OPINION: Chris Kelly Opinion: 'QAnon Casualties' on both sides of conspiracy divide

Feb. 21—"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves."

— Matthew 7:15

They call themselves "QAnon casualties," circumstantial hostages who watch in horror, sadness and desperation as loved ones are drawn deeper into a complex web of lies, exploitation and psychological violence spun by predators posing as prophets.

They are the collateral damage of "The Great Awakening," a war on democracy, empirical fact and objective reality that continues to consume the hearts, minds, careers and relationships of its victims. They share their grief, disbelief and desperation in online forums such as r/QAnonCasualties on Reddit. The growing community was started by a user whose mother was falling deeper into the labyrinthine conspiracy theory.

"Having a loved one involved in QAnon is an exhausting, sad, scary, demoralizing experience," the user wrote. "Most people are happy to just point and laugh at QAnon followers because they aren't directly affected by it. If you don't have that luxury, this sub is for you."

On Thursday, a member of r/QAnonCasualties who lives in Northeast Pennsylvania shared his experience with me. He read last Sunday's column and reached out to offer his perspective from "the other side" of the "Q" divide.

I know his name, but promised not to use it. Or reveal where he lives. I've done my best to avoid details that could identify him. He doesn't want to embarrass his girlfriend and holds out hope that she can be "brought back to reality."

I'll call him "John." I believe this is the first time I've used an anonymous source. After vetting him as thoroughly as possible, my editor and I decided an exception was in order. Real lives are being destroyed, right here in our community. "Q" is very real to "Anons," and its grip only tightens with each failed prophecy.

"She was the sweetest, most innocent, very smart girl," John said of his girlfriend, also in her 50s. "I've known her since we were kids. We just reconnected three years ago, and we never had an argument about anything."

Then came the pandemic.

"I was watching something on CNN, and she walked in the room and said, 'I think you're all (expletive) crazy'... she said, 'It's fake. It's a hoax.' "

Soon, "John's" girlfriend started sharing "research" she said provided vital information and evidence being hidden by the "fake news" media. He easily accessed multiple reliable sources to debunk what she called "her news." As her news got more and more bizarre, John got less and less tolerant.

"I started getting mad about it and I lost my composure and I said, 'This is dangerous, sicko stuff.' She said, 'Don't worry about me. I'm doing research. It's my news.' I said, 'Then why is everybody else in the world telling me to be scared (expletive) of this stuff. And you're telling me there's no problem with it? Think about what it's doing to me, because I'm laying awake at night wondering what the hell you're doing on the internet.'"

"John" and his girlfriend don't live together. When she isn't with him or at work, he said she is online doing Q "research" with other "Anons." Over the past year, John has watched her become more fearful and less trusting of any source outside the "Qniverse."

A recent argument revealed her suspicion of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"She started shaking," John said. "Her face got drawn and grave and she was just so upset because she was afraid they were going to put a microchip in her. And it's like it's a real fear for her, where for the rest of us it's just crazy...

"Half the time I'm wondering if I'm overreacting, but I've read enough about this stuff to know some people don't come back."

For the uninitiated, "Anons" believe that "Q" is a mysterious individual (or small group of them) with a high-level security clearance. Q feeds cryptic breadcrumbs that incrementally reveal "The Plan" to round up and execute a global cabal of Satanic vampire pedophiles and reinstall former president Donald Trump as "GEOTUS," short for "God Emperor of the United States."

I'm not making that up.

Or this: "Anons" take Trump's lies about election fraud as articles of faith. He did win in a landslide, he has irrefutable proof he was cheated and is biding his time before declaring martial law and retaking the White House.

Also, JFK Jr. is alive and working with Trump; President Biden and other "deep state demons" have been executed and replaced with "body doubles," and Trump's abandonment of Mike Pence was payback after the former vice president plotted to have "GEOTUS" assassinated in North Korea.

It's easy to mock such madness and those who religiously believe it until you consider that two QAnon promoters were recently elected to Congress. Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who thinks she should be allowed to carry a gun in the Capitol, live-tweeted that Nancy Pelosi had been escorted from the chamber as terrorists hunted the House Speaker during the Jan. 6 riot.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has expressed support for a cornucopia of QAnonsense, including the loopy, anti-Semitic claim that the California wildfires were caused by Jewish elites using space lasers. These two kooks are elected members of Congress.

I find nothing funny about that. Neither does "John." Even as he related some of her most preposterous beliefs, he never once laughed at his girlfriend. He loves this woman and genuinely fears for her safety and sanity. She's caught up in something and can't see what it's doing to her and their relationship. His only goal is to help her, and he doesn't know how. "John's" pain is real. I could hear it.

I speak as a sinner. I'm a recovering alcoholic. My wife, family and friends suffered for years as my obsession with alcohol pushed them and everything else aside. They begged and pleaded with me to give it up, but I believed alcohol made me smart, funny, confident and powerful. I almost died for that lie.

By the grace of God and the support of family and friends, I am two years sober. I'm a lot less judgmental of those who get caught up in destructive behaviors that make them feel smart, funny, confident and powerful, and even less forgiving of predators who take advantage of vulnerable souls.

At least two Q-predicted deadlines for Trump's triumphant re-ascension — the Jan. 6 domestic terrorist attacks on the Capitol and the Jan. 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden — have come and gone. The latest drop-dead date for "The Great Awakening" is March 4. Mark it on your "Qalendars."

On that date, the 45th President of the United States will be sworn in as the 19th President of the United States. Wait. What? Well, see, back in 1871, a secret law was passed that made the U.S. a corporation, and...

Never mind.

"John" is hoping after March 4, his girlfriend will see the light, or at least a few rays.

"I'm sure they'll move the goalposts again, but I'm going to be there for her," he said. "I'm not ready to give up this fight yet."

Me neither.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, is praying for John and his girlfriend.

Contact the writer:

kellysworld@timesshamrock.com,

@cjkink on Twitter.

Read his award-winning blog at times-tribuneblogs.com/kelly.