Q’Anon man thinks Parkland was a hoax, son is survivor

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ASPartOfMe
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26 Jul 2021, 7:49 pm

I’m a Parkland Shooting Survivor. QAnon Convinced My Dad It Was All a Hoax.

Quote:
Bill’s final semester at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was already difficult enough.

He was part of the final graduating class of survivors of the 2018 shooting, and they all had just marked the third anniversary of the day 17 people were killed, nine of whom were Bill’s classmates.

But Bill also had to deal with his father’s daily accusations that the shooting was a hoax and that the shooter, Bill, and all his classmates were paid pawns in a grand conspiracy orchestrated by some shadowy force.

Bill had worked hard to get over his survivor’s guilt after the shooting, but for the past five months, his own father has been triggering it all over again.

“He'll say stuff like this straight to my face whenever he's drinking: ‘You're a real piece of work to be able to sit here and act like nothing ever happened if it wasn't a hoax. Shame on you for being part of it and putting your family through it too,” Bill said in an anonymous post on Reddit last week.’

Bill first posted his story on QAnon Casualties, a Reddit thread dedicated to helping family members and friends of QAnon believers.

VICE News spoke to the poster and confirmed the author’s claims about being a survivor of the school shooting. Bill is not the student’s real name as they only spoke to VICE News on the condition of anonymity, citing concerns about attacks from members of QAnon forums if his identity was revealed.

As is true for many who fell down the QAnon rabbit hole in recent years, Bill’s dad’s descent coincided with the pandemic.

“It started a couple months into the pandemic with the whole anti-lockdown protests,” Bill said.

So he turned to the internet to find like-minded people which led him to QAnon.”

But until January, that was as far as it went. Then Bill’s father saw a video of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene harassing Parkland survivor David Hogg in 2018, while he was visiting Washington to advocate for stricter gun control.

Ever since then, Bill’s father has become convinced the shooting his son survived was a so-called “false flag” event and that the shooter was “​​a radical commie actor.”

“From there it snowballed into what he is today, believing that if the government is able to overthrow an election, then everything else is probably a lie too,” Bill added.

Bill says his relationship with his mother has also suffered.

“The relationship with my mom is dependent on whether my dad is there or not, ’cause then it's pretty much all about conspiracy theories,” Bill told VICE News.

But despite the threats to leave home, Bill’s mother has not stood up to his dad.

Bill also says he’s been unable to talk to any of his fellow survivors about what he has been going through with this father.

“It wasn't—and still isn't—easy to bottle up, but telling them my dad thinks the absolute hell we went through, where nine of the victims were in our class, is a hoax is not a pain I want to put on them. It's difficult enough knowing that belief even exists at all.”

“I don't know how to help someone that far gone. My guess is restricted access to the internet and lots of therapy. But even if there was hope he'd eventually snap out of it, it wouldn't change my mind on never wanting to see him again. So it doesn't really matter anymore.”

There are no words.


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Kraichgauer
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26 Jul 2021, 9:15 pm

This is a case where the kid needs to smack some sense into the dad.


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Mona Pereth
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28 Jul 2021, 2:55 am

More articles from Vice about QAnon:

How QAnon Is Tearing Families Apart
by David Gilbert
March 31, 2021
VICE News talked to dozens of people whose lives have been affected by QAnon and found that there is no such thing as a typical Q follower.

QAnon's Mysterious Leader 'Q' Is Actually Multiple People
by David Gilbert
December 16, 2020
An analysis of Q’s cryptic posts found there are two distinct authors writing "Q drops," a finding that undermines the entire QAnon belief system.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Believes in Frazzledrip, QAnon’s Wildest Conspiracy Theory
by David Gilbert
January 27, 2021
Greene has repeatedly tried to distance herself from QAnon, but she has never disowned the conspiracy movement.

QAnon Is Not Dead, It’s Evolving Into Something Far Worse
by David Gilbert
June 21, 2021
Mike Rothschild, the author of the new book “The Storm Is Upon Us,” is very concerned about QAnon’s “true believers.” The FBI agrees.

QAnon Conspiracy Theories Are Rapidly Taking Over the GOP
by David Gilbert
June 28, 2021
A new poll shows conservatives are more likely to believe the election was stolen than QAnon followers are.

‘Conspirituality’ Explains Why the Wellness World Fell for QAnon
by Shayla Love
December 16, 2020
The philosopher Jules Evans tells us who and what are prone to both conspiracy theories and alternative beliefs, while advocating for “critical spirituality.”


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cyberdad
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28 Jul 2021, 4:51 am

Its funny how some many people write off QAnon as a flash in the pan. A lot of people said the same about Al Qaeda in the 1990s and ISIS in the 2010s.

QAnon is a mind virus, preys on the gullible who are also prone to right wing fantasies



Mona Pereth
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28 Jul 2021, 11:46 am

More VICE News stories:

QAnon Already Has 19 Candidates Running for Congress in 2022
by David Gilbert
June 3, 2021
As the GOP becomes more receptive to the conspiracy theory, more of the cult’s followers are running for office.

This QAnon Militia of Ex-Cops and Soldiers Is Training ‘Patriots’ for Revolution
by David Gilbert
June 18, 2021
The 1st Amendment Praetorians, founded by a QAnon believer, are providing free security for “patriotic and religious events across the country.”

The FBI’s New QAnon Report Is Scary as Hell
by David Gilbert
June 14, 2021
The FBI is warning lawmakers QAnon followers may move from being “digital soldiers” to “real world violence.”

The QAnon Supporter Who Led the Capitol Riots Now Thinks the Conspiracy Is ‘Silly’
by David Gilbert
June 8, 2021
Doug Jensen’s lawyer insists he’s a devoted family man who was lured to the Capitol to prove he was a “true patriot.”


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Mona Pereth
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28 Jul 2021, 12:09 pm

Lots of new QAnon-inspired politicians are running for all manner of local offices -- including local school boards.

Is QAnon Radicalizing Your School Board?
NEA News
Online conspiracy theorists are winning local elections, giving them a voice in choosing curriculum, staffing police departments and more.

QAnon Candidates Are Winning Local Elections. Can They Be Stopped?
by Vera Bergengruen
TIME magazine
April 16, 2021

QAnon moves from pro-Trump rallies to local schools
by Cynthia Miller-Idriss, MSNBC Opinion Columnist
July 10, 2021


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