QAnon Infiltrates the Wellness Industry
One of the more interesting subplots of 2020 was the merging of wellness and spiritual influencers with alt-right QAnon supporting conspiracy theorists. The term "conspirituality" was coined by anthropologists Charlotte Ward and David Voas in 2011 when they noticed those with spiritual alternative leanings may also be more prone to conspiracy thinking. It's crazy to think that people who preach light and love would associate with people that believe wearing a mask hinders their freedom or that Covid is a diabolical hoax, but here we are. And I know the jump seems insane, but a mix of unemployment highs, more time on our hands (i.e. more ‘doomscrolling’), and a pandemic with no clear end in sight; the stage is set for more existential thinking. In fact, Politico called 2020 the golden age of conspiracy theories and found some pretty disturbing insights -- around 30% of Americans believe in some sort of Covid conspiracy theory, a quarter of people who know about QAnon believe there is at least some truth to it, and that during the U.S. presidential election, 1 in 20 tweets relating to the election came from a QAnon account. Unfortunately, there isn't one person or thing to blame this on, these feelings come from a mix of misinformation, anxiety and fear about the future, and glaring bipartisan political divides. Soon enough, wellness accounts that already questioned traditional means of health and medicine were being swayed by alt-right conspiracies suggesting microchips being implanted in the vaccine or Covid being overblown by the government as a means to control the population.
It started small, with posts that looked normal to the ones questioned authority in the medical industry, but became increasingly sinister. Skepticism about vaccines and the virus mixed with massive misinformation lured the counter culture in. QAnon specifically preyed on these groups by using children and claiming that elite Dems in D.C. ran sex trafficking rings in a pizza shop (commonly known as PizzaGate). This is a cult in the truest form. They use psychology tactics liked seeded language about oneness and unity, and fond that merging conspiracies was a powerful way to sway members in the wellness and yoga community. Researcher Marc-André Argentino has referred to this phenomenon as 'Pastel QAnon,' which merges the pretty aesthetics of Instagram with conspiracy postings. This is a huge problem because it makes these theories more mainstream and appealing, especially during a time where people are desperately searching for answers. Instead of finding clarity, those in vulnerable head spaces found a group to validate these outlandish beliefs and gave them a sense of superiority as if they were the only ones who really know the truth. People want answers, they want to know when things will return to normal, but they don't know where to turn or who to trust.
In part, this isn't irrational, the government has lied to people before and most companies aren't as transparent as they could be. Philosopher and research fellow, Jules Evans, explained that this trend of thinking was predictable because of the pandemic. We've watched politicians for years twist expert facts to fit their narrative and this breakdown of knowledge has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Evans explained that during particularly stressful times in human history, we are more prone to magical types of thinking. We look for answers anywhere we can potentially find them, so when the traditional methods don't satisfy us, we go elsewhere. And I know this article is more about the alt-right side of things, but conspiracy thinking can happen on both sides. There are overlaps between people that believe in alternative forms of spirituality and who get involved in radical or extremist ends of politics, which Evans noted isn't a new occurrence. Nazi leaders during the second world war were known to dabble in the esoteric and holistic side of things. Hitler himself was into New Age-y practices and preached about "cleansing" the world by ushering in a new world order of love. In a similar way, trump is paraded as this god-like figure by QAnon who is here to save us all from the demonic elite liberals controlling the world. So what now? Do we just full stop anything that isn't provable? Or does the answer lie somewhere in the middle?
I have to agree with something Jules Evans said in her Vice interview about monophasic vs polyphasic thinking. If we only consider the monophasic, the materialistic and quantifiable view as being the only valid answer verse the polyphasic which accepts multiple versions of consciousness as valid, then we risk narrowing our worldview. Some of our world's greatest achievements have stemmed from merging science and magic, things like the mind-body connection in relation to trauma, the placebo effect, or the widening use of psychedelics and ecstasy in therapeutic healing. We thrive as a society when we can meet in the middle, this applies to our worldview as well. When we cling too tightly to our beliefs we're subject to more paranoid thinking. We have to learn to accept that we will never be 100% certain of how things will turn out. And while it's scary to think about how decentralized the internet is, it is also incredibly transparent and has helped to educate and liberate millions of people across the world. Neglecting spirituality and alternative thinking would be a disservice to mankind and remove a lot of meaning in the world.
So, how do you help someone who has fallen down this rabbit hole of paranoia? While the natural reaction may be to call them crazy or point out why everything they believe is made-up, this will not work. People tend to double down on their beliefs when called out, so it’s best to calmly point out the holes in one theory and get them to come to the conclusion on their own that hey, maybe the government isn’t implanting small microchips in our bodies through a Covid vaccine. Basically, be kind and non-judgemental, any sort of name calling or blame will most likely cause them to dive deeper into the validation QAnon provides. Most importantly, take care of yourself. Just like on a plane, make sure to put your mask on before helping those around you. If helping a friend of family member is hindering your own psychological mental health, then you won’t be any good to them in the future. For a more in-depth look at everything ‘Conspirituality’ check out the podcast by the same name which aims to provide information and understanding to the phenomenon.
