QAnon believers grapple with doubt, spin new theories as Trump era ends: 'We all got played'

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Jan. 20, 2021 | Drew Harwell and Craig Timberg

[artichokegrower]

Followers of the extremist ideology QAnon saw their hopes once again dashed Wednesday as President Donald Trump left Washington on the final day of his presidency, without any of the climactic scenes of violence and salvation that the sprawling set of conspiracy theories had preached for years would come.

As Trump boarded Air Force One for his last presidential flight to Florida, many QAnon adherents - some of whom had earlier this month stormed the Capitol in a siege that left at least two QAnon devotees dead and others in jail - began to wonder whether they'd been duped all along.

[Stravinsky]

I think the claim was that the gibberish was necessary to avoid identification via analysis of idiolect. Of course, in the real world, there are ways to still get reasonably clear information across and maintain anonymity, but it was a satisfactory explanation for many Q followers, I guess.

[Vermont Lt]

Were they really worse than the people who thought Trump was going to drop new evidence (up until the 6th)?

I appreciate the frustration and denial of the past couple of months. But we need to get past the litmus tests that have shown up on FR recently. We need to agree to disagree on the things we disagree on, and get on with rebuilding our cause.

[RummyChick]

Has Dominion sued Wood?

[Wallace T.]

I never participated in the Q threads on FR, but did not criticize it either until it was obvious that there was no Kraken, or secret military coup to arrest the main Deep State actors. Additionally, Trump and his supporters like Alex Jones, the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, etc., did not take sufficient precautions to prevent agents provocateur from leading the storming of the Capital. Whether BLM, Antifa, Boogaloo Boys, or Deep State actors within the patriot groups, they broke into the building, which was lightly patrolled by the Capital Police. This was a setup, to cause an American version of the Reichstag Fire, and it succeeded.

Conservatives need to avoid any public demonstrations in the near future, as the incoming Biden Administration would love to create another false flag to justify Patriot Act II.

[RummyChick]

I think Antler Dude is still in prison

[ConservativeDude]

wow. nothing is new under the sun. especially with communists. thanks for posting.

[plain talk]

“Bagster just got Zotted, so at least some good came out of today.”

Did not know that. Wise of Jim to distance himself from Qanon.

[gundog]

Getting played isn’t as bad as getting shot in the neck.

[Scotswife]

He encouraged them and seemed to have them around his own circle.

[RummyChick]

How do you explain Flynn and General Mac?

I have no explanation.

Surely they weren’t players in the intentional psy ops to hurt Trump. Surely Flynn isnt looney. I dont know what to make of it.

IMO, part of General Mac issue is preening to look important. That is what it looked like when he was talking to those females. Oh, and maybe going senile

[Sans-Culotte]

I read it several times but I did not like the playing games. Why didn’t Q just say what he had to say in plain English? You can drop hints without being so obscure about it.

That is part of what made it fun to both the hoaxers and hoaxees. By keeping the messages cryptic, only cool gnostics could understand it, and to them, it was "obvious". The Q-hoaxer probably thought it was hilarious when he read the theories as to what his Nostradamus-styled drops meant.

[Bellflower]

“Trump left Washington on the final day of his presidency, without any of the climactic scenes of violence and salvation that the sprawling set of conspiracy theories had preached for years would come.”

I never heard any Qanon followers say that they depended on violence to overtake the evil deep state. Has anyone else?
The only people this statement characterizes are Antifa and BLM, that I know of.
For some reason the left hates Qanon. That seems a recommendation to me. Perhaps there’s more to them than I have been aware of?

[nickcarraway]

/If someone was working behind the scenes, wouldn't it be be better to just keep it secret? Announcing it on Twitter would seem to be stupid.

After all, if Qanon's allies could figure out what the gibberish meant, than it's enemies could too. So why give your enemies a heads up?

It would be like playing poker with your cards showing.

[Bellflower]

And the vast conspiracy the left carried off to steal the election is only an imagination?

[ConservativeDude]

I’ll tell you this, though. It doesn’t help confidence in institutions for people like Flynn and Mac to get promoted to multi-stars. It tends to put the whole system into question, rightly or wrongly. I would have previously expected more discernment from big time generals.

[nickcarraway]

Where did he encourage them? I kind of interpreted the opposite.

[ConservativeDude]

there’s a reason the Delphic oracle had a good run.....

[proust]

“Perhaps there’s more to them than I have been aware of?”

Nope. Today is the ultimate “proof” of that. The left attacked it because it hated anything sounding pro-Trump.

[353FMG]

I believe that the many “prophets” we encounter on youtube are also part of the deep state. Why don’t they just pick up snakes instead of selling snakeoil to the American public?

[polymuser]

“I wish our side was not so, gullible.”

I rather think ‘trusting’ is the keyword.

I like ‘hopium’ — it fits well. (I am now in hopium withdrawal.)