As Christiane Northrup’s social media feed descends even further into the delusional zone — this week she retweeted explicitly identified QAnon content — we ask Professor Jacqueline Antonovich of Nursing Clio about the history of charisma, magic, and entrepreneurship in women’s wellness. When asked if she was surprised by Northrup’s conspirituality spiral, Antonovich was clear: “Not at all.” She carefully unpacks why.

We also look at the role of media in conspiritual thinking and discuss Northup’s enthusiastic endorsement of the movement to “make Americans free again” by becoming single-issue voters—the issue being vaccines.

Show Notes

Marshall McLuhan | The medium is the message

How Can the Press Best Serve a Democratic Society?

In 1947, the press reported on the Hutchins Commission report

Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times

Trump’s New Favorite Channel Employs Kremlin-Paid Journalist

Hundreds of hyperpartisan sites are masquerading as local news. This map shows if there’s one near you.

Make Americans Free Again | The New Normal: Citizens In Charge

Jacqueline Antonovich | Nursing Clio

Northrup’s retweet of a QAnon account boosting the red shoe conspiracy

Gilman’s “Yellow Wallpaper“

Ricki Lake’s “Business of Being Born“

On Lydia Pinkham

On Mary Putnam Jacoby

Sarah Swedburg on Louise Hay

How New Age Guru Louise Hay Harmed a Generation of Gay Men

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