T. Kenny Fountain
@TKennyFountain
Followers
1,428
Following
703
Media
97
Statuses
3,229
Associate Professor, UVA. Rhetoric, conspiracy thinking, imagination. Views my own.
Charlottesville, VA
Joined January 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Bills
• 155831 Tweets
無料クーポン
• 116839 Tweets
Jets
• 113181 Tweets
The NFL
• 111619 Tweets
Yankees
• 81544 Tweets
連休明け
• 79904 Tweets
#WWERaw
• 64304 Tweets
リンク1
• 61200 Tweets
Boulos
• 37877 Tweets
Rogan
• 36153 Tweets
緊急入院
• 35439 Tweets
Aaron Rodgers
• 31503 Tweets
Hail Mary
• 27304 Tweets
当選確率2倍
• 25841 Tweets
Josh Allen
• 23821 Tweets
Buffalo
• 22467 Tweets
#BUFvsNYJ
• 20982 Tweets
अब्दुल कलाम
• 17652 Tweets
पूर्व राष्ट्रपति
• 11818 Tweets
Stanton
• 11435 Tweets
Rodon
• 10166 Tweets
Trump's tactics need not be exclusively Q-related to be disturbing. Very short 🧵on that video from Trump's Ohio rally yesterday & the growing QAnon & spirituality intersection.
25
226
1K
There are many great researchers studying QAnon & many studying Christian Nationalism & many studying New Age spirituality. Increasingly we need to understand all 3 areas if we want to understand QAnon, the MAGA movement, & America politics. End 🧵
6
91
610
Yes, not all MAGA followers are Q believers. So not everything is Q-related. But I think it's safe to say most at his rallies will be some combo of QAnon &/or conservative Christian. The pandering to Christian nationalist feeling can be as dangerous as pandering to Q-belief. 4/
7
52
468
Night after night of protests in Tel Aviv, and we hear almost nothing about it from American media.
#TelAviv
live: As reports come in that Hamas has accepted the latest US-Egyptian brokered deal (hostages release // ceasefire), thousands are out on the street expressing their distrust of
@Netanyahu
as initial signs already suggest he is bent on wrecking the deal.
#GazaWar
117
2K
4K
17
192
429
But don't miss that Trump created a type of altar call. Notice the worshipful vibe as he spoke over a Q-related song. That song has circulated among Anons & Trump's used it before. Swaying with hands in the air & lowered heads echoes recognized praise gestures. 3/
4
37
354
Most of the Q-believers I follow online in my research merge Q-belief with their preexisting religious & spiritual beliefs (whether that's Christianity, New Age spirituality, or esotericism). We need to attend to this bleed over cautiously, look for the religious gestures. 6/
1
29
330
The media also needs to pay attention to that combo of MAGA, QAnon, & religious feeling (often but not exclusively conservative Christianity). But it's messy, protean, & doesn't always conform to easily traceable one-to-one correspondences. 5/
1
32
326
The one-finger point many performed at yesterday's rally doesn't seem QAnon-related or doesn't have a previous Q connection. As many researchers who follow QAnon argue,it likely will now become Q-related however. 2/
7
20
291
Speaking of the combo of MAGA, Christian Nationalism, etc. Look at the robo-text I got from TPUSA, referring to Trump as "our 'Great MAGA King!'" Most likely said just to hype up a feeling but still. We need to talk about rightwing politics, conspiracy belief, & religion together
11
41
281
This short, excellent thread is worth a read. Weiss & others panicked about supposed "woke-ism" frequently accuse those they disagree with of putting ideology before facts and truth. Often, in their attempts to allegedly expose the "Left," they do the exact same thing.
4
25
172
I wish like hell people didn't talk about pizzagate like it's something people "used to" believe. The conspiracy theory at the core of pizzgate is alive & well! And dangerous as ever! Case in point:
6
36
161
Obama's administration did not "spy" on Trump. Buzzfeed News FOIA'd a formerly-classified report from Sept 2020 (under AG Barr) that disproves the oft-repeated conspiratorial claim. Trump's DOJ report disproved the rumor, yet the report wasn't released.
7
49
145
As a
@UVA
faculty member who researches & teaching courses on conspiracy theories (a course this semester), I'm disturbed by the conspiracy theory-related objects left on the Lawn this week & this morning. Incidents need not be threatening to be dangerous.
6
15
150
This thread is incredibly important. Alito's assumptions of what the "founding fathers" would have thought about abortion is historically inaccurate!
Alito is wrong on the law, wrong on the morality, but also, as it happens wrong on the history. For most of the first 250 years since the English colonized the US, abortion was legal prior the quickening, typically 16-20 weeks, when a fetus could be felt to move.
345
5K
22K
1
44
132
All the while, Rufo is completely open on Twitter about his tactics. He tweets about them. He talks about them in interviews. Which confirms that propaganda need not "conceal its art" in order to be effective. Because Rufo is effective. 10/13
2
29
108
Extremistic conspiracy theories don't always stay online. While not every believer turns violent, some do. If we fail to appreciate the pizzagate/QAnon worldview as political demonization, we won't take seriously the ways its discourse/stories/symbols can radicalize believers.
Paul Pelosi attacker David Wayne Depape's online footprint shows he was into a range of conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, Covid, vaccines and "Satanic paedophiles".
Conspiracy theories aren't just words on the internet. They can radicalise some people into violence.
140
730
2K
1
39
102
@crankybecky
Yikes! But I wouldn't read that as a Nazi salute. It seems done in conjunction with a kind of prayer. As a former evangelical, I'd say for the audience this was connected to a praise gesture. Also public pressure to comply with your in-group is likely a factor. Still big yikes!
7
4
89
As someone who stuttered as a kid and still stammers a bit when I'm tired or nervous, this video of Biden talking to a kid who stutters gets me every time. He actually cares about people, is capable of empathy, and kindness. Meanwhile, Trump mocked Biden's stutter this weekend.
12
27
74
Excellent & important article. Blaming all forms of conspiracy theory-inspired extremism on QAnon ignores America's long & troubled history of often violent conspiracy theory belief.
The man who beheaded his father was not QAnon. His ideas are much more mainstream than that.
9
123
293
0
14
76
Great thread. If you don't know about Project 2025, look it up. If Trump wins in 2024, the plan is to introduce policies meant to impose a rigid Christian Nationalism. And don't for a second think it can't happen. Roe was once the law of the land.
Trump/Heritage alum Russ Vought is a co-author of Project 2025, a project spearheaded by Heritage. He’s said that he’s proud to work w/Trump/Heritage alum William Wolfe on “scoping out a sound Christian Nationalism.” Wolfe has laid out his vision in stark terms (note item 3): 1/
275
2K
4K
3
45
73
It has been a tough week at UVA, but I'm proud of so many of my colleagues for advocating for students, faculty, & staff while refusing to resort to fear and othering.
14
4
62
Figuring out the readings for my fall course in Rhetoric, Propaganda, & Conspiracy Theories, which explores relationships between propaganda & conspiracy thinking (mostly contemporary). So much great work has come out since the last time I taught it in 2020. Any ideas, Twitter?
16
7
61
If you're a Christian pastor or priest, and you're not talking to your congregation about the dangers of conspiracy theory belief, & what those hateful lies can do to their faith and their relationship with God, what are you waiting for?
7
12
62
Tonight, I looked at non-academic job ads for the first time in 20 years. I mean really, REALLY started thinking about another path. I'm a great researcher, an excellent teacher, and a damn good administrator; there's got to be other things I can do.
6
0
60
Conspiracy theories, like QAnon, can be both "wild" & incredibly pervasive. Yes, these beliefs are unfounded, inflammatory, dangerous, but also pervasive. We need to frame this belief not through a "WTF. Their nutjobs!" frame. (1) via
@thedailybeast
2
16
59
As a WAC director & writing program director, tweets like this are exhausting. Many writing programs & writing faculty actually do teach writing (well) while seeking to establish/secure a place for the field. Development as a writer takes time & practice. One class isn't enough.
7
6
59
@chrislhayes
Yes, thank you! It might be syntactically confusing because it was "written discourse" that was spoken aloud, but Glazer clearly refuted their Jewishness being hijacked AND the Holocaust being hijacked. It was a compound construction. He did not refute their Jewishness.
2
2
55
@Shayan86
As a native of GA and someone who studies conspiracy theories, I find this oddly sad. According to the logic of conspiracy thinking, anything odd or unusual becomes suspect, even evil. That's unfortunate.
4
0
48
If you too were disgusted to see Posobiec's Newsweek op-ed on Monday, read this great article by
@ParkerMolloy
0
9
47
As the director of a writing & rhetoric program & a scholar of disinformation, conspiracy theories, & extremism, I'm convinced we need university-wide conversions about plagiarism, text-attribution, the purposes of academic writing, AND their political weaponization.
3
8
50
There is no such thing as a moderate Republican, not anymore. If Trump doesn't run in 2024, there are many like him waiting in the wings.
2
19
48
Why is everyone giving MTG so much free press? Who cares what she is doing? By hyper-focusing on her actions (& publicity stunts), we are increasing her clout with the GOP base and the far right. Are we trying to get her elected president or something?
1
3
47
Every journalist covering politics/elections should watch this fantastic 8-minute video by
@AlKapDC
on how QAnon supporters often obfuscate their involvement yet do so in a way that shows their hand. In rhetoric, we this move is paralipsis: to deny a thing while doing that thing.
New from me, and something of a first:
A video explainer about how reporters should not fall for QAnon supporters pretending that QAnon does not exist.
19
120
328
2
17
43
With Q posting again & Roe being overturned, it seems like a good time to make progress on my chapter about the dangerous historical myths of cannibalistic infanticide, luciferian cults, witches' sabats, and ancient ritual sacrifice -- and their role in recent conspiracy thinking
1
4
42
@atrupar
I'm sure it predates the QAnon myth, but "white hat" is 100% Q believer terminology.
0
0
41
Tennessee is out here banning imaginary things now. Conspiracy theories are the prominent discourse of contemporary American politics.
0
14
41
Because I study extremism, & for the past 5+ years I've spend 10-14 hours a week reading, watching, hanging out in far-right & conspiracy theory spaces online, I find I can't talk to people about politics. I talk of where I think we're heading, & they shut down.
3
2
39
I really wish journalists & pols called it the Great Replacement CONSPIRACY Theory. That's what it is. It's NOT a description of demographic shifts; it's a conspiratorial lie claiming liberal/power elites, funded by wealthy Jews, are replacing whites with immigrants and POC. (1)
1
9
39
Met my class for the first time since Sunday's shooting. Was scared of saying or doing something that might make it worse. Shock, sadness, fear, emptiness: it was everywhere. We did a mostly silent check-in activity. It's going to be a long road of healing for everyone at UVA.
6
1
39
What can be done to curb online circulation of conspiracy theories & disinformation? (1) Hold accountable tech companies that profit off disinformation & dangerous content. (2) De-platform purveyors of disinformation, extremist content, and dangerous conspiracy theories!
0
12
34
Clips like this should get more press. Yet again, openly dehumanizing language is being used by Trump's ardent supporters, supporters who will have his ear should he get elected. We cannot let ourselves get numb to this.
jack posobiec spoke at a catholic event at mar-a-lago today, saying during his talk that he’s working to release a new book on “how to identify the cultural marxists…. and we will specifically call them that which they are… they themselves have become the ‘unhumans.’”
150
316
635
0
19
35
@psa_rising
Uh, yes! Their courting of these groups on the far right is so dangerous but then to actually reference a literal (like genuine) Nazi talking point. . . Weaponized discourse can be powerfully destructive. And they seem to care very little about what they are likely to unleash.
1
3
33
Shameless self-promotion, but I'm excited this book review essay is out.
In his review of six recent titles in rhetorical studies that interrogate Donald Trump and Trumpism,
@TKennyFountain
traces four key common themes (9/13)
1
2
2
1
5
34
I'm 51 years old, and I'm wide awake from stress. It happens several nights a month now. I lie here and wonder, "Is this really my life?" If I could do it all over, I wouldn't.
5
0
32
@cookerwatch
I love the phrase "a high up biologist." High up what? As an academic (and, I suppose, a mid up rhetorician), I can assert with confidence whatever their friend is up in it isn't up in, well, science.
2
1
31
Aaaah, this is big news, presented in a tantalizingly casual way.
Mark Meadows was so helpful in the January 6th investigation. He provided a very clear roadmap to insurrection and the QAnon beliefs held by those like Ginny Thomas & so many others.
Thanks for your efforts, Mark, in begging forgiveness through cooperation with investigators.
40
370
1K
1
7
29
Unfortunately, he's absolutely right.
The mainstream media is not coming to the rescue of American democracy. The struggle against both Trump the person and Trumpism the political formation will have to be won in spite of a media environment that provides fertile ground for this kind of rightwing extremism.
12
195
763
0
8
29
No feeling of defeat like submitting your annual review & being reminded you didn't publish a single thing in 2022, didn't submit a final version of anything, didn't come close to your research goals. I'm not figuring out how to be a good administrator & keep a research life. 😕
2
0
29
If you aren't following
@Shayan86
, you should be. No one is working harder than him to rebuff the host of image-based disinformation that circulates online.
This video is going viral with claims that it shows vehicles on fire on a road in the Russian city of Belgorod today.
The clip is actually from January 2022, filmed during anti-government protests in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
13
395
1K
0
5
29
The term "ruthless cosmopolitan" is 100% a Soviet-era antisemitic term for Jewish people, specially Jewish intellectuals. The antisemiticism of these people is so pervasive, deep, and consistent.
NEW: Tucker Carlson favorite Douglas Macgregor in 2021 speech: The people that "the Russians used to call... 'rootless cosmopolitans'" are "largely responsible, in my judgment, for the condition that we are in today.”
191
646
2K
0
10
29
@loughnane_kevin
@deonteleologist
@SamRochadotcom
The KKK's been aligned with the GOP -- supporting their politics, voting GOP, advocating for GOP candidates, etc.
-- for more than 50 years. The alignment began in the late 60s when southern Democrats resentful of the Civil Rights & Voting Rights Acts shifted to the GOP.
2
2
27
Message repetition can be incredibly effective in shaping belief. The more we hear something, especially from a source we trust/identify with, the more likely we are to think it's true & remember it. He's also demonstrating "strategic misnaming," a classic propaganda technique.
Last night, Tucker Carlson instructed viewers to "fight back" against LGBTQ community and allies "no matter what the law says". But that attack didn't come out of nowhere.
He's been conditioning his audience with the same rhetoric and taglines for months:
429
3K
11K
1
15
27
Old-school propaganda techniques have not disappeared in a digital disinformation age. They have been adapted to work with the current media ecology and political structures. Chris Rufo is a perfect example.
A short thread 🧵 .
1
18
28
Some of my tweets got circulated since this weekend, so I want to make it clear I am NOT here for anybody's anti-Jewish hate, or their anti-Arab, anti-Muslim hate, or their antisemitic conspiracy theories. If you are dehumanizing someone else, you then are part of the problem.
10
1
26
"Pseudoscience presents unsubstantiated conclusions, but it can be incredibly hard to distinguish from conclusive evidence. It contains grains of truth. . . exaggerated beyond the point of usefulness, even so far as to lead away from the truth."
1
7
26
@Jalane_Schmidt
@sivavaid
There is a link! These items, & the sign left on Thursday, is absolutely QAnon related. It reiterates discourses & objects (Guy Fawkes mask) used frequently by that community. I know b/c I teach a course on conspiracy theories
@UVA
, & I'm writing a book on QAnon. This is serious!
2
1
24
Q believers have murdered, kidnapped, threatened violence. They regularly praise the idea of public executions. They dehumanize their "enemies." Yes, they think their cause it just. But it's a dangerous ideology that's both "wild" & deadly serious. (3)
1
1
25
These past few months have made me think maybe it's time for a career change. A new position, at a new place, a focus on research again, and not an administrative position with no real authority. Life is short. (I'll probably delete this but it's great to say it out loud.)
1
0
23
@kathleen_belew
Thank you. This can't be said enough. I'm a scholar of rhetoric who studies conspiracy theories, like QAnon, and I'm reluctant to read it. I get that people are curious, intrigued, even scared but circulation can become amplification quicker than we think.
0
1
21
Trump knew the rioters were chanting "hang Mike Pence" BEFORE he tweeted criticism of Pence, claiming that Pence lacked courage. He knew Pence was in danger when he tweeted that.
0
6
23
Working on a chapter that mentions Twitter, and I can't believe I have to write the phrase "X (formerly Twitter)" 🙄
7
0
22
The fact that Trump hosted and gushed over Orban as some great leader is absolutely troubling. The fact that it doesn't even make the news is just as troubling. We are all shrugging our shoulders at fascism now, it seems.
Trump with Orban tonight:
“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter or a better leader than Viktor Orban. He’s fantastic…He’s a non-controversial figure because he says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be,’ and that’s the end of it. Right? He’s the boss. No, he’s a great leader.”
1K
1K
2K
2
9
22
The "WTF!" frame is a comedic frame that fashions these believers as objects of derision but, inadvertently, it downplays the harm & danger of Q belief, which is not funny but tragic. Q belief, for many, is a dangerous ideology. (2)
1
3
21
A perfect example of how QAnon believers frame their belief as a reasonable concern for abused children, obscuring the wild improbability of the supposed allegations of child abuse at the center of QAnon.
CPAC speaker Angela Stanton-King is straight up promoting QAnon
134
122
471
0
5
20
Okay, I've seen the Madison Cawthorn video. The fact that he might lose his seat for naked humping a friend's, what, upper back (?) & NOT lose it for his extremists views, conspiracy beliefs, and support of the January 6 insurrection speaks volumes on the state of our Democracy.
4
1
18
Finally! This is how Trump's 2024 bid should be framed!
BREAKING: Donald Trump, who tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 presidential election and inspired a deadly riot at the Capitol in a desperate attempt to keep himself in power, has filed to run for president again in 2024.
25K
38K
147K
1
0
20
Excellent piece by
@derekberes
on the utility of the ancient art of rhetoric for combating disinformation. Excited to see the history of my field highlighted in this way--with, even more impressive, a nuanced discussion of ancient sophistry.
1
7
19
Great article as usual by
@daithaigilbert
So much of conservative, MAGA media regularly and repeatedly echos & even amplifies QAnon discourse in a way that makes that worldview seem almost taken-for-granted.
Belief in QAnon conspiracies is growing in post-Trump America and there is one major predictor of belief in these conspiracies: media consumption.
Viewers of right-wing networks like Newsmax, Fox News & OAN can be up to FIVE times more likely to believe
9
36
146
0
1
18
What resonances most about the Jones trial is not the email reveal but Scarlett Lewis's words to Jones: "My son existed." The honesty of that face-to-face moment is powerful. But it will do nothing, sadly, to stop the false flag lies, as long as people make money from these lies.
1
0
15
@Q__talk
I was raised evangelical, & these are, unsurprisingly, the tactics of conversion-oriented witnessing. Of course many believers of rightwing conspiracy theories are/were evangelical. The thing about witnessing is a times listeners will tell you what you want to hear to shut you up
3
1
18
We are headed for some truly dark days in this country.
At an “Arizona First” event outside of Phoenix and Kari Lake just brought on a Steve Bannon
35
31
90
1
2
18
Don't lecture people who were the object of that man's bigotry & lies about how we should respond to his death. Don't tell us to be compassionate or respectful when he showed none of that to people like me.
2
3
16
And Q belief, in strong & weak versions, isn't going away. As long as rightwing pols & media amplify it, & grifters make money from it, & religious leaders repeat it, people will believe these dangerous rumors of liberal, Luciferian cults abusing, murdering, & eating babies. (4)
3
0
17
What do the Satanic Panic of the 80s and beliefs of alien abduction have in common: "recovered memory" therapy. A short 🧵 1/
4
4
16
If we want to understand and counter disinformation in our current media ecology, we can't do it by disregarding the lessons of the past. The old techniques of propaganda are being made new every day by distributing the propagandist's role across a host of actors. 13/13. End
1
3
16
As I tweeted last night. I canceled my subscription to NYT after reading Stephens' infuriating op-ed. To see Douthat's headline, as if all insurrections must follow the same pattern (they do NOT), convinces me I was right. The NYT seems to want 4 more years of Trump.
2
5
15
The two-day QAnon Conference was excellent. I met some fabulous researchers who are working on exciting projects. Great conversations, and lots of potential for future collaborations. Thanks for organizing,
@peterforberg
2
0
16
His rhetorical moves here are incredibly fascinating & surprisingly moving. Instead of ending his metaphorical altar call with a call to surrender, he pleads for them to fight, to fight themselves, to struggle against their bias, prejudice, easy answers & scapegoating worldview.
This is my message to anyone who has chosen the path of hate. Please listen.
6K
50K
168K
1
4
15
I'm not leaving Twitter (yet). I really value the community I've found here. So my whopping 1,000 followers can rest easy. 🙃
3
0
16
The intermingling of QAnon & evangelical Christianity is dangerous & as a former evangelical, I find it heartbreaking. It can lead believers to see themselves as warriors against a hidden evil only they see. Instead of real people, they see only evil they're convinced is there.
2
1
12
Honored to talk QAnon & Satanic Panic on an 80s-focused
#RSA2022
panel with scholars far more brilliant than I (specifically Jenny Rice, Jordynn Jack, & John Sloop). My superstar collaborator & silent co-presenter, Joshua Gunn, took this picture.
0
0
15
No one documents Trump's amplification of QAnon discourse as thoroughly as Alex Kaplan (
@AlKapDC
). Here is his latest.
NEW from me:
Trump amplified QAnon-promoting accounts nearly 500 times during his first year of actively posting on his social media platform Truth Social.
19
163
410
0
1
15
WPA/WAC/WC folks: is there a list with the named/endowment-having Writing Centers, Writing Programs, and/or WAC Programs? Upper admin often don't realize we should be on their development/giving agenda. (Happy to start a Google Doc with some crowd-sourced assistance.) DM or reply
2
4
13
No, absolutely not. Liz Cheney should not be made (Democratic) Speaker of the House. What's her stance on Roe, on climate change, on voting rights? If Dems can't realize these issues are important to their base, they WILL lose in 2024.
0
0
12
Visibility in the face of hate is complicated. Today we discussed Pizzagate/QAnon in my conspiracy theory course. I was talking about how Jews & queers are targeted as villains by these conspiracy theories. I realized some students were looking askance when I'd say the queer. 1/7
1
0
14
I will not hear anymore of this "lesser of two evils" talk. It's a clear choice between someone who believes in democracy & someone who does not. The hateful dehumanizing rhetoric & the praise of dictators is warning enough. Fascism can happen here. We are one election away.
1
2
14
This sign & the items left by the Homer statue this morning are playing on QAnon-related fears.
2
0
13
Another way QAnon has merged with conservative Christianity
1
4
11
@FaceTheNation
It is disturbing and dangerous but Trump has been amplifying QAnon discourse and re-posting their content for years, on Twitter & now on Truth Social. We have to consider the recent boosts in light of his larger history of doing it.
@AlKapDC
is the best source for this reporting.
1
3
13
@heatherswoods
Woods perfectly captures the melancholy of this meme: "She described the format as a “eulogy for the fall we could have had.”" Great to see rhetoric scholars in the news!
So, You’ve Been Cast as the Delta Variant
1
6
13
Here is an article about it from the UVA student newspaper. This has all the markers of QAnon belief.
1
1
12
@BordeleauCody
It's likely a reference to dominion theology. Basically, an ideology/movement that America should be governed by Christian leaders according to Christian understandings of law, policy, etc. MAGA candidates are more openly embracing it.
@jennycohn1
is a great source on this.
1
2
12
So what is the legal definition of human trafficking, and did DeSantis just do it?
0
0
13