# Who's getting rich off QAnon? \[Corrected title\]
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [March 3, 2021, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382 "2021-03-03T20:07:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/21 "2021-03-04T18:17:35Z")
To which I would answer, if I was a prepper, that that just goes to show that some of the food and water you stock should be laced with ricin.
Of course I know nothing, I am European. Just imagine that I know nobody who owns a gun or calls himself a prepper. I know one gold bug though.
And I know nobody who takes QAnon seriously, but the more I read about it, the more angry I get. I may be developing QAnon Derangement Syndrome: the sheer stupidity of the ideas expressed as QAnon in the media I read makes me despair. Which leads me to think that the whole idea was not planned, it is too absurd for that (or the planner was completely incompetent and got incredibly lucky, which is highly improbable but would hint at Trump’s modus operandi) but used as a distraction by somebdy who takes advantage from the status quo when it caught on, some right winged sub-group of the 0.1%. Could also be an admirer of that sub-group who hopes to climb his way into it, or someone who thinks he is part of that sub-group but isn’t at all. In those latter cases the sub-group does not even have to be real.
And maybe it (he, she, they…) are just trolls who are having the lulz of their lives. Where did I read that in the internet nobody knows you are a dog, but everybody sees you are a jackass?
I don’t know how to find out which of these possibilities is more probable and the truth could be completely different anyway.
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### Author:  [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/22 "2021-03-04T18:32:44Z")
> [@snoe](#):
>
> All indications are that the inventor of QAnon was just a chan user trying to get attention. It’s been monetized, but after its accidental popularity.
Exactly. Despite everything that happened prior to Q I doubt anyone could have guessed that something this stupid would be believed by millions and hence monetizable.
Of course _now_ people will be looking to make a quick buck, and heck, anyone at or near the source is essentially an uber social influencer. They can just tell all the followers where to send their money.
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### Author:  [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/23 "2021-03-04T18:39:36Z")
Who’s getting rich off of QAnon?
The people selling those tee shirts. They should sell mugs, hoodies, sneakers, and purses while they’re at it.
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### Author:  [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2021, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/24 "2021-03-04T18:46:09Z")
> [@Strassia](#):
>
> From all I have seen or read, Q started as chan in joke to troll the normies. Then after it caught on, it was eventually co-opted by different right wing grifters, until the owner of 8chan took control of the account.
This is my belief. Some of the “theories” are so stupid and outlandish (e.g. when Trump said “together” it was code for “to get her”…meaning Hillary) that it **had** to be someone trolling.
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### Author:  [@etasyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etasyde)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/25 "2021-03-04T20:31:02Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#):
>
> in the beginning, somebody must have seen an opportunity to make some money, or why else do it?
The Koch Brothers themselves have come out and said that QAnon, or rather the amalgamation of the views and voices that would later mutate uncontrollably into QAnon, is in no small part their fault. They stirred the bees nest astroturfing the Tea party and it spiraled up from there. I dislike them for numerous reasons, but I will say that it took a degree of honesty to admit their complicity in creating this monster and I actually **don’t** blame them for just how horribad the results of their actions became. They got the ball rolling, but couldn’t possibly have predicted the avalanche.
The opportunity they saw is manifest in Trump via his tax cuts. That’s the part they wanted, and they have reaped bookoo bucks off the massive rightwards shift in the overton window. They just didn’t really believe they’d bring down the rule of law, democracy, free trade, and virtually everything else America had been doing in the process.
However, don’t get me wrong: while I don’t think Koch could have predicted how bad the things he & co were doing, I _do_ think they were being greedy SOBs without a shred of a soul. Please don’t take me for a Koch apologist, I hope he and his brother burns in the depths of… well, you get the picture.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/26 "2021-03-05T04:59:15Z")
Together?
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45cYwDMibGo)
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2021, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/27 "2021-03-05T05:09:50Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> He is smart enuf to ride “stop the steal” to a huge payoff.
>
> Look, trump is now, and has always been- a con man. That is how he made every dollar- trump univ, trump casinos. - all cons and scams.
True, but I think he’s more being opportunistic about it. It wasn’t part of his scheme to create QAnon. And I doubt he knows the particulars of what he’s supposed to do for them. He’s not actively pushing it as much as just doing what he was doing anyways before QAnon started.
I suspect that, when people ask, they’re more interested in the people actively keeping QAnon going for a profit motive. Trump barely qualifies, but I think there are more specific people.
I would not at all be surprised if some of the “translators” of Q are actually making tons of money off of it.
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### Author:  [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2021, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/28 "2021-03-05T05:13:30Z")
These two Medium articles have some excellent analysis and make a good case for Russian involvement. And there’s a reason you may be rolling your eyes when I say Russia is behind it…the right wing has done a really good job of discrediting the idea of pervasive Russian influence in our politics, because they’re all tools.
> **[Qanon is an Enormous Alternate Reality Game (ARG) Run by Malevolent...](https://registrarproject17.medium.com/qanon-is-an-enormous-alternate-reality-game-arg-run-by-malevolent-puppetmasters-27e6b098ce9b)**
>
> The cast of characters includes Chanel Rion, a racist pig farmer named Jim Watkins aka ‘Q’, and yes, the Russians
> **[JIM WATKINS IS Q AND THE RUSSIANS ARE HELPING HIM](https://registrarproject17.medium.com/jim-watkins-is-q-the-russians-are-helping-him-and-other-adventures-b457848e210b)**
>
> The man behind Qanon is a vile hate-merchant coordinating with OANN, Flynn and Russian intelligence.
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### Author:  [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2021, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-getting-rich-off-qanon-corrected-title/934382/29 "2021-03-05T05:24:50Z")
Who is Jim Stewartson, and why should we believe him?
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