The Social Chemist

By Nelson Perez

A podcast that looks into the psychosocial elements that contribute to conspiracy theories and political extremism. Hosted by social worker and conspiracy theory researcher Nelson Perez.

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4.2

1515 ratings

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FAQs about The Social Chemist:

How many episodes does The Social Chemist have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.

The Social Chemist episodes:

October 30, 2025The Fight Against Alex Jones, InfoWars and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook w/ Robbie Parker
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On today's episode, I am joined by Robbie Parker, the father of Emilie Parker, who tragically lost her life at the age of 6 at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14th, 2012. We discuss his book, A Father's Fight: Taking on Alex Jones and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook, which covers his journey in addressing the trauma of losing a child, his own childhood trauma, and his journey towards peace while taking on Alex Jones in court.
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Robbie Parker's Book
Amazon.com: A Father's Fight: Taking on Alex Jones and Reclaiming the Truth About Sandy Hook: 9781635769838: Parker, Robbie: Books
Robbe Parker's Website
Robbie Parker | Author of A Father's Fight
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
The Evolution of Lone Actors & Political Violence in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand w/ Dr Nathan Brooks
The Conspiratorial Right Wing's Protection of Alex Jones
...more
1h 8min
September 27, 2025The Evolution of Lone Actors & Political Violence in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand w/ Dr Nathan Brooks
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On today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Nathan Brooks, a forensic psychologist who specializes in complex offending behaviors, threat assessment, and target violence. We cover his 2025 book "Mass Casualty: The Rise of Lone Actors, which examines the psychosocial elements that contribute to political violence and mass shootings. Recommendations are given to help neighbors, friends, and families detect radicalization before it's too late.
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Nathan Brooks Book
Mass Casualty: The Rise of Lone Actors: Brooks, Dr Nathan: 9780473749996: Amazon.com: Books
Nathan Brooks Social Media
Forensic Psychology | Dr Nathan Brooks
Nathan Brooks (@DrNathanBrooks) / X
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
...more
39min
September 05, 2025Inside The Movement To Destroy American Democracy w/ Katherine Stewart
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On today's episode, I am joined by Katherine Stewart, a journalist and author of "Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement To Destroy American Democracy." We cover the donors and strategies that are behind the Christian Nationalist movement, as well as assess how Trump's presidency has benefited from this far-right philosophy.
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Katherine Stewart Books
Money, Lies, and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy: Stewart, Katherine: 9781635578546: Amazon.com: Books
The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism: Katherine Stewart: Bloomsbury Publishing - Bloomsbury
The Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children: Stewart, Katherine: 9781586488437: Amazon.com: Books
Katherine Stewart's Social Media
Katherine Stewart | Home
Katherine Stewart (@katherinestewart.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Katherine Stewart | Substack
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
Christian Nationalism Under Trump's Second Term w/ Amanda Tyler
Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith w/ April Ajoy
The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
...more
38min
June 05, 2025The State of Terrorism in the U.S. w/ Jacob Ware
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On today's episode, Jacob Ware from the Council on Foreign Relations returns to discuss the state of U.S. domestic terrorism after the 2024 U.S. Elections. We cover whether the definition of terrorism has been weaponized against marginalized communities by the Trump administration, and debate on whether the charges against Luigi Mangione can be considered terroristic.
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Jacob Ware's Social Media
Jacob Ware (@Jacob_A_Ware) / X
Jacob Ware (@jacobware.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Jacob Ware's Lawfare Article
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’ | Lawfare
Jacob Ware's Book
God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America (A Council on Foreign Relations Book): Hoffman, Bruce, Ware, Jacob: 9780231211222: Amazon.com: Books
The Social Chemist Substack Articles
Can Liberals differentiate between terrorism and advocacy in the case of Luigi Mangione?
Healthcare, Guns, and Extremism
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
The Contributing Factors Behind January 6 and the Unite the Right Rally w/ Timothy Heaphy
The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
...more
38min
April 27, 2025Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza w/ Peter Beinart
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On today's episode, I am joined by Peter Beinart, a professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and author of "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza". A book that assesses how the Zionist movement has rationalized the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza after the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel, and why the current Israeli policies towards Palestine are contributing to the next generation of jihadist terrorists.
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Peter Beinart's Book
Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza: A Reckoning: Beinart, Peter: 9780593803899: Amazon.com: Books
Peter Beinart's Substack/Social Media
The Beinart Notebook | Peter Beinart | Substack
Peter Beinart (@PeterBeinart) / X
Peter Beinart (@peter_beinart) • Threads, Say more
Peter Beinart (@peterbeinart.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
The Global State of Antisemitism & an Examination of the Zionist Project w/ Kenneth Stern
The Origins of the Rothschilds Conspiracy Legends & Rise of Modern Antisemitism w/ Mike Rothschild
...more
33min
April 02, 2025Christian Nationalism Under Trump's Second Term w/ Amanda Tyler
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On today's episode, I am joined by Amanda Tyler, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, to discuss her new book, "How to End Christian Nationalism," where she covers the eight steps you can take to help fight against the influence of Christian Supremacy in U.S politics.
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Amanda Tyler's Book
How to End Christian Nationalism: Tyler, Amanda: 9781506498287: Amazon.com: Books
Amanda Tyler Social Media
Amanda Tyler (@AmandaTylerBJC) / X
Amanda Tyler (@amandatylerbjc.bsky.social) — Bluesky
Amanda Tyler (@amandatylerbjc) • Threads, Say more
Baptist Joint Committee Website / Petition
Home - BJC
Statement from Christians Against Christian Nationalism — Christians Against Christian Nationalism
Recommended Social Chemist Episodes
The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith w/ April Ajoy
The Contributing Factors Behind January 6 and the Unite the Right Rally w/ Timothy Heaphy
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
...more
45min
March 26, 2025The Psychology of Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
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On today's episode, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Pierre returns to the podcast to discuss his new book "False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things That Aren't True." We explore how confirmation bias has been put on steroids, the democratization of influence in the online world, whether it has made us less or more informed, and whether the excessive consumption of conspiracy theories should be thought of as an addiction disorder.
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Dr. Joseph Pierre Twitter/Website
Joe Pierre, MD - psychunseen.bsky.social (@psychunseen) / X (twitter.com)
Joe Pierre, MD (drjoepierre.com)
Dr. Joseph Pierre's Book/Literature Review
Amazon.com: False: How Mistrust, Disinformation, and Motivated Reasoning Make Us Believe Things that Aren't True: 9780197765272: Pierre MD, Joe: Books
Conspiracy Theory Belief: A Sane Response to an Insane World? | Review of Philosophy and Psychology
The Social Chemist Recommended Episodes
A Psychosocial Assessment of QAnon w/ Dr. Joseph Pierre
The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
A Psychological Assessment of QAnon & It's Comparison to Addiction w/ Sophia Moskalenko
QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda
How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens
A Sociological Assessment of Anti-Vaccine Attitudes and Behaviors w/ Matthew Facciani
...more
48min
February 16, 2025The Contributing Factors Behind January 6 and the Unite the Right Rally w/ Timothy Heaphy
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On today's episode, I am joined by the lead investigator of the January 6 committee and former US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, Timothy Heaphy, who also participated in the 2017 Unite the Right rally (UTR) investigation team. For our discussion, we cover his 2024 book "Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal about Rising Threats to American Democracy." Which follows Timothy's experience in investigating the attacks on Capitol Hill in 2021 and the far-right protests in Charlottesville in 2017. We cover Donald Trump's tactics to spread disinformation and doubt about the 2020 election and the contributing factors that led to J6 and UTR.
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Substack
The Social Chemist Newsletter | Substack
Timothy Heaphy's Book
Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal About Rising Threats to American Democracy: Heaphy, Timothy J.: 9781586424015: Amazon.com: Books
The Final Report of the Select Committee
Final Report of the Select Committee | January 6th-benniethompson
Social Chemist Recommended Episodes
The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
Here Comes the Storm: The Origins of QAnon w/ Mike Rothschild
...more
43min
February 09, 2025The Weaponization of Disinformation & Its Assault on Democracy w/ Barbara McQuade
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On today's episode, I am joined by Barbara McQuade, a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and co-host of the #SistersInLaw podcast, to discuss her 2024 book "Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America,” a book about how disinformation has been weaponized under Trump’s presidency and how to make social media platforms accountable for the disinformation epidemic. We also cover the state of conspiratorial thinking and extremism on the political left.
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Substack
The Social Chemist Newsletter | Substack
Barbara McQuade's Book
Amazon.com: Attack from Within: How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America: 9781644213636: McQuade, Barbara: Books
Barbara McQuade's Website/ X / Threads / Bluesky
BARBARA MCQUADE
Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) / X
Barb McQuade (@barbmcquade) • Instagram photos and videos
Barb McQuade (@barbmcquade) • Threads, Say more
Barb McQuade (@barbmcquade.bsky.social) — Bluesky
The Social Chemist Episodes Recommendations
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
How Susceptible are you to Misinformation? w/ Dr Rakoen Maertens
...more
43min
January 29, 2025Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a True Faith w/ April Ajoy
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On today's episode, I am joined by April Ajoy, TikTok content creator, former Christian Nationalist, and co-host of The New Evangelicals Podcast, to discuss her 2024 book "Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding a Truth Faith." A book that touches on the history of Christian Nationalism, the tactics used to maintain followers within the movement, and the influence of Christian Nationalists have in today's social media world. We also talk about Pokémon.

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Substack
The Social Chemist Newsletter | Substack

April Ajoy's Book
Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith: Ajoy, April: 9781546006688: Amazon.com: Books

April Ajoy's X/ Threads/ YouTube
April Ajoy (@aprilajoyr) / X
April Ajoy (@aprilajoy) • Threads, Say more
April Ajoy - YouTube
The Social Chemist Episode Recommendations
The Emergence of Christian Extremism & The Future of the Republican Party w/ Elizabeth Neumann
The Evolution of Far-Right Terrorism in the 21st Century w/ Bruce Hoffman and Jacob Ware
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality w/ Renée DiResta
...more
52min

FAQs about The Social Chemist:

How many episodes does The Social Chemist have?

The podcast currently has 74 episodes available.

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