This week we’re rolling up our sleeves (literally) for a deep, hilarious, fact-checked roast of one of the wildest conspiracy mashups of our time:

“Vaccines contain microchips!”

“5G towers control your thoughts!”

“It’s all part of the global mind-control plan!”

Spoiler: It's Not!

This is CTRL + ALT + DELUSION, the second episode in our November series built to help you survive Thanksgiving debates with your conspiracy-loving relatives. From cowpox and Dr. Edward Jenner’s OG anti-vaxxers to the Bill Gates microchip myth and 5G hysteria, we’re tracing the history of vaccine paranoia, debunking the science, and laughing through the madness.

No homework. Just one Average Joe with a mic, a mountain of research, and a tinfoil-clad producer mumbling in the corner.

Topics covered:

• The 1796 origins of anti-vaccine movements

• The 1998 Andrew Wakefield fraud that linked MMR to autism

• How “Bill Gates microchip” and “5G mind control” conspiracies spread online

• The psychology of fear, misinformation, and algorithmic outrage

• Why humor and empathy beat yelling at Thanksgiving dinner

If this episode made you laugh, think, or text your router an apology, rate and review the show wherever you listen. It helps other curious nerds find the lobby. 

Sources & Further Reading:

World Health Organization (WHO) - Vaccine Safety Basics

https://www.who.int/vaccine_safety

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - History of Smallpox Vaccination

https://www.cdc.gov/smallpox/history/history.html

BMJ - Retraction: Ileal-Lymphoid-Nodular Hyperplasia, Non-Specific Colitis, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder in Children (The Wakefield Study Retraction)

https://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.c7452

Reuters Fact Check - No, COVID-19 Vaccines Don’t Contain Microchips

https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-vaccine-microchip-idUSL1N2N00PJ

Scientific American - How 5G Conspiracy Theories Got Started

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-5g-conspiracy-theories-got-started/

Nature - Nanotechnology in Medicine: What It Actually Means

https://www.nature.com/articles/nnano.2019.158

Pew Research Center - Americans’ Trust in Scientists Has Declined (context for vaccine hesitancy)

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/15/americans-trust-in-scientists-has-declined/

STAY GOLD, NERD BOLD!