Recent rumors and news reports have circulated claiming that COVID-19 is being spread intentionally in clandestine “covid parties.” In mid-March, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear made national headlines when he stated that part of the rise in coronavirus infections in...
News
‘Blue Whale Game’ Rumor Resurfaces
A folklore colleague sent me a news story about the sinister-yet-fictional Blue Whale Game rumor, which is once again circulating after I and others debunked it back in 2017... As if there aren't enough real problems to be concerned about? My original article,...
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 # 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....
Christopher Dorner, Eyewitness Testimony, And Mental Illness
Spree killer and ex-police officer Christopher Dorner was recently mentioned in a standup comedy piece by Dave Chapelle. If the name sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because Dorner killed four people and wounded three others in mid-February 2013, his victims including...
Why Old News Is Often Fake News
We’ve all seen it on social media, especially Facebook. Some friend, or “friend,” or friend of a “friend,” posts a news story. Because it’s social media, the story is often selected (by human nature and algorithms) for its outrage factor. Amid the kitten videos and...
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...
‘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...
The Skeptic Zone Podcast #604!
I'm a guest on The Skeptic Zone podcast #604. This week we hear from me, Mandy-Lee Noble with a Pete Evans update, Michelle Bijkersma with logical fallacies, and News from Australian Skeptics; check it out here: www.skepticzone.tv
Squaring the Strange # 120 – Emery Emery on ‘Science Friction’
In the recent episode, we discuss a few pandemic-related things that set off some skeptical alarms over social media this past week. Then we are joined by Southern California-based comedian and film editor Emery Emery to talk about his soon-to-be-released...