Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America

by Will Sommer

At its heart, QAnon has a simple message: the world is run by a cabal of Satanic cannibal-pedophiles from the ranks of the Democratic Party, Hollywood, and global finance who sexually abuse children and even drink their blood in rituals. The U.S. military, which has resisted joining the otherwise all-encompassing cabal, recruited Donald Trump to run for president to oppose this evil group of elitists. And someday soon he’s going to purge all his foes in a violent, cathartic moment called “The Storm,” with his opponents ending up either imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay or executed by military tribunals.

It’s a symptom of the world we live in, a product of unchecked social media platforms, a crumbling education system, rampant political polarization, and the crumbling of offline communities. Q’s followers have responded to modern life by retreating into a violent fantasy that exists parallel to the real world. QAnon isn’t a one-time phenomenon. Instead, it’s just the start of the all-consuming conspiracy theory movements to come. Unless something changes, QAnon is a glimpse into our future.