217: Childless Cat Lady

From Ron DeSantis's anti-woke presidential campaign to Bari Weiss's FAIR war on woke, the concept of "wokeness" has become an ideal devil in right-wing and right-leaning politics—even if (or especially because) no one can really define it. But as Derek discusses, a recent deep dive into FAIR shows, anti-woke crusaders are suffering from internal conflicts and coming up with troubling non-solutions, while monetizing their platforms along the way. Show Notes Is it possible to be both moderate and anti-woke? Morning Joe: June 5, 2023 Daily Wire host defends book bans Journalist or Heretic? | Bari Weiss | EP 175 Plandemic 3 Red Carpet moment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Juni 20236min

How can we protect ourselves and our children from online hate and misinformation? Julian interviews Imran Ahmed about the latest work the Center for Countering Digital Hate has done on TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook ads for state-sponsored antisemitic propaganda from Iran. Show Notes Parents Guide to TikTok Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Juni 202339min

How did “following the science” get so confusing during the pandemic? As the publication of our book draws closer, Derek shares his best practices for science literacy, and examples of where grifters and conspiracists maximized confusion to exploit wellness consumers. This is the first in a three-part series on what we’ve learned though writing our book and working on the podcast. Each episode is piloted by one host with commentary by the other two. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Juni 20231h 25min

After reviewing how Mother Marianne and Bobby Kennedy Jr are set to disrupt the race in Part 1, we turn now to  Mr. “Coronavirus is a Coronation for all,” Charles Eisenstein, has just disclosed that he’s working on Bobby’s campaign as Director of Messaging. Holy shit. It’s like our book is so accurate that Steve Bannon fed a digital ARC into a LLM to spit out AIs of all the characters in it so he could play them like chess pieces across the 2024 electoral map. Matthew and Julian take stock of this new stage: the routinization and institutionalization of conspirituality. Show Notes A Major Life Change - Charles Eisenstein  https://twitter.com/jack/status/1247343782279839744 Charles Eisenstein | Zika and the Mentality of Control Keys to the Navajo Nation’s COVID-19 Vaccination Success | Johns Hopkins | Bloomberg School of Public Health The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible  w/Sayer Ji Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Juni 202312min

On Monday, May 29, Danielle Smith, the leader of the UCP of Alberta, seized the reigns of majority government power with the help of a right-wing antivax group called Take Back Alberta.  Jeremy Appel, founder of The Orchard, joins Matthew for a masterclass on how things got so bad in Alberta, and how conspirituality played a key role. Show Notes The Orchard — Jeremy Appel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Juni 20231h 8min

Medical Medium, aka Anthony William, gained many of his 4.4M IG followers thanks to his declaration that celery juice can heal you from many ailments that science hasn’t figured out. William proudly displays his numerous celebrity endorsements and hundreds of anecdotal healing stories on his library-esque website. Yet when one reporter—Vanity Fair’s Dan Adler—had the audacity to report on one now-deceased confidante of William, the self-proclaimed medium went on the defense, releasing a four-part podcast series and posting on social media in a frenzy about how there’s a plot to “take down Medical Medium.” Yes, William speaks of himself often in the third person, and wears his lack of any medical training whatsoever as a badge of honor. Today, we look at some of the most outrageous claims that he’s made and discuss the rhetorical techniques that have made him an alt-health celebrity. We’re also joined by Dan Adler to discuss his in-depth reporting on the man who claims angels give him medical advice decades ahead of modern science—and somehow gets away with it. Show Notes The Medical Medium and the True Believer Medical Medium Survivors Medical Medium: Miracle Healer or Quack? (The Celery Juice Guy) Why Is Everyone Drinking Celery Juice as if It Will Save Them From Dying? The Truth About The Celery Juice Craze Everyone Is Drinking Celery Juice — But Is It Healthy? We Dive Into The Science Behind The Trend Alex Ebert on Conspirituality Matthew’s reply to Alex Alex’s follow-up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Juni 20231h 37min

Marianne Williamson—New Age matriarch and popularizer of A Course in Miracles—is polling at 9%. Muscular Catholic antivax entrepreneur Bobby Kennedy Jr is polling at 20% or more: Rasmussen has him in a dead heat with Biden.  And Mr. “Coronavirus is a Coronation for all,” Charles Eisenstein, has just disclosed that he’s working on Bobby’s campaign as Director of Messaging. Holy shit. It’s like our book is so accurate that Steve Bannon fed a digital ARC into a LLM to spit out AIs of all the characters in it so he could play them like chess pieces across the 2024 electoral map. Matthew and Julian take stock of this new stage: the routinization and institutionalization of conspirituality. Show notes available on Patreon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Maj 202312min

Another Kennedy is running for President. But discussion of his anti-vaccine activism often overlooks how it affects people with autism. Julian talks to Eric Michael Garcia, political correspondent for The Independent, and author of We're Not Broken: Changing The Autism Conversation, about the human cost. Show Notes We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation — Eric Garcia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Maj 202334min