GenXtemporaneous

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This episode is the final roundup on QAnon.  This time we're looking hard at the Q: Into the Storm documentary and discussing the director's theories and positing our own.   We're just guessing.  Does that make us conspiracy theorists ourselves?  Maybe.  Because we both kind of believe that there was a conspiracy at work here -- just not the one that the Qnuts believed.  Please let us know what you think.  References below.  

Trump On Q:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNI553Np__k

About Lauren Boebert:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnS2CTmdA0A

Q: Into the Storm (6-part documentary featured on HBO Max), 2021, Producers: Cullen Hoback, Alina Solodnikova, Tina Nguyen

From the article The Making of QAnon: A Crowdsourced Conspiracy:  "Here is the core of the QAnon myth: with the aid of a small group of military intelligence officers called the Q team (one or more of whom is supposedly responsible for writing the drops), President Donald Trump is waging a shadow war against a cabal of Satan-worshipping, child-eating pedophiles who are conspiring to obstruct and overthrow him. The military will arrest them en masse in an event called “the Storm.” The cabal’s membership has grown in the telling (at first, it was “many in our government;” within a month, any “celebs” who had “supported HRC” might very well be in on it; a few months later, there were too many to fit into Guantanamo Bay; later still, three other “detention centers [were] being prepped”), but it would be fair to say that virtually anyone who’s angered or defied President Trump is considered part of the cabal, along with the usual suspects like financier and philanthropist George Soros." 

In this episode (part 2 of 3), Marc and Kristina begin to dig into the origins of the Q conspiracy, the predecessors, the acolytes, and the places where Q found a means of disseminating its message.  We will be relying on our own research as well as diving into two documentaries.  Q: Into the Storm, a multiyear effort at uncovering Q's identity filmed by Cullen Hoback and currently available on HBO Max as well as QAnon the Search for Q by  Marley Clements and Bayan Joonam for Spike TV and currently available on YouTube.  

Here's our linktree  https://linktr.ee/xtemporaneouspod

About Q's predecessors:

About the Chans

About Q

This will be the first of a multipart arc that examines conspiracy theories.  In this episode we contextualize the concept of a conspiracy theory.  What is the history, how do they serve human beings, who is most likely to believe in them, what is the connection between conspiracy and information wars, what are some of the most famous/persistent, and how does the internet factor in?  Our key sources are below.

Does subliminal "advertising" actually work? It might:  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sold-language/201101/subliminal-seduction-gets-second-glance

Top Ten Conspiracy Theories:  https://www.livescience.com/11375-top-ten-conspiracy-theories.html

Bush Attack Ad with Rats:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rV2Fl50_e8A

Some historical Conspiracies:  https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/588240/historical-conspiracy-theories

History of propaganda: https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/gi-roundtable-series/pamphlets/em-2-what-is-propaganda-(1944)/the-story-of-propaganda

For a tidy list of some of the conspiracies that got sucked into the QAnon master conspiracy:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon

In this special episode Marc and Kristina discuss a constructive criticism that developed from our last episode about sex addiction, specifically Marc's comment that he felt a flaw in the 12 step programs is that they include a step about a higher power.  As an Atheist, Marc felt that step didn't make sense.  As an Agnostic, Kristina doesn't know if a higher power exists but she is open to the possibility that it might. 

Xtemporaneous' position is that whatever works to help make recovery possible, and however that spirituality might look, is a good thing.  

A man shot and killed eight people in Georgia and now might claim sex addiction as the root cause. In this episode, we take on the idea of sex addiction as a real thing but also as an excuse. A canceled skunk makes a brief appearance (but only in the title, because he is cancelled, Marc!!).

If you suspect that you or someone you care about has an issue with sexual addiction there is help.  SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Sex Addiction as an Excuse for Violence: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/atlanta-shooting-robert-long-1143318/

Sex Addiction as an Excuse for White Males: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-sex-addiction-has-historically-been-used-absolve-white-men-n1261623

Celebrity Sex Addicts:  https://onedio.co/content/17-celebrities-who-bravely-battled-sex-addiction-12164

David Duchovny: https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/david-duchovny-tea-leoni-sex-addiction-blame-strife/story?id=13970246

Weinstein Not a Sex Addict: https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/whatever-harvey-weinstein-he-no-sex-addict-experts-say-n809861

Atlanta Spa Shooting Update: https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/one-week-since-atlanta-spa-shootings/85-dfb769df-f258-4d1e-8ab0-e7177ce85972

Ack Ack of Love: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1mK9En8NvE&t=115s

Who are Sex Addicts:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qf2e3XZ8Tw&t=804s

The Courage to Love: A Documentary about Sex Addiction:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QroVt80oHGk

This week we're talking about what everyone else is talking about, posting about online, and tweeting about.  Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York has become embroiled in a couple of things that are making for bad optics.  Named America's governor during the early stages of the Covid Pandemic, and known for his measured and calming press conferences during the time, he is now facing charges of covering up the number of Covid-related deaths in New York nursing homes and is also dealing with accusations of sexual misconduct from six separate women.  Despite calls for his resignation, Governor Cuomo (we think quite rightly) is standing his ground and asking for a full investigation to play out.  We dip our toes into the implications of narcissism in politics, the blunt force trauma that can come from unchecked cancel culture, the possible rehabilitation of Al Franken, and the future of Rivers Cuomo on the New York political scene.  We have to laugh or Kristina will cry.

For a timeline look here: https://abcnews.go.com/US/timeline-accusations-york-gov-andrew-cuomo-calls-resignation/story?id=76207242

For a Fresh (Air) take on Franken look here: https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2019/07/25/745252157/fresh-air-for-july-25-2019-journalist-jane-mayer-on-the-accusations-against-sen

This week, we examine the treatment of female celebrities by the media and public. We use the recent New York Times documentary, "Framing Britney Spears" as a jumping off point but the conversation takes a broader look at other female celebrities' experiences in public life from the golden age of paparazzi to today. Spoiler alert: many figures in the media do not come off well here. We drag some problematic interviewers like Ed McMahon and David Letterman, with a special place of dishonor for Diane Sawyer, who should have known better. 

Find Framing Britney Spears here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iZ5y2RYhKM&t=2686s

Allison Yarrow for the Daily Beast: https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-medias-nasty-treatment-of-monica-lewinsky-shaped-a-generation-of-women?ref=scroll

Diane Sawyer with Britney full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4CvSRCA9Ro&t=401s

Gimme More by Britney Spears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elueA2rofoo

Katie Couric Interviewing Carmen Carrera: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u774QpimXS4

Matt Lauer with Sandra Bullock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo8fF0lMPTI&t=108s

David Letterman with Guests being cringey:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHNQwOz8BaI

This is part two of our Dungeons and Dragons Episode.  Much more game play this week, at the urging of one of our listeners.   We appreciate Dave Conger coming on to discuss the subject and play an adventure with us.  See below for citations and please look for us on social media here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/756220585201594

https://www.instagram.com/xtemporaneouspod/

https://twitter.com/Xtemporaneous2

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTYjBdv64DJ98vF0UD_K1xw

References:

Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cOYzDtpEmI

ET (Steven Spielberg) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH7pABfm1HQ

Frodo of the Nine Fingers (Maury Laws (music) and Jules Bass (lyric) and performed by Glenn Yarbrough) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMCxoK_BGZw&t=34s

Community (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XyVpiWBMbk&t=3s

Trigger Warning:  This episode discusses self harm and that may be difficult for some listeners.  

In this episode Marc and Kristina welcome special guest (and Dungeons and Dragons enthusiast) Dave Conger.  We discuss Dungeons and Dragons history -- particularly the Satanic Panic that erupted in the mid 80s around the game; how to play the game; and we actually play a little bit of an adventure with Marc and Dungeon Master, Dave as the ranger Silric, and Kristina as a elf wizard called Siofra.  Please see below for references made in this episode. 

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Dungeons & Dragons: Satanic Panic | Retro Report | The New York Times:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUpSPj0x-c

Is Dungeon and Dragons Evil? *60 Minutes 1985 special:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yShqF1YSfDs&t=786s

Mazes and Monsters:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI0Vp5aELZg

The Dungeon Masters (2008) Directed by Keven McAlester.  https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988086/

Dangerous Games: Dungeons & Dragons and Moral Panic with Joseph Laycock:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaVD_QsG-6M&t=299s

In this episode Marc and Kristina discuss The Natural -- the novel by Bernard Malamud, which was pubished in 1952 and the 1984 Film directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford.  This is the first in what will be a recurring feature of this podcast in which we discuss films that we think are better than the books.  This one really boils down to the ending.  With baseball season right around the corner, we explore the mystique of baseball movies, why literary Roy Hobbs is a straight up jerk, and wieners amongst other things.