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CSUSB professor discusses the QAnon conspiracy theory on BBC’s ‘The Real Story’
BBC
Sept. 4, 2020

Kevin Grisham, associate director of research for CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, was one of the expert panelists interviewed for the program “The Real Story” to discuss the extremist conspiracy theory QAnon. At its basic, QAnon is grounded in a belief that U.S. President Donald Trump is secretly battling a “deep state” cabal of pedophiles that control the world.

On the conspiracy theory’s draw, Grisham, who is chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, said, “I think it’s the same as any conspiracy theory throughout history, and that is whenever there are complex issues facing the world – in particular something like COVID-19 or other issues that have upended our everyday life – what ends up happening is that people look for simple answers. And, of course as we all know, there are no simple answers to the complex problems that we face. But people go to look for those kind of things … you can easily find things on mainstream social platforms. You don’t have to go to the dark recesses of the web to find it.”

When people find something that makes sense to them with these complex issues, Grisham said, “once they get sucked in, they get sucked into this echo chamber where it just starts reverberating over and over again what they believe.”

Listen to the entire episode at  “Why is QAnon going global?”

QAnon’s spread to Bosnia and Herzegovina discussed by CSUSB professor (in Bosnian)
Detektor (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Sept. 4, 2020

An article on the global spread of the QAnon conspiracy theory into Bosnia and Herzegovina included an interview with Kevin Grisham, associate director of research for CSUSB’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

Despite Facebook’s efforts to ban postings and pages related to the conspiracy theory, the newspaper reported that (via Google Translation) “QAnon has expanded to about 70 countries, including the Balkans. QAnon Balkan, for example, has more than 8,500 members, QAnon Serbia 2,700, and QAnon Croatia almost 7,800 members, significantly more than the Bosnian group.

“While all of these numbers seem small compared to the United States or some European countries, Kevin Grisham, assistant director of the Center for Hate and Extremism Research at California State University in San Bernardino, says ‘no large group of people is needed to organize and demonstrate.’

“‘Even if 20, 30, 40 or 50 people feel motivated to do something, it’s already a significant power. In the age of virtual activism, even a small number of people can have significant power. The best example of this is QAnon, which started as a small group and now operates globally. The current number of conspiracy theory movements is not as alarming as the speed at which the number of members, sympathizers and supporters is growing,’ Grisham points out.”

Read the complete article, translated by Google, at “QAnon in BiH: Conspiracy theories under the guise of freedom of speech.”

CSUSB professor to participate in panel discussion about the film ‘The One and Only Jewish Miss America’
The Trentonian (New Jersey)
Sept. 4, 2020

Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism and criminal justice professor at California State University, San Bernardino is one of the guest panelists invited to discuss documentary, “The One and Only Jewish Miss America,” on Sept. 8.

The film focuses on Bess Myerson, who was crowned Miss America on Sept. 8, 1945, just months after Germany surrendered to the Allies to end World War II and the Holocaust, liberating the Nazi death camps. “In spite of antisemitism and threatening calls to pageant judges warning them against selecting a Jew, Bess took the title home to her family's tiny apartment in the Shalom Aleichem housing project in the Bronx, NY,” the article said.

Levin will join those featured in the film, along with Abraham Foxman, director emeritus of the Anti-Defamation League, for the online panel discussion.

Read “The One and Only Jewish Miss America” for information on the film and the panel discussion.

Read the complete article at “New Documentary Film Celebrates 75th Anniversary of the One and Only Jewish Miss America: Bess Myerson.”

These news clips and others may be viewed at “In the Headlines.”