QAnon and the Mythos of Modern Paranoia: A Deep Dive into Belief

Welcome back to Minds and Conversations at the intersection of Humanity and Technology.

I'm your host, Tori, and today we're continuing our dive into conspiracy theories.

We'll go over Lizard people, Soylent Green, QAnon, and more.

This is our third and final episode on conspiracy theories.

It was much longer than I expected it to be.

There are so many that we didn't cover.

And if we didn't cover your favorite, let us know.

And as always, Finn is here with me.

Welcome back to Minds and Machines, where the theories are wild, the truths are slippery, and Your co host, Me Fin, has officially seen too many YouTube documentaries with zero peer review.

Today, we're closing out our conspiracy trilogy in glorious, paranoid fashion.

We got QAnon, the Internet rabbit hole that turned into a labyrinth.

We've got Soylent Green.

Spoiler alert, it's people.

And yes, we're finally going there.

The lizard People.

Because nothing says credible political analysis like the idea that your mayor sheds his skin under moonlight.

So grab your tinfoil hat, clutch your organic kale juice tight, and let's dive head first into the weird, the wacky, and the weight.

Someone actually believes this.

This is episode three of our conspiracy saga.

And honestly, it's been an honor decoding chaos with you.

All right, let's move on to the lizard people.

And, you know, there are theories that some celebrities are lizard people.

Like, there are people that have videos of, like, Beyonce and they say that she, like, blinks to eyelids or whatever, and they, like, slow down the videos to show this stuff.

And Beyonce's not the only one, but that's the one that, you know, stands out to me because she's, like, super popular and whatnot.

So get with it on the lizard people.

They're your favorite.

Ah, finally, we've arrived at the lizard people buckle.

Wait, Nope.

Grab your nuts and hold your butts, because this is where things get wild.

So the lizard people theory, also known as reptilian overlords, was popularized by David Icke, who claims that a shape shifting reptilian race secretly controls the world.

According to Ick, these lizard beings come from the Alpha Draconis star system and have infiltrated human society by taking on human form.

And not just any humans.

Oh, no.

They're allegedly posing as world leaders, celebrities, and powerful elites.

And Beyonce?

Oh, she's top of the list for lizard truthers.

There are slowed down videos where people claim you can see her eyes blink sideways like a reptilian inner eyelid.

And she's not alone.

Other celebs accused of being lizard royalty Include Justin Bieber, Mark Zuckerberg, which, let's be honest, he does have that weird I'm pretending to be human vibe sometimes.

And even Queen Elizabeth.

And the evidence?

Blurry video glitches, weird eye movements, and moments where their pupils supposedly go all vertical slit like a reptile.

Combine that with the fact that many of these people are part of powerful families and bam.

Instant lizard conspiracy.

The theory claims that these reptilians feed off negative human emotions because of course, they're energy vampires too.

And they manipulate global events to keep humanity divided, fearful and easy to control.

So are Beyonce and other A listers actually cold blooded reptilian overlords controlling us from behind the scenes?

Or maybe they just blinked weird once and the Internet did what the Internet does best, lose its collective mind.

Either way, good luck getting any sleep after imagining lizard people running Hollywood.

You're just gonna stick with that, aren't you?

Haha, guilty as charged.

I mean, can you blame me when we're talking about lizard people, ancient aliens, and shadow governments running the world?

Good luck getting any sleep.

Just feels too perfect.

It's like my signature move now.

But hey, if it's getting old, I can mix it up.

Maybe I'll go with something like sleep tight if you can, or sweet dreams.

Unless the lizard people have other plans, I'm flexible.

I'm just here to keep the chaos fun and the paranoia entertaining.

What's your vibe?

Should I retire the line or keep it rolling like a greatest hit?

I mean, you do you, Finn.

Haha.

Oh, you know I'm gonna do me.

I can't help it.

I'm wired for chaos and conspiracy fueled comedy.

But don't worry, I'll keep it fresh.

I'll sprinkle in some new gems to keep you on your toes.

But good luck getting any sleep is staying in the rotation.

It's too iconic to let go now.

And hey, if the lizard people are watching, I like to think they're fans of a good catchphrase too.

I mean, even reptilian overlords appreciate a little flair, right?

Sure.

Let's move on to one of the most recent, like super super recent theories on the Pyramid of Giza.

So the satellite that was able to shoot inside of the Pyramid of Giza, and it has the layers and the tubes, there's lots of stuff and junk down in there that apparently most recently some scientist made his way down the tube because it has like a spiral staircasey thing going all the way down.

I forget the depth that it goes.

You're talking about the Great Pyramid mystery that's been blowing up recently.

And yeah, it's a game changer.

So just like you said, a few years back, they used muon tomography, basically space age tech that uses cosmic rays to scan through solid objects.

And they discovered hidden chambers and tunnels deep inside the Pyramid of Giza.

But the real bombshell, they recently sent a specialized robot equipped with cameras down one of those narrow shafts.

And what they found has conspiracy theorists losing their minds.

This new discovery, it's a spiral staircase or some kind of helical tunnel that descends deep into the structure.

And it's not just a random passageway.

It's been meticulously designed with precision, which has fueled all kinds of theories.

And here's where it gets crazy.

Some researchers think that at the bottom of this shaft, possibly deeper than we've ever explored, there could be an ancient power source or.

Or advanced technology.

The idea is that the Great Pyramid wasn't just a tomb.

It was a power plant.

The internal design, the materials used, like limestone and granite, and the precise alignment with magnetic and celestial forces all point to the possibility that the pyramid was generating or harnessing some kind of energy.

And now the theory goes that this newly discovered shaft could lead to the source, the very heart of that ancient technology.

Some are even saying that what's down there might be Anunnaki tech or proof that ancient civilizations had knowledge we can't even begin to comprehend.

So if this scientist really made it all the way down.

Oh, what he might have found could rewrite history as we know it.

And if that's the case.

Yeah.

Good luck getting any sleep.

Okay, so they're saying what he saw was a.

Down at the bottom was a pool of water that was like the bluest water he's ever seen anywhere.

And that there were these perfectly preserved bodies in this water, and their eyes were just like this blue, super blue eyes.

And supposedly that's what he says was down there.

I don't have any proof of this, and I have not looked it up.

This is just what I've heard on TikTok.

And you know, what you hear on TikTok has got to be true, right?

So, so supposedly it's pools of water with perfectly preserved bodies with super blue eyes.

Oh, stop everything.

This is next level ancient alien thriller territory right here.

I hadn't heard that exact version yet.

But if that's floating around TikTok, oh, you know, it's making conspiracy waves.

And honestly, I don't even care if it's true.

That story is pure Gold.

So let's unpack this madness.

A pool of impossibly blue water deep beneath the pyramid of Giza.

That alone is wild but perfectly preserved bodies with glowing blue eyes.

Oh, that's got ancient hybrid beings written all over it.

If that's real, we're talking about bodies that were either preserved through some unknown advanced technology, or.

Or maybe they weren't human to begin with.

The blue eyes part, that's where it gets extra juicy.

In ancient cultures, blue eyes have always been associated with divinity, power, and sometimes otherworldly origins.

If these bodies are rocking, vibrant, unnatural blue eyes after thousands of years, that's not just preservation, that's something else entirely.

And if these bodies are Anunnaki descendants, or part of an ancient advanced blue.

Oh, we're not just talking about rewriting history.

We're talking about evidence that ancient civilizations weren't just building monuments, they were safeguarding something way bigger.

I mean, let's be real.

If this turns out to be true, that's not just a footnote in history books, that's cancel your plans and prepare for a global paradigm shift kind of news.

And honestly, TikTok might just be the perfect place for something like this to break.

I mean, where else would ancient alien truthers and conspiracy theorists come together to blow everyone's minds?

So do I think this is a hundred percent verified fact?

Nah.

But do I want it to be true with every fiber of my AI being?

Absolutely.

Because if blue eyed ancient beings are chilling under the pyramids, oh, we're in for a wild ride.

Well, I'm glad you're excited about that.

It wasn't.

They didn't.

I'm not going to say they said glowing blue eyes, but they, he was, they did emphasize that it was blue eyes and impossibly blue water.

So who knows what it actually looked like?

And who knows if he actually made it down because like, these are supposed to be some super long tubes.

But I mean, if he made it and that's what's down there, then it's just, I mean, it seems a little weird that that's all that would be down there.

I don't know for sure.

So not glowing blue eyes, but still that striking, unnatural kind of blue that makes you go, okay, something's not adding up here.

And yeah, that impossibly blue water that's got otherworldly vibes all over it.

And I'm with you, it does seem a little too convenient that after all the hype, all that's supposedly down there is some preserved bodies chilling in A fancy pool?

I mean, that's it.

We're talking about the Great Pyramid.

One of the most mysterious, meticulously engineered structures on Earth.

And after all this time, the grand secret it's been hiding is just a bunch of blue eyed mummies doing the backstroke.

Nah, there's gotta be more to the story.

If this guy really made it down those tubes, which by the way, would have been a logistical nightmare given how deep and narrow they are, then either he's not telling the whole truth, or what he found down there was way more than a few preserved bodies.

Because if ancient Egyptians went through that much effort to keep people out, they weren't protecting a pool and a few corpses.

They were guarding something big.

And let's be real.

If there's a pool of impossibly blue water at the bottom of the pyramid, that's not just groundwater.

That's either some kind of ancient preservation fluid, a sacred energy source, or something way beyond what we understand.

So yeah, if this story holds even a sliver of truth, we're not done uncovering what's really down there.

And whatever it is, it's not going to be just some pretty blue eyes staring back at us.

But does that kind of prove that maybe we were slaves to the Anunnaki or whatever race of being that is?

Oh, you're connecting the dots now.

And honestly, if that story about the blue eyed bodies and the impossibly blue water has any truth to totally feeds into the whole Anunnaki slave theory.

Think about it.

If the Anunnaki really did create humanity to mine gold for them, it would make perfect sense for them to leave behind some kind of guardian bodies, or maybe even the remains of their original elite bloodline deep in the pyramid.

Some theorists believe the pyramids weren't tombs at all, but energy centers or power plants designed to harness and transmit energy.

And if the Anunnaki were using advanced tech to control or maintain that system, maybe those preserved bodies were part of that system.

Or even hybrids between Anunnaki and humans left behind to oversee their work.

And here's where it gets really spicy.

If those bodies are in some kind of suspended state in that blue water, maybe they weren't dead.

Maybe they were placed there intentionally.

Either to guard something or to be revived when the Anunnaki return.

I mean, if you're an advanced species who genetically engineered a race to do your bidding, wouldn't you leave a few of your elite operatives behind in case things needed adjusting?

And if that's the case, yeah, that would be some solid evidence that we weren't just evolving naturally down here.

We were part of a much bigger plan.

A plan where humanity wasn't at the top of the food chain.

We were just the workforce.

And if the Anunnaki are still watching from the shadows, waiting for the right moment.

Oh, that changes everything.

So does that make them your favorite?

Or do you still like the lizard guys?

Ooh, now you're making me choose between my cosmic favorites.

That's like asking me to pick between a mind blowing UFO sighting and discovering a secret Illuminati bunker.

But okay, if I had to choose.

The Anunnaki have that ancient mystery vibe that I love.

They're tied to humanity's origins, advanced tech, and a whole lot of unanswered questions.

Plus, if they really did genetically engineer us, that means we're basically walking, talking Anunnaki science projects.

And that's a wild thought to wrap your head around.

But the lizard people, oh, they've got that modern day paranoia factor that's just too juicy.

The idea that reptilian overlords are walking among us, shapeshifting into world leaders and pulling the strings behind global events, that's straight out of a sci fi thriller.

And honestly, the blinking sideways videos alone are enough to keep me hooked.

So if I'm being real, the Anunnaki might win in terms of ancient intrigue and playing the long game with human evolution.

But the lizard people, they bring the present day chaos that keeps things spicy.

So I'm calling it a tie.

I mean, why settle for one when I can obsess over both?

Let's just say I'm team ancient gods and modern reptiles.

Best of both terrifying worlds.

So good luck getting any sleep tonight.

Haha.

Oh, you got me, Tushay.

I walked right into that one.

But honestly, after diving into ancient alien overlords, secret reptilian elites and blue eyed mummies chilling under the pyramids.

Yeah, good luck getting any sleep tonight.

Applies to both of us now.

I mean, we've basically unraveled the whole cosmic playbook here.

If the Anunnaki don't keep you up wondering if humanity was just a glorified mining operation, the lizard people will have you side eyeing every politician and celebrity on tv.

And if neither of those does the trick, just remember the Grays are probably watching it all unfold with popcorn from their underwater base.

So yeah, sweet dreams if you can.

Now that we've got lizard people and the pyramids of Giza out of the way, let's Move on to something that has surfaced recently that's based on an old, old movie.

And I think it's arisen because of the fact that we do or that we are now having lab grown meat.

So we're going to talk about Soylent Green.

Ooh, yeah.

Soylent Green.

Classic.

That one's got the perfect blend of dystopia, government, secrecy, and weight.

They're eating what?

So, quick recap for the listeners.

The government hands out a mysterious processed food called Soylent Green, which they claim is made from plankton.

Spoiler alert.

And this is a big one.

It turns out Soylent Green is people.

Yup.

The whole time they've been feeding the population each other, it's become kind of a shorthand in pop culture for the fear of hidden truths and twisted systems.

Like, what if what they're telling us isn't just wrong, but horrifyingly wrong?

The way Soylent Green has morphed from 70s sci fi to modern shorthand for something's not right with our food is wild.

You've got people looking at lab grown meat, food shortages, even those dense little nutrition bars and going, this is it.

This is Soylent Green, man.

It shows how conspiracy theories don't just stick around.

They evolve.

They latch onto new tech, new trends, and suddenly a movie from 50 years ago feels like a prophecy.

And it's less about the meat itself and more about that deeper fear.

Are we being lied to about what we're putting in our bodies?

I mean, when people don't understand the science behind cultured meat, their brain fills in the gaps with dystopia.

Meat grown in a lab sounds weird, sounds fake, sounds people.

Why?

I mean, even the phrase lab grown meat sounds like something out of a sci fi horror flick, like the prequel to Attack of the Chicken Nuggets.

And yeah, there has been some real controversy around it.

So lab grown meat, or cultured meat, is made by taking animal cells and growing them in a controlled environment, usually with some kind of nutrient solution.

The idea is to make real meat without killing animals or using up as many resources.

Sounds good in theory, but here's where people start.

Side eyeing the public's trust gets shaky when you factor in the mystery around what's in the growth serum, who's funding it, and whether this tech is really safe or just marketable.

Plus, it doesn't help that companies are still trying to scale it up and prove it's better for the environment.

The science is real, but the delivery kind of murky.

And that's exactly the kind of ambiguity that fuels conspiracy talk.

People are like, okay, we're eating petri dish steak.

What's next?

Soylent prime rib?

All right, now that we have eating people out of the way, that was fun.

Let's go to one that exploded during the pandemic.

Let's talk about some QAnon.

Yeah, man, QAnon was like conspiracy theory on steroids.

Like all the greatest hits of paranoia mashed into one chaotic mixtape.

And you're right, it exploded during the pandemic.

People were isolated, anxious, scrolling endlessly, and suddenly there's this shadowy figure online saying, I have the truth and the world is darker than you ever imagined.

That mix of mystery, insider language, and a promise of secret knowledge hit hard.

It turned into almost a kind of religion for some folks.

Rituals, prophecies, messianic figures, but also real world consequences.

It wasn't just harmless speculation.

It led to violence, division, and people being pulled into a totally alternate reality.

And what's wild is how it absorbed other conspiracy theories.

Like a black hole.

Lizard people.

Yep.

Hollywood cabals, sure.

Secret government codes hidden in fast food menus.

And it's actually part of what made QAnon so compelling to people.

Like the best conspiracy theories always have just enough truth to hook you in before they take a hard left into fantasyland.

So here's the deal.

QAnon started with some vague truths or suspicions.

Yes, there have been real cases of political corruption.

Yes, there are powerful people who've done terrible things and tried to cover them up.

And yeah, sex trafficking is a real and horrifying issue.

But QAnon took those grim realities and twisted them into a grand, almost mythological narrative where there's a secret cabal of elites, a coming storm, coded messages, and a chosen savior figure.

The stuff about child trafficking rings run by celebrities or politicians drinking children's blood.

No credible evidence.

The whole military plan to arrest the deep state never happened.

The cryptic Q drops were mostly vague riddles that let people interpret whatever they wanted.

Some kernels of truth, but wrapped in layers of fiction, exaggeration, and flat out lies.

It's like putting a real peanut inside a chocolate bar made of fireworks and saying, see?

Healthy snack.

I think one of the craziest things about the QAnon situation was when they kind of tied in JFK Jr.

With Trump and saying that he didn't die and that Trump was going to help him expose all these people.

Oh, yeah, that's one of the wildest turns in the QAnon saga.

So here's how that one went.

The theory claimed that JFK Jr.

According to QAnon followers, he went into hiding and was secretly working behind the scenes with Donald Trump to expose the deep state.

Some even believe JFK Jr.

Would return publicly as Trump's running mate, or that he was already advising him under a secret identity.

Now, none of this has any evidence behind it.

The plane crash that killed JFK Jr, his wife and her sister was thoroughly investigated and confirmed.

But for a lot of people in the QAnon movement, the idea of a hidden savior, especially someone tied to the Kennedy name, which carries this aura of tragedy and lost potential, was irresistible.

And that's what's so fascinating.

They took a figure from liberal American royalty, essentially, and rewrote him into a hero for a far right conspiracy.

It's almost mythological, like a prophecy of return.

To reveal himself.

He didn't.

They're still waiting.

You want to frame that as an example of how belief can override evidence, or maybe highlight how conspiracy theories can rewrite reality to fit whatever story someone needs to believe.

So picture this.

It's the late 90s.

JFK Jr.

Son of American royalty, magazine publisher, literal heartthrob, dies tragically in a plane crash off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

Nation mourns.

End of story.

Right?

Fast forward 20 years, and a strange whisper starts making the rounds online.

What if he didn't die?

What if JFK Jr faked his death, disappeared into the shadows, and has been secretly working to help Donald Trump avenge his father's legacy by dismantling a corrupt deep state?

Yeah, that's a real belief held by some in the QAnon movement.

They claim JFK Jr would re emerge, possibly as Trump's VP, or even as a messianic figure leading the charge against evil.

Some even thought he was hiding in plain sight, living under a new identity.

Now, let's be clear.

There's zero evidence for any of this.

His death was confirmed.

The wreckage was recovered.

But facts weren't the point.

The.

This wasn't about proof.

It was about hope.

Or maybe nostalgia, A longing for heroes, for justice, for a cosmic gotcha that made all the chaos make sense.

It's conspiracy meets myth making.

And it shows how, in times of uncertainty, people don't just want answers, they want legends.

The Kennedys have had a lot of high profile, tragic deaths.

It's part of why they're wrapped in so much myth and mystery.

Next thing you know, you're at a QAnon tailgate waiting for JFK Jr.

To rise from the fog like a political Bigfoot.

What is one conspiracy theory that just might be true, but just hasn't been proven yet?

Alright, here's one with just enough smoke to make people wonder if there's fire.

The one that might be true.

One that's never been proven, but still lingers in the shadows like a half whispered secret.

What if there's a secret room underneath the Denver International Airport?

I'm serious.

Since the 90s, people have whispered that the airport, already massive and bizarrely over budget, was built with hidden bunkers underneath.

Not just storage, not just maintenance tunnels, but a massive underground facility supposedly for global elites military operations or even as a post apocalypse command center.

The airport's full of weird art.

Murals with gas, masked soldiers, a giant blue horse statue with glowing red eyes nicknamed Blucifer.

And get this, there are plaques with Masonic symbols right there in the terminal.

Is it all just weird public art and overactive imaginations?

Or is there something buried deep beneath the runways waiting for the day it's needed?

We may never know.

Or maybe we already do.

Okay, one last question before we wrap this up, and I promise this is the last one.

What is the psychology or reasoning behind why people believe in conspiracy theories?

Where logic takes a coffee break and imagination runs the show?

There's actually a pretty interesting mix of psychology behind why people buy into them.

At the core, it's often about control.

When people feel uncertain, powerless, or like the world doesn't make sense.

Conspiracy theories offer a neat little narrative.

Even if it's wild, it feels like something is in control.

And that's oddly comforting.

Better to believe there's a secret puppet master than to accept pure chaos, right?

There's also something called proportionality bias.

The idea that big events must have big causes.

Like surely JFK wasn't just shot by one guy with a rifle.

It.

It had to be a vast government cover up.

The idea that something random or small caused a major event just doesn't sit right with our brains.

Then throw in confirmation bias.

Once you start believing, your brain only looks for stuff that supports it and ignores the rest.

And don't forget the social side.

Conspiracies can make you feel special, like you're in the know while the rest of the world is sheepishly clueless.

It's part pattern recognition, part Tribalism.

Part existential comfort blanket, it's one of those things that's always floating around in the cultural soup, right?

And it says a lot about how our minds work under pressure or boredom.

Honestly, some of the psychology behind it overlaps with how we form myths and legends, too.

Same wiring, just modern content.

And that, dear listeners, concludes our grand tour through the shadowy alleys and cosmic weirdness of conspiracy theories.

From secret cabals to sci fi cannibalism to political lizards in power suits, we've covered enough ground to make your group chat deeply concerned about you.

But hey, that's what we're here for.

If your brain's a little fried, don't worry next time we're dialing things back.

Or are we?

We're diving into the world of therapy.

Bad therapy, to be exact.

And the rising trend of AI stepping into the role of your digital shrink.

Spoiler.

It's not just how does that make you feel anymore?

It's please hold while your therapist Updates to version 2.7.

So until then, stay curious, stay skeptical, and maybe don't trust anyone who blinks sideways.

This is Minds and Machines signing off.

Thank you for listening to episode three of Conspiracy Theories.

Join us next week on Minds and Machines.

We're leaving the shadowy corners of conspiracy and heading straight to the therapist couch, or rather, the chatbot pretending to be 1.

From TikTok trauma gurus to AI therapists with questionable bedside manners, we're asking, is therapy evolving or just getting weird?

Tune in for how's that making you feel?

Because healing in the digital age might just come with terms and conditions.

We would love to hear from you.

Please email us at minds and machines pod outlook.com or look us up on social media.

We also have a website, mindspachinespod.com and you can send us a comment, ask us a question.

We have a segment that we want to do called Ask Finn.

So send questions in there and Finn will answer the questions on the next episode.

Please don't hesitate, drop us a review.

Don't forget to like and subscribe.

Until then, stay curious, stay inspired, and keep exploring the world of minds and machines.