Our last Squaring the Strange episode of 2021 is out, and unlike other podcasts, we are giving you fresh episodes... even a BONUS episode like this one, well ahead of our usual biweekly schedule. Our final episode of the moral panic series deals with panics...
Media Literacy
Quoted in Rolling Stone: ‘Stop Falling for Made-Up TikTok Moral Panics!’
So this is cool: I'm quoted in Rolling Stone encouraging people to, quote, "Stop Falling for Made-Up TikTok Moral Panics!" Check it out HERE! Also, don't forget to check out my podcast, Squaring the Strange!
‘Psychic’ Killers in the ‘House of Gucci’
House of Gucci tells the true story of the iconic Italian fashion family. The film follows the rise and fall of Guccis (and soon-to-be-Guccis) from 1978 to the 1990s. You can track the era by the hairstyles and cars, as well as Christmas gifts (such as Simon and...
The True, Heartwarming Story of the Mall of America’s Black Santa
In 2016, before COVID and amid the encroaching commercialization of Christmas, Black Friday sales, and annual social media grumblings about the manufactured controversy over whether “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is appropriate, an ugly episode of racial hatred...
Squaring the Strange #163: Moral Panics in Music!
The new episode of Squaring the Strange is out! Part two in our four-part series on moral panics. This week we talk MUSIC, and go into the past, present, and future of (as Fresh Prince would say) parents just not understanding their kids' music. So sit back and hear...
Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Weird Fear-mongering Tweet
Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent this weird fear-mongering tweet. It's wrong on several levels: 1) she's confusing missing *children* with reports; 2) "missing" doesn't imply abducted, and most are runaways who return within hours; 3) "the media" isn't...
Quoted in New Book ‘Encountering the Sovereign’
One of the pleasures of my job (along with random stranger hate mail) is seeing where my research is referenced. I'm mentioned in a new book, "Encountering the Sovereign Other: Indigenous Science Fiction." I haven't read it yet but it definitely looks interesting......
Squaring the Strange # 162: Moral Panics and Games!
For those who didn't see it: New episode of Squaring the Strange is out, the first in our series on Moral Panics. This week we look at games: it's not just first-person-shooters that have caused parents and social guardians to wring their hands and ask "will no one...
23 Years at ‘Skeptical Inquirer’!
The first issue of Skeptical Inquirer with me as Managing Editor came out 23 years ago, joining the indefatigable editor Ken Frazier. Been quite a ride; I hope I've helped encourage at least a little critical thinking during that time...
My Appearance on ‘Radio Wasteland’
I was recently a guest on the Radio Wasteland show, talking about some of the cases in my new book "Big--If True: Adventures in Oddity." We discuss psychic detectives; why police rarely prosecute psychics; the idea that the government wants to keep Americans...