The twin plagues of COVID-19 and racism have come to the fore globally over the past few months, and as with any such afflictions there’s a social desire to scapegoat, finding someone (or some group) to blame. Parallels between the pandemic and racism are not hard to...
Conspiracy theories
Squaring the Strange # 124: Snuff Films: Menace or Myth?
The recent episode of Squaring the Strange is out! This time around we examine the legend of snuff films--movies in which one or more of the actors are (really) killed! We are joined by filmmaker and encyclopedia of weird film knowledge Erik Kristopher Myers....
Virtual Talk: Conspiracies 101 with Benjamin Radford
I recently gave a talk on Conspiracies 101: "Benjamin Radford discusses conspiracy theories, including the psychology of conspiracies, types of conspiracies, the history of conspiracy theories, and much more." You can watch it HERE.
Squaring the Strange # 124: Antifa as Emergent Panic
In the new episode of Squaring the Strange, we take a look at Antifa this week, or rather--we take a look at HOW people are LOOKING at Antifa. Are we witnessing the birth of a modern social panic? How is Antifa used for political and social purposes? What are the...
Where Racism, Anti-Vaccination, And COVID-19 Conspiracy Meet
The twin plagues of COVID-19 and racism have come to the fore globally over the past few months, and as with any such afflictions there’s a social desire to scapegoat, finding someone (or some group) to blame. Parallels between the pandemic and racism are not hard to...
Squaring the Strange # 123: Truth and Myths of Snuff Films
In the new episode of Squaring the Strange, we are joined by filmmaker and encyclopedia of weird film knowledge Erik Kristopher Myers. The notion of a "snuff film" is a strange convergence of conspiracy thinking, urban legend, moral panic, and actual film trivia,...
‘Plandemic’ Asks Questions—But Won’t Answer Them
Last month, a YouTube video for an (apparently) upcoming documentary titled Plandemic was released by Mikki Willis (credited onscreen as “father/filmaker” [sic]). The video features a lengthy interview with virologist Judy Mikovits, who offers scattershot...
Squaring the Strange #122: Plant Folklore
If you need a break from the cornucopia of bad news, the new episode of Squaring the Strange is out. We chat about the passing of a physicist who explored popular sports illusions, and attempting to get answers from the "Plandemic" filmmaker. Then we cover a veritable...
Do Conspiracy Theorists Drive Chevys?
I spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with conspiracies and conspiracy theories. Over the years I’ve written about dozens and dozens of conspiracy theories, including the Obama birthers, the Sandy Hook shootings (for which I still receive hate e-mails), Osama...
‘If You Disagree with Me, Are You Stupid or Dishonest?’
With all the recent news, here's a timely passage from a recent article I wrote: "One element of conspiracy thinking is that those who disagree are either stupid (gullible 'sheeple' who believe and parrot everything they see in the 'mainstream media') or simply lying...