Why Do People Love QAnon? | The Problem With Jon Stewart Podcast | Apple TV+ 

It never ceases to amaze me that a comedian is one of the best journalist/analyst out there. It's a complement to Jon but it's a condemnation of the journalism industry.

Conspiracies have always been easier to accept than the hard truth and sad realities. Fear and anger have always been great motivators too.

The problem is that the internet has displaced television as most people's primary news sources. I know as I was once one. After January 6th, I had to finally admit that I was wrong!

My friend ran for Mayor of Oakville and this tiny town has Qanon members that started rumors of him trafficking people! Look up this tiny place. What was his system? I mean he works at the animal shelter, maybe it is via the animal shelter?!? Like how is this even a tangible accusation? I was so outraged and baffled.

Q-Anon is actually a very useful tool for me. I'm from Iran and I'm facinated by American culture. Whenever I mention my nationality, an American dude says "You Iranians burn our flag." I usually tell them: Well, "I" don't burn flags and never have. You're from America, but I assume most of you aren't a member of the Q-Anon. :)

Sometimes I wonder if Jon has to spend time in a sound proof room screaming into a pillow in between preparing for the podcasts on such subjects. Love you, Jon. You been keeping me sane for many years. Thanks!

I always come to Jon's page to get an intelligent, well thought-out discussion of important subjects. Sprinkled with his great humor too! Thanks for sharing your views with us.

Jon. Perfect guest. Bring him back. Chemistry was outstanding.

As far as Qanon discussions go, this touches on some key points, but Dan Olson's video "In Search of a Flat Earth" does the best job imo.

One thing I've always appreciated is how Jon conducts his conversations with guests. He clearly does enough research about the topic he is discussing to ask meaningful and engaging questions. Always noticed that on TDS where other shows would often do fluff pieces. Really glad his voice is back in the public square.

Speaking to what you said about we Americans not accepting responsibility for our own failures, I am glad that we no longer hear the old adage that “ this is not who we are”. We need to understand that this current culture is indicative of who we are and then we can strive to be better

I listened to Gatehouse's podcast series 'The Coming Storm' on the BBC last year. It's terrific and well worth checking out. Informative and deeply disturbing at the same time...

I think the biggest reason people get taken in by stuff like this is because they don't really understand (or care to understand) how things actually work. If you don't know how a car works it becomes pretty easy for grifting mechanics to take advantage of that ignorance by telling you that so and so is the reason your car is doing that thing. It can be extremely frustrating hearing about people who believe this stuff but I think we should reserve our anger for the people who are preying on these people and taking advantage of their (sometimes willful) ignorance.

Much as I adore John Oliver, it's such a joy to be able to have regular John Stewart again. Win Win !

"I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe." -- Douglas Adams. 1980.

I truly love all of the late night show hosts! I find them all incredible but man I feel we need jon Stewart back

I'm so happy Jon Stewart exist and out there doin' the good work. We all need voices of reason at this time. It's crazy out here

John Stewart is such a great commentator. A really smart guy that from time to time, spices up the heavy topics on his show, with satirical and sardonic humor.

They do it because they need a story to give meaning to how they feel.

Man it's great John is back! So refreshing. Love from Ireland 🇮🇪

He didn’t say the Salem witch trials lasted hundreds of years. He was speaking about the European witch trials lasted hundreds of years. Love the podcast. Love everything Jon does. Keep it up.

I have a wonderful and visceral reaction to Jon's voice - immediately I feel safe & in an honest space. Been watching this man for about 28 years, since The Jon Stewart Show on MTV until these new iterations, & in all that time, Jon has always assumed his audience comes informed and is capable of nuance & reflection. An incredibly talented interviewer and all around good dude that Jon. Helluva guy. Glad to have access to him through RU-vid too - not adding apple tv no matter what lolol

Utterly fantastic chat between Jon and his BCC counterpart. WE need more of this style chat cheers !

“Gabriel It’s a classic!” Devastating truth yet absolutely hilarious delivery by Jon

This makes me miss Jon Stewart so much. He was such a force of clarity, satire and calling out the corrupt conmen in both the Democratic & Republican parties when he was on 5 nights a week

QAnon was an ARG, not a LARP. LARPs are live action games with specific rules. ARGs are "alternative reality games," which emulate real events. They have fictional stories, but the players act as if it were really happening while usually solving a series of elaborate puzzles. 4chan is a good place for these, because people there already role play, and there is a deliberate blending of jokes and serious commentary. Partly it's for entertainment, and partly it's to allow people to retreat to the "just a joke" position. As a result, you are forced to assume that nobody is ever being completely serious. The construction of QAnon was a collaborative effort. Whoever "Q" was, most of the details of the conspiracy were generated by the interpretations posters gave to the "drops." That is part of why the theory has such an arbitrary and disconnected nature to it. That's also part of why it has so many incredibly bigoted and repugnant elements, since they were taken directly from the half-joking-half-serious casual racism and sexism of 4chan's /b/ board. After QAnon became a problem, 4chan started banning all threads about it. That's why they moved to 8chan, an unmoderated board that has hosted various topics banned from 4chan, starting with GamerGate, but also including a lot of child pornography at times. It's ironic that a board that hosted gigabytes of child abuse photos eventually became the center of a movement supposedly to end child trafficking.

Man I’m really glad you’re back online in some form. I don’t have Apple TV but it’s great to get to see snippets again. Always a pleasure to hear someone voice publicly what you wish you could voice publicly. I’m so glad you’re back with a show and the interviews and discussions are awesome as always.

First I was like, wow Jon Stewart has an awesome coffee table. Then I was like, wait a minute...I hope they didn't cut down a 1000 year old tree to make that! Then I was like, maybe I should concentrate on what they're saying. 🤯

As a retired educator, I believe the education system has failed students. It’s easy to learn simple facts and regurgitate them. It’s critical thinking that is missing that it difficult to learn and practice. As said why would any sane person believe Q. Don’t call them names, think what is missing in the logic, where did this type of thinking begin and how do we fix it. This is an opportunity to look at public schools. Ask tougher questions?

QAnon often plays into ego, as well. Like, "I know the real truth" or "You're just sheep, without an understanding of what's really going on" . It also can just be quite fun to be "in" on such alternative "facts and realities".

Love the way Jon cuts the bull and gets to the truth of what we all know.

Prob came out of a lot of people during the pandemic sitting around bored and talking for hours and hours and nobody was like oh shit I gotta go to work lol

Believing in it allows people to feel as if they are one step ahead of the most educated and knowledgeable people in the world despite not being knowledgeable or educated themselves

"Why create parables when that idea is so simple..." Did Jon just ask "why religion?"

I just love that people are talking about Q, any chatter is good chatter!

Best podcast. Just smart people talking. How refreshing.

Brain damage, I got old friends that can't even tell a TV-Show from a Documentary.

My problems is that those who "believe" don't think it is a parable. We are meant to do our own research but generations of education defunding has removed the ability to think critically.

The lighting giving Jon a luminous platinum blond mop top/ angelic halo needs to either be leaned into or never again, love you jonjon

Yeah this is a really insightful discussion. The points they’re making highlight the obvious fallacy within many Q arguments, while still validating some of the real and genuine concerns that we can all relate to within the movement. It feels like an olive branch of sorts.

That "coming storm" podcast is very good. he doesn't treat the Q followers with contempt and tries to find the midset & events that have fuelled it. the scary thing i took from it was that it pretty much started with people just screwing around who then realised they could get people to believe all sorts of crazy.

Jon is a national treasure. This talk is wonderful and really gets to the heart and the absurdity of the matter.

Always interesting, thank you.

I think so much can be explained by peoples desire to be included in a community. They don’t really care what it is as long as they feel like they’re on the inside

The clarity. The common sense. Argh...we miss you Jon.

When the weapon is language, math is irrelevant. I did political surveys in college. People with masters couldn't grasp conflict of interest in pretty shoddy party scams. Yet, when I called the low income areas, they understood self interest and detected circular logic quite quickly and some hadn't graduated high school.

Jon's the man! Always will be!

That last quote was so powerful.

Jon your hair looks insane. That skylight is making the top part of your head look like the neon Cruella deVille of the Heavens.

Knowing Jon is out there stressing about shit still helps me stress less. thanks buddy.

Thanks for being smart, informed and funny John. I appreciate that you share it with us.

Gabriel Gatehouse’s podcast - The Coming Storm - is an incredible listen.

Excellent interview John Stuart is so intelligent never disappoints. I will never forget what he did for the firefighters from 9-11.

It's important to remember that 'We' believe lies either because 'We' want them to be true, or 'We' are a afraid that they are true. Its also important to remember that none of us are immune to those lies and their influence. Good Data, Facts, and an Open Mind are our only chance of overcoming those lies.

Excellent interview show! My question is what would it take to resolve this?

Hey Jon !! I have missed you 🙏 love hearing your calm reasoning. Just found me a new channel !!❤️😍🙏

I think this is the first time I have ever disagreed with Jon... it doesn't "seem almost delusional" it is in fact completely delusional, from the time we can understand the words we are told the America is the best in the world, that we have done no wrong, that we can do no wrong... so, it makes sense that a significant portion of the U.S. has an inability to accept that we have serious issues that are our own fault, and that have even been made by us ourselves...

It's good to see you again Jon, you were missed.

That was a really interesting observation, regarding the timing of the printing press and witch trials, and huge levels of conspiracy theories and the internet/social media.

I love this channel. I could watch it all day and never get bored.

I don't always agree with Jon but I sure as hell appreciate his voice on any subject because it is good to ask questions and hear insight from a different standpoint.

Such a good discussion. This is the kind of journalism and conversation that the mainstream media need to be engaged in on a daily basis. It's almost as if the country has been lacking some kind of daily show with enriching and thought provoking content!

This discussion touches on a relevant reality: Older people and the internet do not always mix. I know more QAnon followers (STILL!) and similar conspiracists who are retired and online far too much.

Exactly the point John. It was a sabatoge first. Before truth comes out make it seem ridiculous. Also grab up the craziest people to sow confusion and dissention.

Never knew how much I needed John Stewart in my life! I miss balanced conversations.

I've missed you Jon. Welcome back. You're needed now more than ever.

I'm new to this sire,welcome back Jon,I have missed you!

Great conversation!

Thumbs up to your tech team for getting decent picture and audio quality rather than just recording a zoom session!

A beautiful conversation! Gabriel did a great piece on Sweden and Malmö a few years ago that is one of the best I have seen - fair, nuanced, balanced. And here he is again, gloves off, just bringing it. And Jon is a national treasure. Loved it!

great show Jon

I love the show Jon!! Rock on!!

Qanon is the greatest 4chan/ 8chan troll that has ever been done on humanity...

Wow. This contains so many pieces of information that it would have never occur to me to seek, and it establishes so many connections that I otherwise would have struggled to piece together. Bravo. Thrilled Stewart is back! It was great hearing from Mr. Gatehouse.

the "how am i suddenly at the bottom of the pile" question made me think of a very simple answer to that: the system has been eroding the fundament for so long, that its completely crumbled and fallen apart... and you were standing on that fundament... so now you fall down to the ground that fundament was the lower working class... they have been broken down and drained so much of everything that there is almost nothing left to extract - so the process continues with the next level up until everything is in the hands of the megarich

Yep and if you go against them they claim you don't care about the children.

If Trump was a truely worthwhile "leader" he would have told those Q believers to take a cold shower instead of giving them a nod and a wink.

"The outrageousness of it ", Mr. Jon Stewart is the reason why stories drive cultures, religions, societies. Always been that way, always will be.

Brilliant conversation

Thanks man.😇

Jon Stewart, as a comedian, helped shaped my political awareness by making satire out of something deliberately convoluted. I love watching “The Problem” because it delves more into it with more intellectual insight and interviews, even more than he did before. Love you Jon Stewart.

The problem originates in a culture that includes American Exceptionalism, a War on Drugs, and most notably, a War on Terror. In that kind of absurdist environment, it's not such a far fetched notion to begin believing all kinds of crazy stuff. This is all on top of a society in which people have been constantly assured they'd already won the lottery by being American, and a LOT of people believed they were temporarily embarrassed millionaires. Their ship never came in, and it became apparent it never would. The right wing, as they do, flipped the script so that a cabal of liberals were somehow destroying their American dream, not the billionaires and corporations.

Q as a genre began back in the early days of Encyclopedia Dramatica/4Chan. The humor was some dark but believable sarcasm at first, but new people would show up & say "is this serious?", then the joke caught on to not break character since it was funnier to F with noobs. The 'serious sarcasm' took off as a genre, the stories got surreal but they showed with just enough fake verification (fake scientists, doctors, links to research that never happened, etc), they could fool some of the people all the time. This genre gave birth to 'Q' & was meant as total, sarcastic, dark comedy until they found people gullible enough to believe that don trump is a christian (though he told Howard Stern back in '14 that he's atheist) & Hillary Clinton is guilty of anything they can dangle in front of her. Magas are so riled up & intent on hating, trump's social media team can say ANYTHING & magas will hate in whatever direction you aim them. They need to be ruled so badly. Instant gratification will have them groveling to the trump family, who've admitted (repeatedly) to being sickened by the trailer trash that makes up maga.

There's a great BBC podcast series "The Coming Storm" which covers this topic really well. They even visit a QAnon rally, and I think they're pretty fair about it. The people are deranged, but also there's a reason for the mistrust and discontent that leads to belief in anything.

It also has to do with being part of those in the “know” - part of a group that has special knowledge no one else knows. It makes people who don’t have much going on in their lives feel special. And then they found others with their same line of thinking, and confirmed they are part of something special

Short answer: It gives them a sense of purpose and belonging in a society where a person can be in a room full of other people and still feel alone and isolated. It also gives them something to do, like a hobby or DnD or gaming with strangers online.

Jon I just heard about a book on another channel. It’s title is “Of Boys and Men” by Richard Reeves. It traces the lack of progress many men and boys in America experience. Especially it traces lack of college degrees. There were two other books I read “The Boy Crisis” by Warren Farrell PHD and “The Once and Future Worker “ by Oren Hass. They all go into the things you are talking about.

I'm completely taken by the sunlight lighting up Jon's crown chakra. Gives him a saintly facade.

Really enjoying Gabriel’s BBC podcast. Good to put a face to a name.

It's so good to see you guys talking with an open mind about it.

Incredibly accurate

"We was trying to find ways to beat Americans to the pee tape" had me dying😂😂

Sincerely, thank you for bringing semblance and contexts to these topics

Jon Stewart is always so spot on! Love his podcast!

Would you look at that... people having a conversation about things that must not be said on main stream media... refreshing!

The pee tape discussion was stellar.

Thanks for this, Jon. Always learn something from the quality of your content/conversations. Glad you are back at it.

Never underestimate the comforting power of pseudo explanations in the face of the feeling of helplessness.

NO PEE TAPE ?!? What's this world coming to? 🙂 Good interview. Thanks.

I'm just tuning in. It sucks people in who are good people (UK here).