The Paranoid Strain

I can already hear you: “It’s been two months. Where’s the new episode of our favorite anti-conspiracy theory podcast?” What? We’re not your favorite? You’ve been seeing other anti-conspiracy theory podcasts? How could you? Think of the children. Anyhoo, what we bring to you today is not a new standard-issue episode. In fact, you can think of this as episode 7.5. Mostly because that’s what we’ve called it. And to bring it to you, we’ve partnered with the Chads over at the brand new–as in, so new that it doesn’t technically have a website or any current episodes yet–podcast Stupid Land. This is the first of what will be an ongoing series. Every other month, we will post a new audio…what are we calling these things? Let’s go with “pastiche” based on the previous month’s episode topic. This one, for example, deals with False Flags and Alex Jones. Sort of. Anyway, expect short-form, absurdist... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Call it Easter, call it April Fool’s…either way, we’ve got one helluva present for you. It’s the seventh episode of the Paranoid Strain. This time, we’re dealing with the concept of False Flags. And with the world’s most (in)famous purveyor of said concept, Alex Jones. Among the many surprising things you may learn in this episode is that, in spite of the fact that Mr. Jones is one million percent full of horseshit, false flags are actually a real thing. Just not the ones he talks about. Jones isn’t our only target, though. Many folks out there make hay out of the idea that the ever-nebulous “they” are always out there, plotting violent events that will pave the way for the public to give up their freedoms, so “they” can feast on our precious bodily fluids. Or something. Anyway, enjoy. As always, if you’ve got comments, suggestions, or really any... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a plane spraying evil, toxic, murderous chemtrails! Nope. It’s the Paranoid Strain. Howdy! Having rested up after our three-part exploration of the right-wing Sovereign Citizen and Posse Comitatus movements, we’re ready to move onto attacking a conspiracy that is far more popular with the other side of the aisle. If you’ve ever wondered why some folks seem to believe those vapor trails that planes emit are a threat to our very way of life, we’ve got the answers. And no, none of them are “they’re RIGHT!” Oh, and the “HAARP” acronym in the title refers to the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program, an ionospheric research station in Alaska. Why are we talking about that? If you guessed that some misguided conspiracists have decided it is also a threat to our very way of life, give yourself a... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey there, strangers. We’re publishing our fifth episode. And on time, no less. This is our fifth episode, and the third of our series on the history of right wing, racist movements, and their evolution into the Sovereign Citizens. But most importantly, this is the episode where we explain why Wesley Snipes went to jail. That may seem like a weird point to harp on, but that’s actually the conundrum that we sought to explain when we originally conceived of this podcast, lo these many years ago. Honest to god, we love this episode. It’s got a bunch of great Youtube videos where Sovereigns act crazy, including the all-time grand champeen of Sovereign insanity. It’s got an interview with the guy who traced the spread of Sovereign ideas from white racists to black federal court defendants. And an actual, honest-to-god letter from a real reader who isn’t our daughter! We... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey there, loyal listener. First, we’d like to apologize. This show is coming to you several weeks after we had originally intended. We plan to make it up with you in two different ways. First, we’ve set up a public Google Calendar. We invite you to use it to stay up to date on our unfortunately still sporadic publication schedule. Second, the reason that we are late is that we spent a large chunk of our summer traveling across the United States visiting every conspiracy-related location we could find. We can’t wait to share all of the interviews and other audio we recorded, and we’ll start doing so very soon. Anyhoo, since we’re all back together now, I’m so very pleased to introduce our fourth episode, and the second in our three-part series on the history of U.S. right-wing extremism over the past seventy years or so. In this episode,... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the inevitable third episode of The Paranoid Strain. “Well. Took you long enough.” That’s what I hear you thinking. Yes, it’s been a couple of months since our last episode. And for the moment, that’s about the pace you should expect. Each of these shows represents a huge amount of research and production time, and we have a day job, and a kid, and other distractions. Eventually, we hope to come to you on a more frequent basis, but until then, let’s just enjoy our time together. This episode has a special place in our hearts. It’s the first of three parts on the conspiracy-minded, frequently violent, deeply paranoid right-wing extremist movement, which has been known as the “militia”, “freeman on the land”, and currently the “sovereign citizen” ideology, but which started out back in the 1950s with one angry, anti-semitic, delusional man named Bill, who wanted to... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion: Interview with Professor John Efron Hello and welcome to the second episode of The Paranoid Strain, your skeptical guide to conspiracy theories. “Wait,” you may be thinking. “Did you guys release two episodes at once?” Yep. We sure did. Going forward, we’ll be putting out single episodes, one every other month. But since the first episode is basically an introduction to the topic, we decided to put out a more representative single-topic show as well. Enjoy. This episode, we’re covering the history and impact of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious anti-semitic lie that was conclusively debunked nearly a century ago, and yet is still widely believed and hugely influential today. We’ll lead you through the history of this screed, some of the many monsters it influenced, and how it has ruined people’s lives around the world. We’ve got an... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An Introduction: Interviewee–Lane Greene Hello and welcome to the inaugural episode of The Paranoid Strain, your skeptical guide to conspiracy theories. For our first foray, we’re going to try to stake out the ground that this series will cover. What do we mean by conspiracy theories? What are the historical precedents for modern day conspiracies? What sorts of ideas and attitudes might people who believe in this sort of thinking share? Is America uniquely prone to conspiracist thinking? We’ll provide our answers to all of the above. And make jokes. Thanks for listening. Subscribe to the show at iTunes, on Pocketcasts, on Stitcher, or any of your other favorite platforms. And if you’re an iTunes user, please do rate and review us. It’s super-helpful, and we’ll love you forever. If you’ve got comments, suggestions, or really any feedback, please contact us by email at theparanoidstrain at gmail dot com, on... (read more at TheParanoidStrain.com) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.