this one might be controversial, But hear me out
This blog post is going to be discussing the invocation of "save the kids" as a dog whistle for far right extremism. It might seem far fetched, but hear me out...
Some context: My relationship with QAnon is relatively personal. I have family members who are very obviously indoctrinated into the "Q" cult, which is the basis for a lot of the information that I have on the topic. I haven't gone out of my way to read up on their lore, but I have had multiple family members try to get me to rationalize "pizzagate" to them, or tell me the 2020 election was stolen, or that the Democratic party is a secret cabal of satanic pedophiles. Often, all in the same conversation. I try my best to engage people who disagree with me on politics, but these people disagree with me on reality. Unsurprisingly, I talk to these family members less and less. If you want some background on the topic, look at the QAnon Wikipedia page.
#savethechildren is unproblematic... right?
No. Well, not in my opinion anyway. Being anti-child trafficking seems like a pretty normal take, right? First it's important to consider the fact that data surrounding "child trafficking" is pretty hard to validate. Or, it can just be entirely wrong. (I recommend listening to the You're Wrong About podcast episode about the Wayfair Scandal if you want to learn more.)
Anecdotally, the only people I've heard talking about chlid trafficking are those same persons who are very obviously indoctrinated into far-right conspriacy theories. While this is not itself evidence that the issue is a dog whistle for extremism...
"Save the Children" was a campaign started by QAnon.
What does this mean, practically?"
You should be wary of any politician who directly addresses child trafficking as a part of their platfrom. Or even "saving the children" more broadly. It can be an innocuous statement, but considering the political climate and the calculated nature of political campaigns and politicians' PR, if someone is being outspoken about the "child trafficking crisis..." there's a good chance they're an election denier.
Unfortunately, it's a pretty short leap from trafficking to "pedophile rings"--which, as you may know, is part of the basis for the Qanon belief. Main "Q" beliefs are in essence that:
"a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic sexual abusers of children operating a global child sex trafficking ring conspired against former U.S. President Donald Trump during his term in office." (Wikipedia)
While politicians likely won't come straight out and declare that the world is run by secret government of pedophiles, as my mom likes to, being aware of common "talking points" for far-right conspiracy theorists is helpful if you want to peek behind the curtain of extreme fringe groups. Or, if you want to vote Republican but still want to elect someone who believes in the integrity of American elections. (Because these politicians almost always run on the red ticket.)
A. McG
POST SCRIPT: Additional irony is that one of my Q-fanatic family members is Jewish, and the "Q" messaging is rife with antisemitic dog whistles (cabal, secret government, new world order). But they probably wouldn't appreciate my exposing that on this blog.
A, your blog is very well set up and easy to read. This issue that you addressed is near and dear to me as I know some individuals who have gotten caught up in this information. I think "save the children" is similar to the way that both sides frame the abortion issue. One side says that the other is committing murder while the opposing side says the other is infringing on women's rights. The abortion issue is a bit deeper but slogans like that are catchy. As you said, 99%+ of people are against trafficking. The misinformation is dangerous and destructive. I work in Georgia politics and even if your disagree with their politics, I think Georgia republicans at the state level have done a good job at keeping the crazy out of the party.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the note on the formatting, I tried my best! I'm sorry to hear that the issue is near and dear to you too, it's a rough spot to be in, especially looking in from the outside. Slogans and similar phrases seem to be the root of a lot of disinformation spread recently; akin to the infographics rabidly reposted on instagram stories without any additional thought. Quick snippets of information are a great way to manipulate people who are less knowledgeable about an issue... and then there's the problem of straight up incorrect data circulating everywhere, of course :)
DeleteAyla, this is an awesome post. I appreciate how you mentioned that your basis of understanding for this post is that you have family members who have been roped into these mindsets. I would be interested in reading about you diving deeper into the genuine issue of child and sex trafficking and how these two things collide or could even compare. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Ayla!
ReplyDeleteI too have family members that have fallen so far into the conspiracy theories that I find it hard to have a conversation with them. Some of the claims that they make are outlandish, and if I didn't know better I would think they were trying to prank me, but unfortunately they are older and they rely on social media to feed them their news. I think the general public can agree that child trafficking is horrible, and we would all do what we can to stop it. However, believing that Wayfair is selling kids with a thinly veiled disguise such as furniture, or believing that if democrats wear red shoes then they are eating children, is definitely a step down a rabbit hole that most of us would laugh at. QAnon alarms me because people really do believe these claims wholeheartedly, and as they gain more followers I think the fake news will continue to multiply.