Andrew Callaghan went to that QAnon "Patriot Roundup" in Texas, God bless him
Callaghan and his new Channel 5 crew venture into the belly of the American beast... again
Earlier this year, we had ourselves a little fun at the expense of the “For God & Country Patriots Roundup” conference, the cowboy-themed QAnon truther hootenanny hosted at the (taxpayer-funded) Omni Hotel in Dallas, Texas. By all initial accounts, it did not disappoint… well, like, it definitely disappointed in the grander sense of how far we’ve collectively failed as an informed, rational society capable of withstanding even the most egregiously bad-faith, easily disprovable bullshit. But it was also still kind of entertaining to hear the latest “proof” of Hillary Clinton’s cannibalistic infanticide, if you can divorce yourself from how dangerous that line of thinking has become.
Which you totally shouldn’t, as longtime The A.V. Club favorite, Andrew Callaghan has (once again) excellently reminded everyone in his latest dispatch from Channel 5. In their newest episode, Callaghan and his intrepid team of Daily Show heir apparents bravely plopped down the $4000 ticket-and-hotel fee and ventured into the Patriots Roundup back in March to survey the state of QAnon truthers in 2021. The results? About as horrific and heartbreaking as one can imagine… and then some.
From the get-go, Callaghan and Channel 5 do an excellent job of reminding viewers just how painful Q’s weaponized, online-induced group psychosis is for everybody involved. There have been a myriad of stories and profiles centered on family members reeling from the loss of loved ones to the dark, never-ending QAnon rabbit hole of global cabals, MAGA savior complexes, and proto-fascistic patriotism. Few, however, have turned the camera on those buried deep in said rabbit hole.