Re: I'm probably delusional, but
Feb. 12th, 2025 08:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Here's an unannotated list of what the QAnon and Proship DNI movements have in common:
1. Fervid obsession with fantasy pedophilia that doesn't exist in the real world.
2. Emphasis on the need for sexual purity (often coded as sexual chastity) of fictional characters, or real people treated like fictional characters.
3. Delusion that popular entertainment media contains secret messages, and that there is only one correct reading of any given text.
4. Anti-intellectual current that discredits accepted sources of information and methods of interpretation in favor of "natural" folk wisdom.
5. Loose organization through pseudonymous online groups with no central authority.
6. Targeted online harassment of individuals perceived to be morally impure, often on the charge that they are hypocritical or harming children.
7. Strong self-identification as belonging to one or more minority groups, often as a defense against accusations of bad-faith behavior.
These are all aspects of cult mentality, but I think the ways they manifest in these two loosely defined groups are specific to 2015-2025 internet culture. Annotation is necessary, but I wanted to go ahead and get the basics down.
1. Fervid obsession with fantasy pedophilia that doesn't exist in the real world.
2. Emphasis on the need for sexual purity (often coded as sexual chastity) of fictional characters, or real people treated like fictional characters.
3. Delusion that popular entertainment media contains secret messages, and that there is only one correct reading of any given text.
4. Anti-intellectual current that discredits accepted sources of information and methods of interpretation in favor of "natural" folk wisdom.
5. Loose organization through pseudonymous online groups with no central authority.
6. Targeted online harassment of individuals perceived to be morally impure, often on the charge that they are hypocritical or harming children.
7. Strong self-identification as belonging to one or more minority groups, often as a defense against accusations of bad-faith behavior.
These are all aspects of cult mentality, but I think the ways they manifest in these two loosely defined groups are specific to 2015-2025 internet culture. Annotation is necessary, but I wanted to go ahead and get the basics down.