Q was like Nostradamus: cryptic posts where the more important aspect of the movement was the (many) people interpreting the cryptic posts. And everyone had their favorite interpreter.
It had a massive following, much more than you'd expect from something that originated on the chans. Go to a Trump rally or a lockdown protest and you'd see references to Q. And the people with Q signs/flags weren't spending their days on /pol/. You'd think it would be niche, but it wasn't.
It (the community that grew around the chan posts) deprogrammed Boomers by making them aware that the system was not simply a disinterested but otherwise trustworthy party but rather an untrustworthy, hostile actor. It did this by telling a story about how the forces of evil (the Deep State) were working behind the scenes to defeat the forces of good (Trump and his guys) while also signaling that the forces of good were aware of these attempts and attempting to counter them.
I have a somewhat different view, it always looked to me that a younger generation was buying into the Q larp, and some evangelical religious types more broadly.
Most boomers have seen enough generations of corrupt politicians come and go to know that none of them are going to get anything worthwhile done for the people, but the bankers always end up with a winning hand. Wash, rinse, repeat.
The boomers still believe in participating in the process though. I think that distinguishes them from the younger generations: I think the idea that there is no political solution is a bit more prevalent among younger generations.
Most political arguments I get into with my neocon boomer parents fundamentally boil down to them implicitly trusting the institutions and assuming disinterest whereas I implicitly distrust them and assume malevolence.
The institutions in the US are completely corrupt and self serving; the people I see here in Seattle, the 'alternative community', are the strongest believers in "government knows best" of any place or people I've ever seen. Ever, anywhere.
That's because they think the Seattle government is fighting the good fight against the Feds and to a lesser extent the State. In a way it's understandable: if I lived someplace where I though the local government was actually working for my interests I'd probably be pro-government too. It's just that I've never lived someplace where I thought that.
Q was like Nostradamus: cryptic posts where the more important aspect of the movement was the (many) people interpreting the cryptic posts. And everyone had their favorite interpreter.
It had a massive following, much more than you'd expect from something that originated on the chans. Go to a Trump rally or a lockdown protest and you'd see references to Q. And the people with Q signs/flags weren't spending their days on /pol/. You'd think it would be niche, but it wasn't.
It (the community that grew around the chan posts) deprogrammed Boomers by making them aware that the system was not simply a disinterested but otherwise trustworthy party but rather an untrustworthy, hostile actor. It did this by telling a story about how the forces of evil (the Deep State) were working behind the scenes to defeat the forces of good (Trump and his guys) while also signaling that the forces of good were aware of these attempts and attempting to counter them.
I have a somewhat different view, it always looked to me that a younger generation was buying into the Q larp, and some evangelical religious types more broadly.
Most boomers have seen enough generations of corrupt politicians come and go to know that none of them are going to get anything worthwhile done for the people, but the bankers always end up with a winning hand. Wash, rinse, repeat.
The boomers still believe in participating in the process though. I think that distinguishes them from the younger generations: I think the idea that there is no political solution is a bit more prevalent among younger generations.
Most political arguments I get into with my neocon boomer parents fundamentally boil down to them implicitly trusting the institutions and assuming disinterest whereas I implicitly distrust them and assume malevolence.
The institutions in the US are completely corrupt and self serving; the people I see here in Seattle, the 'alternative community', are the strongest believers in "government knows best" of any place or people I've ever seen. Ever, anywhere.
That's because they think the Seattle government is fighting the good fight against the Feds and to a lesser extent the State. In a way it's understandable: if I lived someplace where I though the local government was actually working for my interests I'd probably be pro-government too. It's just that I've never lived someplace where I thought that.