My wife and I actually got married
in my uncle's backyard in Silver
Spring and this is he's the
one that fell victim to Q Anon. What
sort of emotions run through you when
you see that smile on my face? It's sad.
It is.
MSM a lot.
And expect to get so emotional.
When did you become this
call? 17 years after they met,
Amber Winters sits at home in Maryland
and wonders what turned her lifelong best
friend into a person she barely knew.
We've opted not to identify him.
She says the change started in 2017,
shortly after the election of
Donald Trump, but then after Trump
got elected, things started getting.
Different, he got more argumentative,
got more personal when I didn't
agree with him and stuff like that.
I distinctly remember
having an argument about.
Obama being the Antichrist?
Yeah, he told me that most of the
people in power in the government
are part of an elite ********* ring.
And then I looked up what Q Anon was.
'cause.
I wasn't super familiar and like
some of their beliefs and some of
the things that he had been saying
Dimeo aligned with the Q beliefs
and that's where it all kind
of clicked with me. It's those Q
Anon catch phrases that people say
this woman who asked not to be identified
because her family still lives in the area.
Said growing up in Northern Virginia,
her father stressed the importance.
Of all political viewpoints,
then she says he started following Q Anon
and pushing its conspiracy theories. My
mom initially thought that my
dad was developing all timers.
That's how out of character
this behavior was.
You're looking at your father saying
these things and you're like I don't
even know what I'm seeing and hearing 100%.
It's. Trying to explain to somebody that
I don't think that the Clintons are
running a child *** ring like I don't.
I don't know how to prove that the dad
that I grew up with was not that person.
I don't know who that
was. She is not alone in
feeling lossed on Reddit.
A subreddit called Q Anon casualties
has more than 155 thousand members
nationwide and is growing every day.
I think the people who were drawn
into Q Anon were suffering in some
capacity and I think with the pandemic
many people have been suffering.
Mia Bloom is Co.
Author of the book Pastels and
Pedophiles Inside the Mind of Q
Anon. So in many ways you know for the
people we want to try to get out and back
into the light, we have to have great
empathy. Bloom says.
Don't ostracize family members
who believe in Q Anon. Hear
them out. Then gently point
out inconsistencies in Q Anon
beliefs like Q predictions,
a lot of high profile figures were
going to be arrested for child abuse
during President Biden's inauguration.
Or that Donald Trump would magically
become president again on March 4th, all
of which, of course, did not come true.
But I think the idea is that we don't
want people feeling completely isolated,
that they've abandoned their families,
have abandoned them, and the only thing
they have left in their life is Q.
In fact, part of the
reason this woman did not want to
be identified is because she hasn't
given up on her dad and bring
him back into the family fold,
even though she says her brothers
have already written him off.
And a lot of people are going through this
separation process with their loved ones,
and that's really crummy.
Amber Winner says there is no hope of
reconciliation with her former best
friend after he ended their lifelong
relationship with a text message.
I can't stand what you hope to do
to this country. It destroyed now and
I blame you for your part in it. He
said. He never wanted to speak
to her again. Do you still worry
about him? Yeah. I don't.
I don't think that'll change. Let go.