The Storm Is Upon Us by Mike Rothschild

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Mike rothschild is a ournalist focused on the intersections between internet culture and politics. He has specialized in an investigation of the cunon conspiracy cult since its inception in 20 18. Rothschild's expertise has led to his becoming a leading commentator on the subject. We talk about all those threads that come together in kuanon how it got its start on four chan and chan and acoon a, then the petsgate conspiracy theory and the petafile ring. And we also discuss geoffrey upstein and the conspiracy theory about his murder,. How that ties in to kanon and the deep state, c clearance. The roll of social media and all this, and

Michael Shermer speaks with Mike Rothschild, a journalist specializing in conspiracy theories, about QAnon and its followers.

On October 5th, 2017, President Trump made a cryptic remark in the State Dining Room at a gathering of military officials. He said it felt like “the calm before the storm” — then refused to elaborate as puzzled journalists asked him to explain. But on the infamous message boards of 4chan, a mysterious poster going by “Q Clearance Patriot,” who claimed to be in “military intelligence,” began the elaboration on their own. In the days that followed, Q’s wild yarn explaining Trump’s remarks began to rival the sinister intricacies of a Tom Clancy novel, while satisfying the deepest desires of MAGA-America. But did any of what Q predicted come to pass? No. Did that stop people from clinging to every word they were reading, expanding its mythology, and promoting it wider and wider? No. Why not?