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Missouri Independent
What QAnon supporters, butthole sunners and New Age spiritualists have in common
By Christopher T. Conner,
2024-05-29
Former NBA player Royce White speaks during a protest outside the Hennepin County Government Center on May 29, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. White, a Minnesota native, joined former NBA player Stephen Jackson calling for the prosecution the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Many people might associate conspiracy theories with certain demographics or political leanings. But the reality is far more nuanced, with emerging research finding that there is far more diversity among conspiracists than scholars previously thought.
These include, but are not limited to, discredited intellectuals who promote race science ; butthole sunners who believe that by harnessing the sun’s rays, they live longer; and semen retention enthusiasts , which is a practice that discourages ejaculation as a way to boost testosterone levels.
While some many say that believing in UFOs or Bigfoot may not be that big of a problem, these ideas can lead to real-world harms. Butthole sunning, for example, has been linked with cancer .
By understanding how conspiracy theories and alternative belief systems intersect and evolve over time, you can see how anyone – no matter their political leanings – can become subsumed by them.
They are part of a collective waste bin of discarded ideas, a phenomenon that political scientist Michale Barkun characterizes as “ stigmatized knowledge .” Because they’ve been discredited by mainstream institutions, they often only emerge on the fringes of society.
Certain stigmatized narratives can also become tools wielded by politicians and media influencers who will say or do anything to make money and gain power.
Even though it’s been linked to cancer, butthole sunning is an alternative wellness practice that has become popularized. Nick Lehr , CC BY-SA
For example, in their book “ Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat ,” Derek Berry, Matthew Remski and Julien Walker document the ways in which contemporary New Age spiritualism has been hijacked by social media influencers, who have then gone on to promote vaccine misinformation and foment government mistrust.
Social media platforms provide financial incentives for individuals creating the most engaging content . Of course, what’s engaging is not necessarily what’s accurate or truthful. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these influencers became popular by suggesting that they had “sacred” or “secret” knowledge on how to defeat the virus .
It’s one way people can go from embracing seemingly harmless ideas, like Bigfoot, to becoming open to more radical beliefs like the Great Replacement Theory , which is the conspiracy theory that illegal immigrants are colluding with Democrats to change the racial demographics of America and, in doing so, shape future elections.
The intersection of politics and alternative beliefs is not a recent phenomenon.
Some of these beliefs, like the imaginary continent of Atlantis , were used by the Nazi party to create a link to a mythical pure race. Indeed, a key component of the Nazi’s rise to power was the promotion of ideas that today would be described as New Age mysticism – a spiritual movement that emphasizes magical experiences and the notion that spiritual forces connect everything in the universe.
The anti-vaccine movement is now a pet issue for many on the right, but it first gained notoriety among wealthy liberals. One of the most visible promoters of the movement is current presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” is another well-known example of this juxtaposition: He’s been seen protesting on behalf of both right- and left-wing causes and was at the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.
A 2021 survey by the Public Religion Research Institute found that 23% of Republicans believe that “the government, media and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles.”
The number might seem high, but probably isn’t all that surprising: It’s one of the core tenants of the right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory. But I found the survey’s other findings somewhat startling – that 8% of self-identified Democrats and 14% of independents also agreed with that statement.
Where do we go from here?
While seemingly unrelated at first glance, conspiracy theories such as QAnon and alternative wellness practices such as drinking urine share common themes. Namely, they’re united by distrust in mainstream institutions. They long for alternative belief systems that confirm their existing beliefs and ignore contradicting evidence.
Being critical of those in positions of power is a healthy thing, but there are times in which trust in leadership makes sense – like listening to firefighters evacuating a building or public health officials during a global pandemic.
In fairness, the number of Americans who believe in conspiracy theories does not seem to be rising . At the same time, conspiracies were a core motivator for many of the Jan 6 protesters who attempted to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power .
As the contributors to my forthcoming edited essay collection argue , conspiracy-laden narratives not only undermine societal institutions, but they also strain relationships with fellow citizens. They train people to be suspicious of trusted sources of information – and suspicious of one another.
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