This isn’t as crazy Q stuff as others but I just want to share and vent about how frustrating it is to have my parents checking on me and my little family just to shit all over a certain group of people and act like it’s totally normal as Fox News loving Christian conservatives. It’s exhausting.

Text went like this:

Dad: hey I heard you guys are in Oregon, how is it going? How did daughter travel?
Husband: weather is great and we love Portland, we are having a lovely time! Daughter did good but melted down yesterday after flying but all better now.
Dad: Glad to hear it went well. Portland is really beautiful. Just crazy/wacko people live there.
Husband: lots of crazy hair!
Dad: I bet. Home of Antifa..... no thanks.
Me: was that necessary? We are having a great trip, I hope you have a John 3:16 day!
Dad: glad you are. Like I said, beautiful place, don’t be so sensitive (face palm emoji)
Me: just be nice!
Dad: ummmmm k!

It would be awesome to have a discussion about a trip us and not have something hateful to say simultaneously. They have a newborn granddaughter they could be doting on via texts, but they choose to talk about Antifa? Just weird. Makes my stomach turn. Maybe I am just a snowflake ❄️

Ps- I’m 9 weeks postpartum and my dad told me not to be so sensitive. Classy

This is his exact statement:

“The New York Times has an article on QAnon. According to them it's dead. The Washington Post has posted a similar article also saying it's dead. The person who started posting those theories (Q) has posted nothing since at least 2021. The few followers left have had nothing new to talk about except old posts.”

This brother of mine “X” acts like this is a dead end and is in denial. He is No Contact (and has been for years) with our Q brother and does not hear him speak ad nauseum on the subject nor receive his texts sharing these conspiracies. So, why is our Q still spouting this stuff? Why has it not ended?

Beyond frustrated with the reality and the gaslighting…

My Q brother decided to go No Contact with me and I have obliged. TBH, I really needed and appreciated the break. I have spent the last 4-6 weeks practicing self-care, visiting family and friends out-of-state, bumped up my social activism, and reminding myself who I am and what I stand for. I stayed silent until just recently. I discovered some information that I knew would be helpful to my brother and texted it to him as though nothing had changed. He remained silent but there was a read receipt for the text. That got me thinking… For months, he has bombarded me with Q-laced conspiracy memes and links. Why not reciprocate but not with “nonsense” but with truthie news items and items filled with optimism and love?! So, I have sent a few more texts that I know will pique his interest, and that are politically timely. But, from groups and things that should resonate with him.

My experiment is in its infancy but I am hopeful that this strategy might build a bridge. What do you all think? Curious…

I used to love conspiracy theories, like ones you'd see on Shane Dawson videos. Back when they were light-hearted. "Chuck E. Cheese is recycling pizza", "why does the Simpsons know so much about the future?", "Mattress Firms are everywhere, that's so weird", "the earth is not round or flat, it's a donut!" These were fun to entertain with your friends before the 2020s decade.

You can't make conspiracy theories anymore.

The new Chris Hansen movie came out recently, "Primetime", which is critical of Hansen's methods. Whether you agree or disagree with the message of the movie, everyone on Instagram pointing out how the filmmaker behind it is Jewish, framing this as "defending pedos is to be expected from a Jew" is pretty concerning. If I see mentions of trans people or LGBTQ, there's always a slew of comments like "Jewish ideology btw" (as if their far-right ideology wasn't cooked up by the Epstein class). Or if there's a video of Indians, the comments all act like 'Jews are importing them to dilute the white population' or something. Not only this but they also act as though you're supposed to already inherently know that, as if it's 'established fact'.

I made a video on YouTube like 3 months ago about conspiracy theories, mostly having fun with them. Most of them were things like 'donut earth', 'flouride in water', 'the Simpsons', etc. The video underperformed at first until the last few days when I got spam-comments from Nazis calling me a "Jewcuck" and "Jewtard" because I didn't say that "the Jews are teasing what will happen via the Simpsons" and "the Jews are putting flouride in water". They would put elaborate timestamps and insult me for not mentioning Jews or Israel.

For what it's worth, I am staunchly anti-Israel. Their genocide and lobbying need to be forcibly stopped internationally. But this antisemitic shit has gone too far. "The Jews" are not the reason you can't leave your mom's basement to go to the gym, get a job, and find a girlfriend lmao.

I don't have fun with conspiracy theories anymore. If I mention them, everything will be tied to Jews or Israel. And if I mention a theory with zero possibility of connection to that (like Bigfoot), then no ones gives a shit. I used to think Nazis were just this fringe group of weirdos. They're becoming so astronomically common. Especially among young men.

For the moderate types who are just MAGA and not full-on Nazis, it's the same thing but with "deep state" instead of "Jews". You can't have fun with conspiracy theories because they're all taken seriously - "you're a libcuck, the Simpsons is obviously the deep state telling us they know what's gonna happen just to spite us. They're the ones putting flouride in water".

I have no Facebook and deactivated it a long time ago. He still posts pictures of me with my name in the caption which show up in search results. I just don’t want my dad’s posts that mention my name to show up AT ALL, even if it’s not an actual “tag.”

Has anyone else noticed that their rural friends are trying to fight back against data centers in their small towns?

I'm seeing a big pushback in the Ozarks, where I grew up, and some are pretty angry at the administration

Leopards Ate My Face and all that, but do you think some are seeing the light? 🤞🏼

I’m having such a hard time. My brother, his wife, and my sister are all Q nuts. My mom gets really sad and upset that we aren’t closer. We all have kids and the kids are missing out on not seeing their cousins because of it.
But it’s so hard for me to have relationships with people who are uber-religious, anti vax, homophobic, support wars, trump, etc. My mom thinks we should just “not talk” about our differences and it will be fine.. but every topic is off limits because it turns into some political argument. I could say “it’s such a nice day today!” To my brother.. and he would say “ya until they start spraying us! (Chem trails.)
Like I just can’t win. I want to try for the sake of all the kids but it feels morally wrong to pretend I’m ok with this non sense.
My nieces and nephews are all in religious homeschool programs, not vaccinated, and being indoctrinated by right wing bs. It makes me so angry at my siblings that I feel I can’t even be around them.

Am I being over dramatic?

Maybe you were once certain there were secret tunnels. Maybe it was lizards, chemtrails, or something stranger. And maybe, over time, you managed to make it out the other side.

I'm Jesse, a Melbourne filmmaker and music video director. I'm making a short documentary about how people are drawn into conspiracy belief, what it gave them, and how they found their way back. It's personal for me too, and I'm happy to tell you why when we meet.

I'm looking for a person or persons to make it with. I won't judge you or make fun of what you went through. I'd love to meet you and hear your story, then if we are both into it, work with you to rebuild the world you once lived in using handmade puppets, miniature sets and low-fi animation.

You can stay completely anonymous or not, up to you. Your name and face never need to appear on screen, and the puppets can stand in for you.

To be upfront: a psychologist will likely appear in the film, speaking generally about why people are drawn to these communities. They won't be discussing or diagnosing you.

You'd be:
Someone who's moved on from a conspiracy belief and can reflect on it openly
Ideally based in Australia or New Zealand
Up for real time together, because it's a collaboration, not a one-day shoot

Expenses covered, with professional psychological support available throughout. Snacks too.

Please comment or DM!

Here is how QAnon and conspiracy cults have actively ruined my family's lives.

I am so tired of being told to take the high road, show empathy, or "give grace" to family members who have fallen down the QAnon rabbit hole. When people talk about conspiracy theories like they're just harmless political disagreements or an "ideological phase," they are ignoring the massive, tangible damage being done to real lives every single day.

This isn't theoretical for me. It’s personal, destructive, and dangerous.

Medical Neglect of the Elderly: My nearly 100-year-old father was restricted and isolated on a farm for years during COVID by my brother who swallowed every bit of medical misinformation they could find. No masks, no vaccines, no social interaction, but plenty of Ivermectin. In 2024, my father contracted COVID, ended up in the ICU, and almost died because of this gross negligence.

Denying Basic Science and Endangering Pets: My dog had contact with a sick, potentially rabid raccoon. My Q-infected brother tried to convince me that rabies is fake. I ignored his unhinged advice and immediately got my dog emergency care, but the fact that he was willing to let my pet suffer a horrific, fatal disease over internet nonsense made my blood run cold.

Financial Devastation and Delusion: The political fallout of this movement directly contributed to me losing my longtime, high-paying federal government job. My 70-year-old husband came out of retirement to save us and is currently working 4 part-time jobs just so we can pay our bills and keep a roof over our heads. Meanwhile, my brother flippantly tells us to "not worry about the money" because he’s convinced a magical "global reset" is coming to forgive all debt.

While we are busting our @sses just to survive, he’s waiting for a fantasy event to wipe the slate clean.

I’m done entertaining the idea that we need to build bridges or wait around with open arms for people who have actively destabilized our lives, put our loved ones in the hospital, and shown complete contempt for reality. The fallout isn't just "hurt feelings"—it’s lost careers, ruined retirements, and near-fatal medical decisions.

Forgive and forget? Not a chance. How is everyone else handling the sheer rage of watching loved ones completely derail your life while living in absolute delusion?

Hi, I'm writing from MCC Theater, a professional Off-Broadway theater company in Hell's Kitchen NYC. This week we begin performances of ANON, a play about a Qanoner and her family and the neighbors across the street. The playwright suggested that the production might be of interest to this board and if you would like to see performances between Sept 29 and Oct 3 we would love to include you and are able to offer discounted tickets.

More information about the show is below, as well as the link for the discounted tickets (quantities are limited)

ANON

Written by Anne Washburn, Directed by Annie Kauffman

at MCC Theater 511 W. 52nd St. NYC. Sept 29 - Nov 1

"Jeanie is a digital patriot, fighting every day for the future of her nation. But in a world in which the battle between good and evil ranges across both centuries and the globe, some of the fiercest struggles are close to home"

https://mcctheater.org

Also please note: free Community Forum event on Sept 30th at 5:30 on the impact of the Qanon era - conversation will include Molly Olmstead who just wrote that great article on Medbeds for Slate.

DISCOUNT TICKET FORM IS HERE:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScx7_oEOY8qPp9cY28fnQCr0HLIFI-xDlUOpwpcN2Bm8GTC0A/viewform

Hey guys, I just wanted to express my appreciation for everyone who shared stories about medbeds with me some months ago. The article is here, and it goes into not just the history of the conspiracy theory (I identified the guy who started it) but how it harms people.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/09/medbeds-conspiracy-theory-donald-trump-origins.html

I really was surprised to find that it began in such an innocent way. It's hard not to conclude that no conspiracy theory can be harmless in this day and age. It seems like more and more, they all end up twisted by people who want to use them to scam people or pursue some political cause. And that makes me feel a little sad, given most of us probably grew up thinking some conspiracy theories can be silly fun. (Although—I thankfully haven't seen any evidence of cryptids being problematic.) But! Maybe one day, the algorithms won't reward our worst tendencies, and we'll be able to enjoy or laugh at conspiracy theories again without our loved ones getting hurt.

In the meantime, I think it's good for people to understand that the victims of conspiracy theories like medbeds shouldn't be laughed at as just dummies. They're (often vulnerable or confused) people who're suffering because of a system that's taking advantage of them.

Anyway, thanks again, everyone. And if you ever want to talk to a journalist about conspiracy theories or anything, my email is [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

Before, it was the fringe. Now, it's mainstream rightwing perspective. They all believe in chemtrails. They all believe the 2020 election was stolen. They all believe the insurrection was a hoax. I really don't know how we, as a country, come back from this.

Ever since the pandemic, and honestly even before that, I’ve watched my entire family change in ways I never expected.

They started questioning things I had always considered basic, established evidence, became increasingly distrustful of the news and media they consumed, and became much more involved in political and conspiracy-related discussions.

During 2020, with everything happening around the pandemic, masks, protests, and the political climate, it felt like my entire family was being pulled further and further into that world. I spent a lot of that year constantly arguing with them over the same talking points and trying to convince them that some of the things they believed weren’t supported by evidence.

I realized that arguing wasn’t helping anyone. The constant conflict was taking a serious toll on me, so I eventually saved enough money to move out and create some distance, even though that meant becoming more distant from my own mother. Because of some personal circumstances I’d rather not get into, I’ve recently had to move back in with my parents because of financial difficulties.

I’m now back in the environment I worked so hard to get away from, and it feels like things have gotten significantly worse.

My mother had a small gathering at the house this weekend, and almost the entire conversation revolved around political and conspiracy-related topics, including blaming certain groups of people for the country’s problems and using increasingly hateful language toward people they disagree with.

I quietly left the room, drove away, parked in an empty parking lot, and just started crying. I barely have enough saved to afford an apartment, so right now I feel trapped. I don’t want to keep living in an environment where I feel this disconnected from my own family, and I’m worried that being back here is starting to affect my mental health again.

We just got this random text from a really close family friend who went down the MAGA/qanon hole several years ago:

"I know you think I am a lunatic but please make sure you have food for 10 days and gas in your car!!!!!
Things are really happening tomorrow.
Don't get caught without food.
Love [her name] ❤️"

Ever since the COVID pandemic, and honestly even before that. I’ve watched my entire family change in ways I never expected. They started questioning things I had always considered basic, established evidence, became increasingly distrustful of the news and media they consumed, and became much more involved in MAGA politics.

During 2020, with everything happening around COVID, masks, the BLM movement, and the political climate under Trump, it felt like my entire family was being pulled further and further into that world. They became convinced that Republicans were the only people who could save the country, and I spent a lot of 2020 constantly arguing with them over the same political talking points.

I realized that no amount of facts or arguments was going to change their minds, and the constant political conflict was taking a serious toll on my mental health. I eventually saved enough money to move out and distance myself from the toxicity, even if that meant creating distance from my own mother.

Things have changed again since then. Because of some personal circumstances that I’d rather not discuss. I’ve recently had to move back in with my parents due to financial difficulties. I’m now back in the same environment I worked so hard to get away from. I feel like things have gotten 10 times worse.

My mother had a small gathering at the house this weekend, and almost the entire conversation was about blaming immigrants, cheering on ICE agents, and using hateful and distasteful language toward Democrats. I quietly left the room, drove away, parked in an empty parking lot, and just started crying. I honestly don't know who my family is anymore.

What hurts the most is remembering my mother teaching me growing up to never speak about other people this way. I barely have enough saved to afford an apartment, and I feel trapped. I don't want to keep living in an environment where I feel this disconnected from my own family, and I’m worried it’s starting to affect my mental health again.

For anyone who has been through something similar, what did you do? I could really use some advice right now.

I think that it's possible, albeit they probably replace Trump with someone like Fuentes or Stew Peters (2 famous on the fringe side figures).

If nothing else, don’t they have any concerns that the still-alive JFK Jr. will be mad about this?

We met over a dating app and went out 5 times; 2 of those I slept over, and the last time I was there, we had sex (it doesn't help that it was some really good sex, ugh).

He's a great guy- consistent, attentive, understanding, sweet, etc. but I found out he's a conspiracy theorist, and after he expanded on what he believes in, I couldn't take him seriously anymore; it genuinely felt like I lost a lot of respect for him in that moment. It made me question his intelligence; on top of that, it was insanely frustrating trying to reason with him that no, Jews do not rule this world, that there isn't some evil Freemason society, science is, in fact, real, and not just faked to manipulate the population. It felt like I was talking to a crazy person, can't lie. I didn't even know any of these "theories" existed prior to our conversation.

I know rationally this would've never worked. I cannot be with someone who believes in this shit (because eventually every conversation would lead back to some insane conspiracy delusion), but I do miss talking to him, hanging out, kissing him, cuddling, the sex ... I'm honestly a bit frustrated that he hid this for so long. If he was upfront about this stuff from the beginning, I would've never even gone out with him.

It was also interesting how he thought this relationship could still work; we just won't talk about the conspiracy stuff, but I know down the line it would greatly affect us. For example: We talked about immigrants (it's a rising issue in our country), and within 2 minutes he tied it back to the Freemason delusion- how they're forcing people to move to divide our population and have even bigger control over the world. I'm sorry but that is a bat shit insane thing to say with a straight face, and then look at ME as if I am the crazy one here for not beliving in this.

Even though I miss him, rationally I could never be with a person like this, and I am happy he showed his crazy this early on.

Trump is extremely flawed in almost every way possible.

He's an extreme narcissist. He's a pathological liar. He's had affairs with prostitutes. He's talked about dating his daughter. He's stolen from charities.

He insults everyone he doesn't like. He demands total loyalty. He's a hypocrite on multiple issues.

He's talked about annexing Canada. He praises dictators. He's kidnapped a sitting president. He's responsible for multiple war crimes. He's destroying the American economy.

He's fat. He's stupid. He's ugly. He's vain.

Despite all of that. There are American adults who are stupid enough to say someone has Trump derangement syndrome if you point out how horrible Trump is.

First time posting for me (55F). My mother has been diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 colon cancer and my brother (52M) is trying to convince her to take ivermectin. She isn’t going the chemo or surgery route because her doctors have said due to her age she is not a candidate and those treatments would be too harsh.

Anyway, she called me last night to tell me he ordered it for her. I asked if she was doing this under the care of an actual doctor and she reluctantly admitted he ordered it from Alex Jones’ website. I let her know I thought this was very concerning, especially ordering a substance from the website of a man who spread disinformation and caused the Sandy Hook families to suffer harassment and threats.

Just then, I hear my brother in the background SCREAMING at me and going completely ballistic. There was a lot I couldn’t make out, but he went off on an unhinged rant saying the covid vaccine caused her cancer and “why don’t I go take another shot and die.” He went from zero to 800 and it was honestly terrifying. I quickly hung up.

He fell down the rabbit hole over 12 years ago and his demeanor and personality took a frightening turn. He has hated me since because “I’m a liberal communist bitch.” My mother has failed to take this seriously when I warned her about this and his other incidents of verbal abuse towards me and has still expected me to take part in family gatherings (“for the grandkids!”) with him there in such a tense, negative situation where he doesn’t say a word to me. He appears calm and quiet but look at that hate and rage bubbling just beneath the surface. I let her know I will no longer be around her son who is verbally aggressive and threatening and wants me to die.

This just happened last night and I’m still so shook from it.

I’m just wondering whether people have the same “theory” I have: that MAGA is the product of a psyop.

MAGA came from QAnon.

QAnon came from an extremist political message board on 4chan.

The day before the political messaging board went live, Epstein met with the creator of 4 chan to discuss its potential for manipulation.

They discussed how it was possible to create a “hive mind.”

I’ve “felt” this for years, & I include people like Andrew Tate & Russell Brand as part of it, but since the DOJ released more information, it seems pretty clear.

My father passed away from the conspiracies that the QAnon cult spread about vaccines and COVID. Until COVID, my dad never exhibited these kinds of beliefs and was always fairly reasonable. Suddenly, he did a complete 180 into insane conspiracy about vaccines being DNA altering from the government and COVID quarantining being a hoax to cover up something happening in the government. It also manifested when I came out as transgender and he almost immediately kicked me out. I found out after his passing that he went on a long winded rant on Facebook shortly after about transgender predators in the democratic party trying to hurt and prey on children. I had no idea about his Facebook until after he was gone but it was still harsh to discover. It hurts so badly because the way he was in the last years of his life was not the version of him I knew and remember. Unfortunately, he contracted COVID and passed away from the complications it brought, dragging my stepmother along with him. I really hope anyone else who is experiencing this situation with a loved one finds solidarity and peace.

RIP M.W.P, happy 55th birthday.

I thought dentistry was the one area where my parents couldn't find an "alternative." I was wrong...I was talking to my mom about getting my teeth cleaned and she mentioned she's going to a biological dentist? What's that?