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On today's episode, Nelson talks about his experience attending a TurningPointUSA event at Rutgers University. In this event, Nelson attempts to understand the conspiratorial mindset of Candace Owens (a right wing commentator and conspiracy theorist) by asking her opinion about the 1.6 billion dollar defamation lawsuit against FOX News by Dominion Voting System. For this episode, we try to determine whether FOX News intentionally provided false information for a political agenda and whether Candace Owens is an enabler and defender of the Big Lie conspiracy theory. 

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References

• TPUSA Presents The LIVE FREE Tour LIVE from Rutgers University with Candace Owens - YouTube

News Articles

• New Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Documents Shed Light on Debate Inside Network - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• How an election-fraud claim got on Fox News and led to a $1.6 billion lawsuit : NPR

Other Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Right Wing's Protection of Alex Jones (buzzsprout.com)
• Giorgia Meloni: The Rise of Conspiracism in Italy (buzzsprout.com)

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In recent weeks FOX News has been exposed for spreading disinformation and conspiracy theories about the 2020 Election. After text messages and emails revealed that FOX hosts like Sean Hannity, Lauren Ingraham, and Tucker Carlson disavowed these ideas yet still promoted them to their audience members, Tucker Carlson has gone on the offense to rewrite history and reignite the dangerous conspiracy theories about the Big Lie and QAnon. In today's episode, we look at the contradictions made by Tucker Carlson and some of the logical fallacies at play.

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References

• Tucker: This video tells a different story of Jan 6 - YouTube

News Articles

• Dominion lawsuit documents show Rupert Murdoch rejected election conspiracy theories | CNN Business
• New Fox-Dominion Lawsuit Documents Shed Light on Debate Inside Network - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Republican Lawmakers Split Over Carlson’s False Jan. 6 Claims - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Family of U.S. Capitol Officer Condemns New Footage: 'Frankly Sick of It' (newsweek.com)
• Fox News-Dominion: Tucker Carlson hates Trump 'passionately,' more (usatoday.com)

The Majority Report 

• Tucker’s Dishonest Jan 6 Exposé Is Worse Than Anticipated - YouTube

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On today's episode, Ph.D. candidate and librarian Bradley Wiles talks about how conspiracy theories have forced the librarian profession to rethink its code of ethics regarding political propaganda and disinformation. We also touch upon whether media information literacy effectively pulls people out of the rabbit hole.

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Bradley Wiles Scholarly Journals
Re-thinking Information Ethics: Truth, Conspiracy Theories, and Librarians in the COVID-19 Era (degruyter.com)

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One of the most prominent conspiracy theories in ancient and contemporary society is that of antisemitism (hatred of  Jews). In recent times influential political pundits such as Nick Fuentes and pop artist, Kanye West have promoted conspiracy theories targeting the Jewish community. Such rhetoric brings much concern among historians and researchers of conspiracy theories who warn people to stay alert to ideologies that historically led to the extermination of 6 million people. Today's episode covers the history and conspiratorial mindset of antisemitism and how affect, behavior, and cognition influence in-groups perceive out-groups.

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References

• What is antisemitism? | IHRA (holocaustremembrance.com)
• Antisemitism | Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org)
• Matthew 27 KJV - When the morning was come, all the - Bible Gateway
• Anti-Semitism | History, Facts, & Examples | Britannica
• blood libel | anti-Semitism | Britannica
• History of Jewish Money Lending (jewishhistory.org)
• Nostra Aetate | Glossary | ADL

Scholarly Journals

• The Psychology of Modern Antisemitism: Theory, Research, and Methodology (degruyter.com)
• An existential threat model of conspiracy theories. - PsycNET (apa.org)

Books

• Web of Lies: How to tell fact from fiction in an online world: Gallagher, Aoife: 9780717195121: Amazon.com: Books

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On today's episode, Dr. Benjamin Dow, an academic researcher in the field of conspiratorial ideologies and professor at Southern Methodist University (SMU), joins me to discuss conspiracy theories within politics and whether major left-wing conspiracy theories exist in the 2022 political arena.  More importantly, we examine whether conspiracy theories can lead to political extremism and encapsulated psychosis.

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Ph.D. Benjamin Dow journal articles/reports 

• How Did COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Get So Out of Control? (northwestern.edu)
• Support for leaders who use conspiratorial rhetoric: The role of personal control and political identity - ScienceDirect
• The COVID‐19 pandemic and the search for structure: Social media and conspiracy theories - PMC (nih.gov)
• Sense of control and conspiracy perceptions: Generative directions on a well-worn path - ScienceDirect
• Mitigating and managing COVID-19 conspiratorial beliefs (bmj.com)

The Social Chemist References

• Conspiracy Theories: Evolved Functions and Psychological Mechanisms (sagepub.com)

The Social Chemist Recommended Episodes

• The Harm of 5G EMF Radiation: Science or Pseudoscience? w/ Tim Sandars: Part 1 (buzzsprout.com)
• The Harm of 5G EMF Radiation: Science or Pseudoscience? w/ Tim Sandars: Part 2 (buzzsprout.com)

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On today's episode, Aoife Gallagher from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and author of Web of Lies: The Lures and Dangers of Conspiracy Theories joins me to discuss her expertise on misinformation and conspiratorial ideologies. In our discussion, we cover her background as a digital researcher, look at what constitutes a conspiracy theorist and theory, and assess whether conspiracy theory addiction should be included in the revision of the Diagnostic Statistic Manual (DSM).

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Aoife Gallagher 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ (@aoifegall) / Twitter

Web of Lies: Lure and Dangers of Conspiracy Theories
Web of Lies: The Lure and Danger of Conspiracy Theories by Aoife Gallagher | eBook | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Aoife Gallagher Research Reports

• The Genesis of a Conspiracy Theory - ISD (isdglobal.org)
• Profit and Protest: How Facebook is struggling to enforce limits on ads spreading hate, lies and scams about the Black Lives Matter protests - ISD (isdglobal.org)

Other Podcast Appearances

• WTS 277: Aoife Gallagher - What's the Story? Podcast | Podcast on Spotify
• A concrete issue, Aoife Gallagher and Ye's Abhorrent Behaviour - Catch Up with Louise McSharry | Podcast on Spotify

News Articles

• Conspiracy Theories, Such As QAnon, Appear To Gain Ground In Britain : NPR
• Web of Lies: Exploring the murky world of online extremism and misinformation | Business Post

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Right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones was obligated to pay the family members of the Sandy Hook massacre 965 million dollars after the jury ruled that Jones had abused his influence and enabled radical conspiracists to harrassed and send death threats to people like Robbie Parker, Lenny Pozner, and others. Since that ruling, many in the conspiratorial community have changed their understanding of the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory as not being a false flag operation to take away our Second Amendment (Right to Bare Arms) but the first (Freedom of Speech). In this episode, we listen to Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk and assess his take on the ruling against Alex Jones and explore why the Sandy Hook conspiracy theory backfired on Jones.

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References

• Alex Jones Fined 1 Billion Dollars?? With Jack Posobiec - The Charlie Kirk Show | Podcast on Spotify

News Reports

• Alex Jones ordered to pay $965 million for Sandy Hook lies | AP News
• Sandy Hook Shooting: Lucy Richards Gets Prison for Threats | Time
• A Notorious Sandy Hook Tormentor Is Arrested in Florida - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
• Sandy Hook Father Awarded $450,000 In Conspiracy Theorist Suit – Rolling Stone
• Zuckerberg clarifies: ‘I personally find Holocaust denial deeply offensive, and I absolutely didn’t intend to defend the intent of people who deny that.’ - Vox
• Opinion | Alex Jones Picked On the Wrong People - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Book Recommendation

• Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth: Williamson, Elizabeth: 9781524746575: Amazon.com: Books

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Mindset Behind Sandy Hook Elementary School (buzzsprout.com)
• The Transactional Relationship Between Conspiracy Theory Producer & Consumer (buzzsprout.com)

Meg Scene

• The Meg (2018) - I'm Going to Make It Bleed Scene (10/10) | Movieclips - YouTube

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Fascism is often used by the political left to refer to the political right and vice versa. But what is fascism? What are its characteristics? In this episode, we look at what makes a political ideology fascist and understand the challenges in defining such a term. We address this issue as Italy elects its first female Prime Minister, Giorgina Meloni. A politician regarded as far-right by many in the mainstream media and an individual whose upbringing was influenced by former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. As we assess her ideology, we will look for the conspiratorial antagonist reference in her speeches and determine whether conspiracy theories are on the rise in Italy's mainstream politics.

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References

• fascism | Definition, Meaning, Characteristics, Examples, & History | Britannica
• Benito Mussolini | Biography, Definition, Facts, Rise, & Death | Britannica
• Scepticism over Giorgia Meloni's claim' fascism is history' in Italian far right | Italy | The Guardian
• That Giorgia Meloni speech captivating the U.S. right doesn't make sense - The Washington Post
• The Return of Fascism in Italy - The Atlantic
• Project MUSE - How Autocrats Weaponize Women's Rights (jhu.edu)

YouTube videos

• Fascism Explained - YouTube

Podcasts

• The Ben Shapiro Show: The International Anti-Woke Backlash Has Begun on Apple Podcasts
• Conspirituality: 122: Timeline Retox: Biohacking and Fascism and Stuff on Apple Podcasts

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• The Gay Agenda & Pedophilia Scare Conspiracy Theory (buzzsprout.com)
• The Great Replacement Conspiracy Theory & The Reaction from the Republican Establishment (buzzsprout.com)
• The Transactional Relationship Between Conspiracy Theory Producer & Consumer (buzzsprout.com)
• Roe v. Wade: The Moral Argument of Abortion (buzzsprout.com)

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In the arena of political discourse, many can regard political commentator Bill Maher as an influential figure in mainstream television. Known for combining politics and comedy, Bill Maher has never shied away from controversy. However, in recent years, many on the political left have noticed a swift change in his rhetoric. Now filled with misinformation about medical science, a recurrent theme that has become more apparent since COVID-19 policies were implemented in the U.S. In today's episode, we assess the logical fallacies in Bill Maher's assessment of vaccines, anti-depressants, and medical science in his podcast Club Random with Bill Maher ft Aaron Rodgers.

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References

• Aaron Rodgers | Club Random with Bill Maher - Club Random with Bill Maher | Podcast on Spotify
• The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence | Molecular Psychiatry (nature.com)
• The Serotonin Fixation: Much Ado About Nothing New (psychiatrictimes.com)
• Psychosurgery for schizophrenia: history and perspectives - PMC (nih.gov)
• Merck ordered to pay $321 million in criminal Vioxx probe | Reuters
• U.S. Pharmaceutical Company Merck Sharp & Dohme Sentenced in Connection with Unlawful Promotion of Vioxx | OPA | Department of Justice

Recommended Social Chemist Episodes

• The Conspiratorial Mindset of Dr. Peter McCullough (buzzsprout.com)
• The Transactional Relationship Between Conspiracy Theory Producer & Consumer (buzzsprout.com)

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Are we alone? It is one of humanity's greatest mysteries and one that carries our imagination into the cosmos. But what if I told you that in 1994, in a remote African community, a group of children found the answer to this question? Would you believe me? In today’s episode,, we look into one of the most famous incidences of UFO interactions and ask, did this happen, or have followers of this tale fallen for their own biases? 

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References

• Ariel School UFO incident - Wikipedia
• The 1994 Ruwa Zimbabwe Alien Encounter (skeptoid.com)
• The Story of Children in Zimbabwe Encountering a UFO - YouTube
• UFO Encounter at Ariel School in Ruwa, Zimbabwe 1994 Dr. John E. Mack - YouTube