Jesselyn Cook’s book, “The Quiet Damage”, tells the stories of five families torn apart by QAnon, a dangerous conspiracy theory that gained popularity during the Trump administration. The theory is based on the belief that a government insider with close ties to the Trump administration has been posting top-secret intelligence in the form of almost cryptic messages online. QAnon followers believe Q is a government insider with close ties to the Trump administration, who has been posting cryptic messages online a few months into Trump’s presidency. The presence of QAnon supporters among the mob that stormed Capitol Hill on January 6 is one sign that such beliefs can lead to violence.
QAnon now encompasses a variety of conspiracy theories, from evangelical or religious angles to alleged paedophilia in Hollywood and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. At the center of this dark universe is “Q”, a mysterious online-forum poster claiming to be a government official in cahoots with Donald Trump. Even after countless unfulfilled prophecies, people still believe in the QAnon conspiracy.
The QAnon movement, initially based on a pro-Trump conspiracy theory, centers on fabricated claims made by an unknown figure. As the 2020 election approached, President Donald Trump had two problematic groups of supporters that he didn’t want to alienate. Investigative reporter Jesselyn Cook looked at the spread of conspiracy theories and the impact that the QAnon conspiracy theory has had on devotees and the people who care about them.
📹 QAnon Conspiracies Are Tearing Through Evangelical America
It’s been almost a year since we heard anything from the shadowy figure behind QAnon, yet the wild conspiracy is gaining a …
📹 Loved ones describe cutting ties with parents, siblings over QAnon conspiracy theories
This week on 60 Minutes+, Laurie Segall speaks with men and women who say they have seen their loved ones fall so far into …
And then there was the old friend who came unmasked and unvaccinated to my house from Florida. He wanted to visit my 10-year-old. He refused to explain to me or the kid why he was willing to take a chance on spreading Covid, and then was surprised that I “chose” the kid over him. You can only rewrite so much reality, and then you stop being invited to dinner.
Here is the one thing I noticed about my conspiracy theory friends. They are never embarrassed to be wrong. They just don’t admit they’re wrong. Take hydroxychloroquine (hcq). My friend thought HCQ was a miracle drug for covid, for months. We had many bitter fights about it, as I said the studies did not support him. Now he likes ivermectin, and thinks doctors are now suppressing it. . I asked him, “what happened to hcq? I thought THAT was the miracle drug?” He says, ivermectin is better. I said, okay, but you think HCQ is still great right? So if the docs don’t give Iver. out, people can still just take wonder drug HCQ to cure themselves right? He didn’t say anything, because by now he knows hcq is no good. But he won’t admit it.
I am going through this with a family member. It’s like body snatchers where the personality of the former person was replaced with a strange, paranoid, incoherent and tortured soul. I no longer speak with him and can’t even spend more than 3 minutes with him alone. Every time he and I have to meet for business or family related reasons, a third party has to be present to diffuse tension. It’s so sad.
This experience is exactly like growing up with a parent with a severe mental illness. It IS possible to love your parent who misunderstands reality—even to the point of having to have them hospitalized against their will. I grew up with a parent who was lost to paranoid schizophrenia when I was 4. We want our parents back the way they were but can’t go back there and that is a devastating loss especially for a young child. I encourage these families to find ways to continue to love. How do we best handle their false beliefs? Growing up this way as I did, I would tell them as necessary that the sky is blue when they insist the sky is red—and leave it with no arguing. I handled this differently as a child growing up because I had to respect my parent because he was an adult and an authority over me so I would try to make him laugh because my father had a great sense of humor that continued to function when his reasoning was lost due to illness. It is heartbreaking to lose your loved ones because you see them but they are truly no longer there. We are like the monkey experiment back in the 1950s or 1960s where the baby monkeys are clinging to the wire monkey posed as their mother. What a heartbreaking experiment to do to any baby. For some of us, it is a devastation we have lived and survived.
As someone who has also had to cut-off toxic family members I can tell you I have happiness and joy in my life because I chose those things. As a retired social worker who worked with many people with toxic family, I will tell you what I told them: Blood makes you relatives, but you can choose whom you call family.
I truly cannot imagine. My Dad watched a good amount of Fox News during the pandemic, and I was terrified. Luckily that echo chamber was broken by me, his leftist, empathetic, outspoken, and educated daughter. If I hadn’t been around to bring him back to a healthy level of skepticism I’m not sure where he would’ve ended up. When the vaccine came about I was scared he wouldn’t take it, he was first in line. Refreshing the appointments on the internet just as I was. I’ve never felt more lucky to be his daughter and for him to be my father. We may not agree on everything, and we may come at an issue from vastly different spaces, but we eventually find our way in the middle. Love, compassion, humanity, empathy, science, ethics. Those are indisputable.
My brother was one of the victims of that Fort Hood shooting that that medic was at. He was one of the top four critically injured. His name is Dion Josephs.That very much happened. Me and some of my family members had to fly out to Fort Hood and I even have pictures with President Obama and Michelle Obama along with some of the top generals. I also have pictures of my brother when he was in the hospital. We’ve had several people tell us that that didn’t happen either and that it was just a conspiracy by the government. It’s absolutely disgusting because it 100% did happen. And I don’t blame this young man one bit for not speaking to his parents. If wheeler‘s parents would love to talk to me, I’d be happy to tell him what we went through as a family when my brother was almost murdered. We were there for the memorial for the soldiers that were murdered that day. I even have memorial brochure still.
I’m experiencing this with some of my siblings. It broke our mother’s heart so bad that she stopped eating and passed away on June 18th 2021. I’m not sure if I’ can ever forgive them. Two out of five of my siblings have gone down this rabbit hole of lies and conspiracy theories. Both of them spend most of their time on Facebook. They don’t tweet, just Facebook only. No amount of reasoning or fact checking can help my two sisters at this point. The more we try the worse it gets. It all started when trump started that lie about Obama not being born in America and the lies he told about the libs taking away their guns. All lies of course. People need to grow up in my opinion. Our countries issues are solved at the ballot box, not some stupid social media nonsense . Spreading lies incurs a debt, sooner or later that debt is paid. Are you willing to lose our republic over a lie.
The father who said he couldn’t verify what his son went through in the military is absurd. You don’t need to verify what your son went through. Even if he remembers details wrong because he’s a human and it’s kinda what we do, you still believe him because it’s his perception and perspective. That guy’s father is a terrible dad and should be ashamed of himself. If he were reading this comment I would say that he doesn’t deserve to call himself a father and doesn’t deserve his son. He’s a disgrace and needs to learn information literacy and critical thinking. Q is a lie. We know who has been making this crap up and when he was confronted he laughed. No doubt he was laughing at the fools like these people’s parents.
I appreciate these people “not talking” to their so-called “parents”. I appreciate them NOT falling into the same “cult”. Good for them! I praise them! QAnon has done nothing but destroy this country. I appreciate those who don’t fall into it. I cheer them and would’ve done the same thing. My sister voted for Trump and I am at the thought that much as I love her dearly – the only one of our family left other than me – I truly cannot believe she voted for such evil. If that was all the Republican Party had to give, I voted for somebody else. Anybody but Trump and his followers.
I grew up thinking my father was smart but then again this is where you end up after a lifetime of casual drinking …now i just see him adhering to bar culture and what it takes to fit in with those people…the only idiots at the bar regularly right now are people who cant develop a hobby or get by without or semi retired people running away from family..if you cant quit a bar now your bar is truly lower than ever. My father is not like these people but takes on their personas to fit in with them i just cant talk to him anymore…i can put up with these idiots anywhere but not from someone i used to look up to…i will not put up with a family member that conforms to rabbit hole conspiracy popularity contest toxicity…someday he will be too old to break out of the disillusions and the senility will solidify
My wife and I had to do the same thing after the election with most of our Christian friends and family. While it was painful, it was ultimately necessary because they had become toxic and very angry. They could not and still to this day will not even begin to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election and this doesn’t even touch on their Anti-Vax/Anti-Mask anger… What is so sad and burdens me greatly is the fact that these are good people. People who I have known and loved for years. The problem is they have been lied to and they believed those lies. Now they can’t find a way out of that web of lies without destroying their belief structure. If they acknowledge any facts that contradict their narrative of reality, down comes their house of cards, because its all based upon lies. I wish there was a way that I could help them because I do miss them.
Doing “Tough love” & sticking to it is really hard to do!! I know I had to do it with my son when was 14 & headed to jail. These folks are doing the right thing by stepping away from delusional relatives I feel sorry for them & especially that young war veteran that came home to non believers thank you young man for your service I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know!
I am an old curmudgeon who still has some unanswered questions about 9/11, knows the history of “The Fed” and that it isn’t a part of our government, am familiar with the horrible history of medical experimentation on unsuspecting black Americans and read “Creating Consent” by Chompsky long ago. Doesn’t HAVE to make you crazy. Reason is how one avoids getting lost. Best facts available + hard logic = Reason. “Faith consists in believing what reason cannot.” ― Voltaire That great man also pointed out “It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere”
My parents started on the conspiracy theories almost 20 years ago, starting with 9/11 being an inside job. They didn’t believe that right away, but it took hold of them a few years after the attack. Now they think the government cares about what they “know” about these things, and that means that they have to be careful about everything to not attract the attention of bad people. They loved Alex Jones for a long time. I think they finally moved on from him a couple of years ago, fortunately. They have no cellphones, aside from a flip phone I gave them for emergencies (they have it hidden in a tin can), and no new technology, so that they aren’t risking being listened to by the government. Their computer is from, like, 2005 and still has Windows 10 on it. I have to hide my smartphone when I visit to not get an earful about 1984’s Big Brother. I haven’t given up on them, but I can’t relate to them anymore. They used to be so full of love and now my dad hates everyone and wears a permanent scowl everywhere he goes. They think my husband is in control of our relationship and that’s why I got vaccinated and why I no longer talk about conspiracy theories. He did help me come back to reality, but he’s never told me what to believe or what to do, unlike my parents, who think COVID isn’t real. So, because “COVID isn’t real,” my absence from their home hits them as if I’d truly and intentionally abandoned them. They feel so strongly about my husband being my controller that it’s gotten to the point where I am not allowed to visit them unless I go by myself.
Even if your parents are believing in a conspiracy theory,I don’t see how you just cut them out of your life.Can people agree to disagree on certain topics and still love each other.If it’s all they talk about,just let them know you feel differently,and would love to talk about something else.I am not real familiar with that topic,but I do believe there are lots of things that go on in our world that are hard to believe,yet true.Human trafficking is a dark stain on humanity for sure.
My cousin Jennifer has been taken in. The only thing that helps is that she and I have never been close. I don’t actually miss her presence or sanity. She has spent the last 4 years studying criminal sciences to become a Private Detective. She said she will “help police with cold cases and child trafficking.” That was all I needed to read. I asked, and she admitted it. At least she did not lie.
Loosing someone to Qanon is like having them fall into a cult or drugs. They are still there somewhere, but the cult/addiction just took over their behavior 🙁 No sense in reasonning with them, just make sure they know you love and miss them (who they use to be). And just like cult members or drug addicts, some will break free…
There is your family of origins versus your family of choice. Sometimes you have to break away from hereditary families and form your new families. Bloodlines mean nothing when one’s hereditary line is overtaken with bigotry, ignorance, superstition, and a lack of education plus the disintegration of legitimate moral integrity into cult madness.
Changing “gave details about what HE SAID he’d experienced,” to “what he experienced” was the least the editor could have done, given his parents invalidation of his traumatic experience. The way it was stated by this reporter left room for his narrative to be questionable, and it may have been like salt in a wound for him. 1:05
This is typical cult behavior. Anyone that has a family member that has become involved in a cult can tell this same story. I cut off all ties with family in 1973 when they became involved in a cult….These folks’s stories could mirror my own. At some point you realize, for your own mental survival, you have to make a clean break. Sad, of course, but no regrets.
Next episode needs to be loved ones describe cutting ties with parents and siblings over Trump Derangement Syndrome. It is a serious mental illness that needs to be addressed. This inability to think on one’s own and put emotions aside for facts has resulted in immense human suffering. Truly shameful how many here won’t put any accountability on this administration. My heart deeply breaks for Afghanistan. We needed to leave – 20 years has been long enough- but what a truly disgusting way to do it. Before the TDS kicks in – it was Biden’s decision to remove military service personnel before civilians; to abandon BILLIONS of military equipment to Taliban (there is article of one of OUR helicopters flying around Kabul with a man being hanged from); leave US citizens behind enemy line; and service dogs locked in kennels abandoned to run out of food and water. Go ahead let your TDS defend the inexcusable.
This is Wheeler. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my story. I want to thank the wonderful producers and Laurie for taking care of my story and those of my fellow interviewees. I also want to thank all of you, who have been very kind in sharing your stories here and more importantly, in your personal lives. None of us want to separate from our loved ones, but there comes a time when a mental health specialist is more qualified than a relative to help, and we can’t let that struggle to solve it ourselves destroy us.
If I had a dollar, even a quarter for every time I’ve heard “something is about to go down” or something is about to happen” I would probably not be rich but, I would have a lot of free money. Reminds me a lot of an old treasure hunter knowing damn well he’ll find it even on his death bead 40 years later. Now lemme go dig up more curse of oak island episodes coz that’s the good stuff…. this season is the season…
I have a lot of family members who are QAnon, anti-vaxxers, evangelical alarmists, but we don’t discuss anything that might cause a rift in the family. We focus on the things that we absolutely love, like our children, Thanksgiving, Christmas, bbq’s, boating, camping, recipes. We’re all still together and expect to be so forever more.
Shouldn’t the wording SEX TRAFFICKING associated with qanon automatically tell a person to disassociate with qanon. What is the draw? There is nothing evil or negative in this world but humans, beware the person that wants to be popular by being followed. A real leader does so reluctantly to get things moving for the betterment of humankind. Conspiracy theories, scared & drama entertainment, watch movies. These poor people who are rudderless, too bad their finding the first person to anchor onto.
I truly feel for these people and the many others out there. I had to cut my entire family out of my life for a completely different reason, but nevertheless it’s still one in the same. It really is like losing a part of yourself. It hurts as if you’re grieving over their death, only it’s worse because they’re still there just not within reach. Stay safe and well out there everyone 👍✌🙂
Do NOT cut ties with your family because they believe conspiracy theories – or what you consider to be conspiracy theories. You may hold beliefs that are part of an ideology that also turns out to be questionable in the light of reality. You have only one family. If they still love you, if they haven’t abused you but they hold opinions that you think are crazy or are different from your own, that is still only something ephemeral compared to mutual love and family ties. People are being separated now in this toxic atmosphere of divisiveness, fueled, in particular, by the media and ideological war.
I am literally going thru this right now. Just spent an exhausting 3 day visit to my hometown to be bombarded with irrational conspiracy theories & aggressive confrontations with my family over the big lie, Afghanistan, etc. I don’t even recognize my family anymore. The effects of the Trump era are going to be felt for some time. And it’s ruining families 🤦🏽♂️
I finally understand why people believe in these conspiracy’s… They are overwhelmed by the trauma & lack the tools to actually acknowledge the existence of it. It is far easier to believe in a boogie man than address the real problems. To see their son or daughter as a victim of policies they endorse is too painful to deal with.
We lost a close friend to all of this and processed the situation by writing/recording a song. We hope you’ll peep our HILARIOUS pop-punk tune/lyric article (Pizza-Gate Princess) about a boy who’s attempting to console his conspiracy theory obsessed girlfriend. Anyone NOT laughing and humming the chorus all day after hearing it – is probably stupid enough to believe everything they’re fed from an unverified source on the dark web.
I had to cut contact with a lot of my family, not because of QAnon, but because of abuse fueled by paranoid borderline personality disorder. They would always beat me in conversations because they spoke faster and harder and longer, so that meant they were right. When they couldn’t prove it or convince me one would hit me until I complied. It’s manipulative and there to feed their own narcissistic wants. I know more than you and am in control, what I say will happen and you will be sorry.
I know lots of people into Q conspiracies. I dont let it affect our relationship, i find it fascinating and hilarious listening to them. I try to politely push their beliefs in a lodgical but open minded way, and make them defend their vauge crazy ideas. It’s quite entertaining. Dont take it personally if your mom is a little crazy. Cutting ties helps no one