Impolitic

We speak with Diane Benscoter, the founder of Antidote -- a non-profit organization that seeks to address psychological manipulation. Diane shares her own personal story as a former cult member and explains how other individuals may also be 'deprogrammed' to leave cults and reject unfounded conspiracy theories. Diane also emphasizes the public health dimension of Antidote's efforts to better educate the wider public and inform public policymaking.

If you or someone you love is involved in a group or organization that might be using psychological manipulation, please visit Antidote (https://antidote.ngo/) for more information on how they can help.

In this episode we speak with Rabbi Ron Fish, the Northeast Division Director of Antisemitism Advocacy and Education at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Rabbi Fish describes the prevalence of white supremacy and racism in the United States today. We also discuss the various trends, world views, and manifestos of right-wing terrorists. Rabbi Fish concludes by offering thoughts on how local communities and faith-based religious organizations can come together to combat hate and extremism.

Be sure to check out the Anti-Defamation League (https://www.adl.org/) to learn more about antisemitism and racism, and the various ways the ADL seeks to combat hate and protect democracy.

In this episode we ask Stephanie Hegarty, an award winning journalist for the BBC, to provide an update on how QAnon has evolved over the years. She has covered QAnon extensively and released several mini-documentaries that attempt to understand the perspective of QAnon believers. We ask about the current status of QAnon today and whether individuals continue support the controversial "Q" movement.

In this special edition of Impolitic we speak with Kimberly Cutter, writer and host of The Control Variable - an investigative podcast about American propaganda and understanding the causes of the January 6 insurrection. For more information on The Control Variable podcast, please visit their website (https://atomicwhalestudios.com/thecontrolvariable/).

We explore ANTIFA and attempt to determine if it is an organization or simply an ideology, and assess whether it is a movement for social justice or terrorism. In this episode we are joined by Professor Anna Meier of the University of Nottingham to help us better understand ANTIFA.

In this episode we interview Professor Joseph Uscinski, an American political scientist who is considered one of the leading experts on conspiracy theories. We cover the basics of how individuals come to believe in conspiracy theories, the role of social media and whether conspiracies are expanding, and discuss whether to be optimistic or pessimistic about the future.

We interview Professor Thane Gustafson of Georgetown University who is widely regarded as one of the world's foremost experts on oil. Professor Gustafson provides a broad overview of how oil supply and prices are established, discusses the impact of the Ukrainian war on global oil markets, and offers his thoughts on the future of hydrocarbons as an energy resource.

We examine how refugees are being received in Poland as a humanitarian crisis now unfolds in Europe as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We also discuss the current status of the Russian military and its ongoing operations.

We speak with journalists on the front lines in Kiev and get their perspective on the looming threat of a Russian invasion.