healthcare system. They're in immense debt. They wondered: “Why do we actually have these problems? I have always believed that America and capitalism are perfect.” QAnon offers a simple explanation: our country and the planet are all right, but sinister elites have taken over. If we overthrow them, the utopia will reign.

And who actually believes that? These are typical Trump voters – white working class Americans dreaming imperial fantasies about “great America”?

Initially QAnon supporters were indeed mainly those attending Trump rally – white, mostly older men, devoted viewers of Fox News, frequently the Evangelical right. After a fewer years, especially during the pandemic, the situation began to change. The popularity of conspiracy theories on TikTok and Instagram has contributed to expanding the QAnon supporters base. Today, the typical Trump electorate you are talking about continues to support QAnon, but this movement has besides opened up to young people, people of different skin colors than white, and especially women – this has been made possible thanks to the Save the Children campaign, which is emotionally moving and declaratively apolitical, and thus appeals to people regardless of their organization affiliation.

Or is QAnon just a successful Kremlin task to mess with American politics? This would not be the first or most likely the last disinformation action organized by the FSB.

We know that Russian social media accounts supported and spread QAnon content. But I don't think Americans request Russians to believe conspiracy theories. Russia may indeed have recruited respective people on the margins of this movement, but mostly I do not share this tendency of American liberals to explain all the political problems that happen to us in the United States, the actions of the Kremlin.

He joined the presidential campaign, as a Democratic presidential candidate, late joined Tim Walz. Will he be targeted by conspiracy hunters?

I'm certain it will. erstwhile Tim Waltz joined the race, in the first 24 hours I saw various theories that suggested that he changed the Minnesota state flag, which he is politician to look like the Somali flag. They besides appeared unconfirmed as accusations that she seduces children to mutilate their genitals – typical of the QAnon movement fantasies of the pedophile conspiracy of elites. But you can see that Walz is not going to be indebted and able to pay back – not on the same terms but on akin ones.

What do you mean?

You've most likely heard about the rumor that J. D. VanceA Republican vice presidential candidate was expected to copulate with his couch.

What was he expected to do?

To satisfy sexually by rubbing against furniture in your home. individual posted specified a stupid entry on the X portal and added that Vance described it in his autobiography. That is not true, but it did not slow down the velocity with which this peculiar communicative began to spread online. Politicians joked about it until it yet reached the top of the American electoral campaign. Well, Walz referred to this gag in an unwarranted way during his first appearance as a candidate for vice president. He said he was ready to stand up for debate with Vance at any time of day and night, and then added that he would be able to stand up from the couch. This is our run now.

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Will Sommer – American writer permanently cooperating with The Washington Post. Graduated from global relations at Georgetown University. He previously published in "The regular Beast", "The Hill", "The Goergetown Voice" and "Washington City Paper". Author of a reporter book Believe in the plan. Where did QAnon come from and how he messed up America? In his work, he focuses on analysing right-wing media, issues of political radicalization and right-wing conspiracy theories in the United States.