797: Ouija Boards | Skeptical Sunday
The Jordan Harbinger Show
Jordan Harbinger
4.8 • 12.3K Ratings
🗓️ 19 February 2023
⏱️ 39 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Every year around Halloween, millions of teenagers, drunk adults, and terrified believers gather around Ouija boards to contact "The Other Side." We've all been a part of it, and we know we weren't moving that little thing, but it was definitely moving. So what’s really going on here?
Welcome to Skeptical Sunday, a special edition of The Jordan Harbinger Show where Jordan and fact-checker, comedian, and podcast host David C. Smalley break down a topic that you may have never thought about, open things up, and debunk common misconceptions.
On This Week's Skeptical Sunday, We Discuss:- How a pair of sisters playing a prank on their parents in upstate New York escalated into a spiritualism craze that took the 19th century United States — and then the world — by storm.
- The Medieval Chinese origins and evolution of what we know today as the Ouija board.
- How the spiritualism craze boosted the Ouija board's adoption into millions of households (even outselling Monopoly in 1967).
- The indelible marks the Ouija board has made on our lives — from pop culture to the law.
- The science behind what makes the Ouija board "work."
- Connect with Jordan on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. If you have something you'd like us to tackle here on Skeptical Sunday, drop Jordan a line at jordan@jordanharbinger.com and let him know!
- Connect with David at his website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, and make sure to check out The David C. Smalley Podcast here or wherever you enjoy listening to fine podcasts! If you like to get out of your house and catch live comedy, keep an eye on David's tour dates here and text David directly at (424) 306-0798 for tickets when he comes to your town!
Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/797
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Special thanks to Peloton for sponsoring this episode of the Jordan Harbinger Show. |
| 0:07.7 | Welcome to the show. I'm Jordan Harbinger, and this is Skeptical Sunday. |
| 0:11.7 | A special edition of the Jordan Harbinger Show, where fact checker and comedian David C. |
| 0:16.0 | Smolley and I, we break down a topic that you may have never thought about, |
| 0:19.0 | open things up and debunk common misconceptions. Topics such as why the Olympics are kind of a sham, |
| 0:24.4 | why expiration dates on food are nonsense, why tipping makes no sense, recycling, |
| 0:28.7 | banned foods, toothpaste, chem trails, and a whole lot more. |
| 0:31.9 | Normally on the Jordan Harbinger Show, we decode the stories, secrets, and skills of the world's |
| 0:36.0 | most fascinating people, and turn their wisdom into practical advice that you can use to impact |
| 0:40.8 | your own life and those around you. We have long form interviews and conversations with a |
| 0:44.8 | variety of amazing folks from spies to CEOs, athletes, authors, thinkers, and performers. |
| 0:50.0 | If you're new to the show, or you want to tell your friends about the show, |
| 0:52.9 | our episode starter packs are a great place to begin. These are collections of our favorite |
| 0:56.7 | episodes organized by topic that'll help new listeners get a taste of everything we do here on |
| 1:01.1 | the show. Topics like persuasion and influence China, North Korea, abnormal psychology, |
| 1:06.2 | crime and cults, and more. Just visit JordanHarbinger.com slash start or take a look in your Spotify app |
| 1:12.4 | to get started. Today on Skeptical Sunday, every year around Halloween, |
| 1:16.7 | millions of teenagers and drunk adults and terrified believers gather around Weegee |
| 1:21.2 | boards to contact the other side. Now we may have been a part of this and we weren't moving that |
| 1:25.5 | little thing of a jig, but it was definitely moving. So what is actually going on here? |
| 1:30.4 | Skeptic comedian, David C. Smolley is here to discuss it. And before we start, David, |
| 1:34.0 | I understand your daughter has found a way to contact ancient people. |
... |
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