The Social Chemist

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On today's episode, I am joined by conspiracy theory researcher and QAnon expert, Mike Rothschild. We explore the origins of QAnon, whether mental health practitioners have a role in addressing far-right conspiracy theories and assess the conspiratorial framework of the Q movement based on his 2021 book "The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything." We conclude our discussion by speaking about his third book, which will be released on September 19th, titled “Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories”. A book that explores how one Jewish family --the Rothschilds--became a lightning rod for conspiracy theories in the last two centuries.

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Mike Rothchild Website/Twitter

•  Select Media Appearances, 2020-2023 – Mike Rothschild (themikerothschild.com) 
•  Mike Rothschild (no relation) (@rothschildmd) / X (twitter.com) 

Mike Rothchild Books 

•  Amazon.com: The World's Worst Conspiracies: 9781789509328: Rothschild, Mike: Books 
•  Amazon.com: The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything: 9781612199290: Rothschild, Mike: Books 
•  Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories: Rothschild, Mike: 9781685890643: Amazon.com: Books 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  QAnon: A Psychiatric Assessment of a Delusion Like Belief w/ Dr. Brian Holoyda (buzzsprout.com) 
• How the Far-Right hijacked the Wellness Movement w/ Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker (buzzsprout.com)
• The Conspiratorial State Of The Republican Party w/ Sam Faldraga (buzzsprout.com)
•  Antisemitism: The Conspiracy Theory of the Enemy Above (buzzsprout.com) 

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On today's episode, I am joined by Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker, a Senior Lecturer in Sociology from the University of London. We explore the origins of the Wellness Movement in the U.S. and the people who helped develop its foundations. Then explore whether inaccessibility to healthcare puts more people at risk of medical misinformation or whether other factors are at play. Lastly, we look into the types of influencers that have profited off the spread of misinformation and offer some suggestions to differentiate between reliable information and misinformation, at a time when institutional trust is at an all-time low. 

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Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker Twitter

•  Dr Stephanie Alice Baker (@DrSABaker) / X (twitter.com) 

Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker book 

•  Wellness Culture: How the Wellness Movement has been used to Empower, Profit and Misinform (SocietyNow): Alice Baker, Stephanie: 9781802624687: Amazon.com: Books 

Dr. Stephanie Alice Baker Google Scholar

•  ‪Stephanie Alice Baker‬ - ‪Google Scholar‬ 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Social Work's Relationship with Pseudoscience Practices w/ Bruce Thyer (buzzsprout.com) 

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On today's episode, I am joined by board-certified forensic psychiatrist Dr. Brian Holoyda, whose work involves paraphilic disorders and cult-like behaviors. In our conversation we discuss the concepts of Delusion Like Beliefs (DLBs) and whether QAnon fits the criteria of being a cult movement. We also cover the diagnostic and ethical dilemmas in pathologizing conspiracy theories as an addiction disorder.

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Dr. Brian Holoyda Literature Review

• QAnon: A Modern Conspiracy Theory and the Assessment of Its Believers | Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (jaapl.org)

Dr. Brian Holoyda website

• Brian Holoyda, MD, MPH, MBA | Forensic Psychiatry

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• What Is A Conspiracy Theorist? w/ Aoife Gallagher (buzzsprout.com)
• Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com)

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On today's episode, renowned behavioral scientist Dr. Rakoen Maertens from Cambridge University joins me to discuss the development of the Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST) and the importance of creating metric tools that have high validity in measuring false narratives. We cover what the mainstream media needs to do to regain the trust of a society that has expressed skepticism about their reporting. I also attempt to pitch a game show about misinformation with Dr. Maertens to sell to Netflix. 

Misinformation Susceptibility Test
https://yourmist.streamlit.app/

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Dr. Rakoen Maertens Social Media/Literature Reviews

• Rakoen Maertens | Twitter
• Rakoen Maertens | Instagram
• The Misinformation Susceptibility Test (MIST): A psychometrically validated measure of news veracity discernment

Online References

• How well can Americans distinguish real news headlines from fake ones?
• Americans' Trust In Media Remains Near Record Low

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• Interventions for Conspiratorial Thinking and their Limitations w/ Cian O'Mahony
• Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow

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On today's episode, Cian O'Mahony, a Ph.D. candidate at the University College Cork, joins me to talk about the most effective interventions in reducing conspiratorial inclinations and how video games can help us develop the cognitive tools to prevent becoming victims of false narratives. We end our discussion by talking about Jeffrey Epstein and whether or not he truly did kill himself. 

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Cian O'Mahony Research Article

• The efficacy of interventions in reducing beliefs in conspiracy theories: A systematic review

Cian O'Mahony Blogs and Social Media

• Cian O'Mahony
• Cian O'Mahony | Twitter 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Mindset Behind Sandy Hook Elementary School (buzzsprout.com) 

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On today's episode, Daniel Berman, a postdoctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Historian of Education & Curriculum, joins me to discuss his research on 9/11 conspiracy theories and how they have influenced classroom discussions.  We tell our memories of September 11 and briefly talk about conspiracy theories about Pearl Harbor. Throughout the podcast, we attempt to find solutions to the complex issue of conspiratorial ideations and assess some of their limitations.

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Daniel Berman Research Article/Resources

•  “It’s a Growing and Serious Problem:” Teaching 9/11 to Combat Misinformation and Conspiracy Theories: The Social Studies: Vol 112, No 6 (tandfonline.com) 
•  Teaching 9/11 and the War on Terror Beyond the Twentieth Anniversary – A Resource Guide for Teachers and Educators – UW–Madison (wisc.edu) 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Librarians vs Conspiracy Theories: The Battle for Knowledge, Truth, and Ethics w/ Bradley Wiles (buzzsprout.com) 
•  Do Liberal Conspiracy Theories Exist in Contemporary Politics? w/ Ph.D. Benjamin Dow (buzzsprout.com) 
•  9/11 Conspiracy Theories: Flight 93 - The Day the Sky Attacked (buzzsprout.com) 

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As the negative impact of COVID-19 dies down, many influencers in the conspiracy theory community are searching for the next existential threat to boost their popularity and financial gains. Recently, the trans community has become the new outgroup to attack with conspiracy theories. The trend was further exacerbated when on March 27, 2023, 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who identified as trans, entered Covenant Presbyterian Church, a private Christian school, and murdered three 9-year-old children and three adults before being shot down by two police officers. In the aftermath of this event, the conspiracy theories about the transgender invasion evolved from the LGBTIA+ recruitment agenda to the transgender insurrection. In this episode, we take a road trip to Tucker Carlson's Tonight and assess what makes a conspiracy theory a conspiracy theory and how far-right conspiracy theorists developed their conspiracy narrative against the transgender community.

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References

•  Tucker Carlson: Transgenderism is America's fastest-growing religion - YouTube 
•  Transgender Pastor compares the Nashville shooter to Jesus - YouTube 
•  Ontario NDP calls for public safety zones for drag performances, LGBTQ+ community - YouTube 

News Articles

•  Tennessee Republicans call for release of Audrey Hale's manifesto (nypost.com) 

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

•  Dr. Jordan Peterson & The Moral Panic of Transgenderism (buzzsprout.com) 
•  The HIV/AIDs Denialism Movement & the Implications on the LGBTQ+ (buzzsprout.com) 
•  The Gay Agenda & Pedophilia Scare Conspiracy Theory (buzzsprout.com) 

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Today's episode covers the breaking news about Tucker Carlson's departure from FOX News. What events triggered Tucker's termination from FOX, and where does the most popular political pundit head next? Will Tucker Carlson join Newsmaxx, become the next Rush Limbaugh or become exclusive to the Daily Wire?

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References

• Tucker Carlson ousted at Fox News amid lawsuit alleging sexism : NPR
• Fox News Parts Ways With Tucker Carlson Days After Dominion Settlement - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Fox News Lost the Lawsuit but Won the War - The Atlantic

Cenk Uygur Prediction 

• Why Did Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon Get Fired? - YouTube

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On today's episode, Bruce Thyer, a Distinguished Research Professor from Florida State University, joins the podcast to discuss the negative implications of pseudoscientific theories within MSW programs and practices. In this episode Bruce Thyer explains pseudoscience and the history behind such concepts. We discussed the obstacles in addressing pseudoscientific beliefs regarding biopsychosocial assessments and their emphasis on cultural sensitivity. Lastly, Bruce Thyer offers suggestions on how to challenge pseudoscientific claims being promoted by academic authorities.

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Bruce Thyer
Bruce Thyer | College of Social Work (fsu.edu) 

References

•  The Problem of Pseudoscience in Social Work Continuing Education: Journal of Social Work Education: Vol 52, No 2 (tandfonline.com) 
•  Pseudoscience - Wikipedia 

Bruce Thyer Book

•  Amazon.com: Science and Pseudoscience in Social Work Practice: 0000826177689: Thyer PhD LCSW BCBA-D, Bruce A., Pignotti PhD LMSW, Monica G.: Books 

The Social Chemist Citation

•  Perez, N. (Host). (2023, April 14). Social Work's Relation with Pseudoscientific Practices. [Audio podcast episode]. In The Social Chemist.  URL 

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In this episode, Stephan McCabe, a postdoctoral associate from George Washington University, joins me to discuss his research on misinformation campaigns regarding U.S. elections and their implication to voting behaviors. We also dive into what factors contribute to succumbing to disinformation and whether left-wing conspiracy theories from the early 2000s can still be considered left-wing.

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Stefan McCabe
Stefan McCabe (@mccabe_s) / Twitter 

References

•  Online engagement with 2020 election misinformation and turnout in the 2021 Georgia runoff election | PNAS 
•  Higher education responses to COVID-19 in the United States: Evidence for the impacts of university policy | PLOS Digital Health