#1223 How and why conspiracy theories infiltrate our politics
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 30 October 2018
⏱️ 81 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date: 10/30/2018
Today we take a look at the phenomenon of conspiracy theories from several different angles including psychology, political necessity and some of the conspiracies de jour.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Stephan Lewandowsky on the mind of a conspiracy theorist - Point of Inquiry - Air Date 6-3-13
Stephan Lewandowsky talks about his recent study: NASA Faked the Moon Landings, Therefore (Climate) Science is a Hoax: An Anatomy of the Motivated Rejection of Science.
Neurologist and host of The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe Steven Novella discusses the psychology and neuroscience behind conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists.
Ch. 3: Eric Oliver on how intuition and reason divide our politics - Inquiring Minds - Air Date 8-27-18
We talk to political scientist Eric Oliver about the surprisingly high percentage of people who believe in conspiracy theories and the reasons behind those beliefs. His forthcoming book is Enchanted America: How Intuition and Reason Divide Our Politics.
Take action! Click the title and/or scroll down for quick links and resources from this segment.
Scott Crow explains why the rise of progressive-left movements are always countered by a rise in right-wing conspiracy theories and why fascism downright requires conspiracies to survive.
Ch. 6: Kevin Roose on the Strange Case of QAnon - The Daily - Air Date 8-2-18
How did an outlandish conspiracy theory born on the fringes of the internet end up in the spotlight at a rally for President Trump? Guest: Kevin Roose, who writes about technology for The New York Times.
VOICEMAILS
Ch. 7: Sticking with the litmus test - Elizabeth from Virginia
Ch. 8: Success story for political change - Jordan from Minneapolis, MN
Ch. 9: Final comments on strategy and theories of change
THE MIDTERMS MINUTE
4 THINGS YOU CAN DO BEFORE NOV. 6TH
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Talk, invite them to volunteer with you, etc.
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TOSS UP GUBERNATORIAL RACES!
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Oregon (D incumbent)
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Wisconsin (R incumbent)
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Written & Researched by BOTL Communications Director Amanda Hoffman
MUSIC:
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Tranceless - Caruthersville (Blue Dot Sessions)
- Vernouillet - The Sweet Hots (Blue Dot Sessions)
- Our Fingers Cold - K2 (Blue Dot Sessions)
- UpUpUp and Over - The Balloonist (Blue Dot Sessions)
- Gullwing Sailor - Migration (Blue Dot Sessions)
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This program is made possible by members and donors, so a huge thanks to everyone who |
| 0:07.2 | contributes on Patreon to support the show. |
| 0:09.8 | Now, welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of the Left podcast, in which we shall |
| 0:13.8 | learn about the phenomenon of conspiracy theories from the psychology behind them, their relationship |
| 0:19.5 | to politics, and a look at some of the current conspiracies we're dealing with. |
| 0:23.5 | Clips today come from a point of inquiry. |
| 0:25.8 | Who are not so smart, inquiring minds, revolutionary left radio, and the daily? |
| 0:37.3 | What's the purpose of a conspiracy theory? |
| 0:40.2 | Why isn't that people hold on to conspiracy theories? |
| 0:43.8 | And that's an interesting question, and I think what is happening there is that people |
| 0:48.8 | are in, you know, they have a need to explain bad things. |
| 0:56.6 | Let's look at something tragic like the Boston bombing or the 9-11 terrorist attacks. |
| 1:03.3 | I mean, those are horrible, horrifying events. |
| 1:06.5 | And in a sense, they were completely random. |
| 1:08.5 | They were unexpected. |
| 1:09.7 | They came out of nowhere, and that's what makes them incredibly frightening, because the |
| 1:15.5 | fact that they are unpredictable, random, and boom, all of a sudden they're there, |
| 1:21.1 | that's scary, isn't it? |
| 1:23.1 | It's really scary. |
| 1:24.5 | So how do you deal with that? |
| 1:26.2 | Well, one way in which people can deal with scary events is to create an explanation |
| 1:33.9 | that puts some sense into this event. |
... |
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