Thread by @BuzzFeedNews

QAnon believers are wrestling with whether to keep on believing or to abandon a cause that, for some, became core to their identities. @scaachi spoke to four former and current believers over the last few months to see what has — and hasn’t — changed.

buzzfeednews.com/article/scaach…

Ashley Vanderbilt, a millennial stay-at-home mom who believed in many QAnon-sanctioned mass delusions, is now dedicated to deprogramming herself and disavowing the movement. She is also trying to save others from getting sucked into Q.

“I’m interviewing and I’m, you know, being an example and stuff. And it’s like, sometimes I wonder if they think, ‘Oh, she’s, she’s completely free and clear. She’s of sound mind’. And like, I’m still struggling.”

buzzfeednews.com/article/scaach…

Mark is currently trying to pull his wife, a social worker, out of QAnon, who started exploring it after getting sucked into the mass delusion of Pizzagate.

“I love her to death. I don’t want to leave her. I just want her to face reality.”

Lately, Mark’s wife has moved on to new conspiracy theories, largely focused on tech and pharmaceutical companies.

“What you see in QAnon is not an original movement, but a composite of themes from other groups that precede QAnon.”

buzzfeednews.com/article/scaach…

Kirk and Luke, a gay couple based in Texas, still believe in portions of the movement and are mainly trying to process feeling betrayed and abandoned by Q, Trump, the larger QAnon community.

“I feel like we were let down, period.”

Though the couple do still believe in big portions of Q, they were quick to admit defeat and still wish other Q followers do the same.

“Things have passed,” Kirk said. “Look forward. Stop looking at what could have been.”

buzzfeednews.com/article/scaach…