Making sense of sorts of conspiracy jargon
The QAnon conspiracy theory claims that President Donald Trump is waging a secret war against high-profile Satan-worshipping paedophiles. It surfaced in October 2017 when a mysterious person calling themselves “Q” began posting cryptic messages on internet message boards.
These messages, often referred to as “drops” or “crumbs”, refer either to the alleged crimes of a supposed “cabal” within the elite, or to the progress of Trump’s investigation into the secret war (known as the “cbts”, or “calm before the storm”). Each crumb is then eagerly dissected online by the theory’s growing, cult-like following.
The conspiracy theory is no longer restricted to the fringes of the internet. Some in the White House appear to endorse it. Trump has winked to his QAnon supporters, on Twitter and in press conferences, and endorsed several pro-QAnon congressional candidates, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who referred to “Q” as a patriot. They clearly know on which side their bread is buttered.
Alia Shoaib
Двойники Doubles
Lookalikes of politicians (noun)
Could Russia’s president be getting younger?
Vladimir Putin has been in power in Russia for 20 years and seems likely to hold on to it for many more. It’s not surprising, then, that some people reckon that there’s more to his seeming timelessness than appears – and argue that the Russian President has several doubles who represent him in public. Some believers in this theory suggest that the real Putin is dead. Others maintain that doppelgangers are used for security reasons, akin to Hollywood actors’ stunt doubles (there were similar theories about Saddam Hussein).
Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Russian government did consider deploying doubles in the noughties. AP
The Russian internet is rife with side-by-side photographs of Putin’s face. Surely, they insist, there are too many differences for all the pictures to be of the same man? Evidence that Putin has had plastic surgery is deemed insufficient (one nickname for him is “made out of Botox”).
Putin even addressed the theory earlier this year when he said the Russian government did consider deploying doubles in the noughties, when the country was struggling with terrorist threats, but they were never used. Official rebuttals only make advocates more convinced – particularly given that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin both apparently used doubles for security reasons.
Conspiracy theories often reflect contemporary fears and anxieties. The obsession with Putin doubles stems from a chronic lack of trust in the government. It probably reflects a deeper fear too: that if Putin doesn’t age, Russia may never be free of him.
Sasha Raspopina
アベガー(Abegā)
One who blames Abe Shinzo for everything (noun)
A scapegoat can be useful
When a popular Japanese actor was arrested in 2019 for possessing illegal drugs, Twitter was abuzz with rumours of Abe Shinzo’s involvement. Could the prime minister (he has since stepped down) have orchestrated her jailing to divert public attention away from his own corruption scandals? Scores of Abegās claimed so – including a former prime minister from the opposition camp.
Shinzo Abe, who has been linked to all sorts of adverse weather phenomena and weird incidences, left, with his successor Yoshihide Suga. AP
Abegā theories span a wide range of issues. Some argue that Abe conspired with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean dictator, to conduct missile tests. Others blame him for setting off earthquakes and typhoons to cover up his political blunders. Abegās, from the most radical to the moderate kind, also attacked Abe for deliberately limiting COVID-19 testing to flatten infection numbers. Though his nearly eight-year rule may finally be over, the Abegā forces remain. The question is whether they will now adopt a new theory that explains every misfortune: Sugagā, a play on Suga Yoshihide, Abe’s successor.
Miki Kobayashi
Plandemic
A theory alleging that COVID-19 was planned by the elite (noun)
It can be hard to keep conspiracy theorists hooked
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Until May, Mikki Willis was best known for posting “heartwarming” viral clips of his son online. His latest video is less adorable, yet even more popular. In Plandemic, Willis learns the apparent truth about COVID-19 by interviewing Dr Judy Mikovits, a discredited scientist who is worshipped in the anti-vaccine movement.
In the “documentary”, Mikovits outlines her view that a malevolent global elite caused the pandemic in order to grab power and money (no points for originality there), that COVID-19 came from laboratories – including one in Wuhan in China – and that wearing a face mask can “activate” the virus. In theory, her version of COVID-19 sounds like a John Grisham novel, but her web of intrigue is so convoluted, and the 26-minute video of her talking so eyelid-droopingly dull, that most viewers will nod off before they can be radicalised.
Though social media platforms removed it for spreading dangerous lies, the video had already circulated widely (and is still available in some murkier corners of the internet). One post on YouTube racked up 7 million views and anti-lockdown protesters in America were soon holding signs emblazoned with its title.
Plandemic joins other conspiracy theories that blame the virus on everything from 5G phone networks to Bill Gates. As these have spread, so has scepticism of masks and vaccines.
In her bestselling book, Plague of Corruption, Mikovits compares herself to Galileo and Martin Luther King jnr. That said, even conspiracy theorists can lose interest. The sequel to Plandemic, a video released in August and laughably named Plandemic: Indoctornation, sank almost without a trace.
Bo Franklin
Голубое лобби Blue lobby
A secret cabal of LGBTQ people (noun)
Prejudice and pride in Russia
The “blue lobby”, so the story goes, is a clandestine organisation with cells embedded deep within the Russian government, entertainment industry and the Russian Orthodox church. Its aim? To destroy “traditional family values”: all members are LGBTQ, and are working to bring themselves more power.
It’s an unusual conspiracy theory. The shadowy cabal is said to have taken control of the Communist Party in Soviet times. Devotees reckon that it’s more powerful than ever today, even though Vladimir Putin’s government is renowned for its homophobia. The Russian authorities consistently fail to investigate physical assaults on gay people; and in 2013 the government passed a law banning “gay propaganda”: anything that presents homosexuality as normal.
The “blue lobby” theory is attributed partly to Andrey Kurayev, a deacon in the Russian Orthodox church who became famous for protesting against Madonna concerts in Russia. Long before Kurayev, though, the word “blue” (goluboi) was a derogatory term for gay men. As with many homophobic insults, the label has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ community. It could still take some time before they convince the country that blue lives matter, however.
Sasha Raspopina
1843 Magazine
*** This article has been archived for your research. The original version from The Australian Financial Review can be found here ***
