Conspiracy Theories

On this month’s subscriber-only podcast I break down a 2016 interview with British political satirist Armando Iannucci by Chatham House,...

UFOs.  Probable extraterrestrials.  Investigation and revelation.  Nazi scientists.  A military cover-up.  With all these elements in place the History Channel’s...

Here are three important lessons for the progressive left to consider now that it is clear the inquiry by special counsel Robert Mueller into Russiagate is never going to uncover collusion between Donald Trump’s camp and the Kremlin in the 2016 presidential election.
Painting the pig’s face

The 2008 Wall Street crash has inspired little more than a staccato response from Hollywood, with very few films taking...

Our research has shown for the first time the role that conspiracy theories can play in determining an individual’s attitude to everyday crime.  It demonstrates that people subscribing to the view that others have conspired might be more inclined toward unethical actions.
— Professor Karen Douglas, University of Kent press release for the research, entitled “Belief in Conspiracy Theories and Intentions to Engage in Everyday Crime,” in the British Journal of Social Psychology

Michael Swanson joined me to discuss the death of cult leader Lyndon LaRouche. We talked about the history of the LaRouche movement and it’s impact on the conspiracy culture. We also touched on LaRouche’s connections with the government and his strange political ideology. Later Michael talked about the decline of the political cult in the age of Qanon.

The British government’s role in using the entertainment industry is smaller than in America, but nonetheless involves many of the...

The 1996 action thriller Executive Decision was an early example of what should be called ‘irregular war films’, pitting a...

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
Don McLean, “American Pie”, 1971

A story doing the rounds claims that the Trump administration is taking advantage of the government shut-down to change the...