Brief: Ground Zero Grifting

If something real occurs in this timeline, but no conspiracy theorist is there to FUBAR it, does it actually happen? An old man, weakened by COVID, picks up an old-timey phone handset on a Delaware Saturday to tell a childless cat lady that the reins of destiny are now in her hands. A staffer clicks “post” at 1:46pm, and X lights up with something real… that throws an instant shadow of insanity. Biden is too sick to have posted, they say. He’s dead, they say. He has staged or suffered a coup. And Kamala Harris? A DEI bimbo flashing esoteric Marxist hand signals. The DNC is fraudulently transferring the campaign war chest. They couldn’t kill Trump so now they’re playing dirty with the nomination. Biden’s brother is stepping in, Biden’s body double is 8 inches too tall. Dudes who made too much “Let’s Go Brandon” merch are launching lawsuits and crying in their beer. We run down the most cursed Kamala conspiracy theories, how they distort the real questions about her, how being a childless cat lady is her superpower, and whether the ghouls that dream them up really matter. Show Notes Vivian Wilson on Threads: There’s a lot of stuff I need to debunk Elon Musk's transgender daughter, in first interview, says he berated her for being queer as a child J.D. Vance’s Hatred of Cat Ladies Is Weirder and More Dangerous Than You Think J.D. Vance Really Is the Key to Understanding the American Right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Aug 20241h 14min

This is the second episode in “Conspirituality and the Imaginary Children,” an occasional series on how children, as symbols (but not persons with their own internal lives) are at the center of conspirituality anxiety and discourse.  The title is taken from a pamphlet published by Ralph Drollinger, a former professional basketball player from San Diego who founded a 501c3 called Capitol Ministries in 1996 to facilitate prayer meetings and study guides for congresspeople in Washington, and state legislators in more than 40 states.  Drollinger’s crowning achievement was to initiate a weekly Bible study group in the White House during the Trump administration. The 60-90 minutes were regularly attended by ten Trump cabinet members.  Like many evangelicals, Drollinger argues that spanking children is mandated by the Bible But he also goes a Trumpian extra mile—explicitly connecting the virtue of child assault in the home to the state’s monopoly on violence. Matthew walks through what this looks like and how Drollinger justifies it through narrow and dishonest readings of scripture. Show Notes God's Word on Spanking [text]  God’s Word on Spanking [youtube]  194: The Power Worshippers (w/Katherine Stewart) — Conspirituality  How the Trump Cabinet’s Bible Teacher Became a Shadow Diplomat - The New York Times  White House Bible Study Led by Pastor Who Is Anti-Gay, Anti-Women and Anti-Catholic - Newsweek  Is God Judging America Today? by Ralph Drollinger  Ralph Drollinger | GLAAD  Exclusive Interview with Ralph Drollinger: Meet the preacher who teaches the Bible to the US Cabinet - WELT  Capitol Ministries 2023 revenue  Jordan B. Peterson’s Support of Corporal Punishment for Children: A Critique - Mad In America  Shepherding a Child's Heart — Tripp  Shepherding a Child's Heart (a short critique) — DonOwsley.com  Ministry Versus Political Activism by Ralph Drollinger  Text of the Spencer Spanking Plan  Misused Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9.  HEBREW WORD STUDY – Deceitful and Wicked אנשׁ עכב | Chaim Bentorah Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Juli 20244min

A tale of two tweets: Dark Horse podcast cohost and “conspiracy hypothesizer” Bret Weinstein took to Twitter twice this month, first dropping a video claiming that RFK Jr becoming Donald Trump’s running mate would make them “assassination proof,” then later floating the idea that an AI Joe Biden really phoned into Kamala Harris’s first conference as the presumptive presidential nominee. Or…is Biden even alive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Juli 202427min

Just two days after surviving an assassination attempt, Donald Trump announced JD Vance as his VP pick. Vance has made a dramatic U-turn from calling Trump a "reprehensible idiot" and "America's Hitler" in 2016. But who is this 39 year old, really—who after less than two years of on-the-job experience, is now almost a heartbeat away from leading the free world? Well, not unlike other right-wing populists in Europe and at home, Vance has an idiosyncratic political affinity for JRR Tolkien. We might even call him America’s conspiracy hobbit at this point, fresh from the Appalachian Shire but inexorably drawn by the burning crypto rings of Silicon Valley to eventually land at the feet of Sauron to meet his fate.  But to answer this question and examine where JD Vance fits into the conspirituality landscape, we’ll be breaking down a speech recently released by ProPublica. It’s from an intimate invitation-only conservative event hosted in 2021 by a group called the Teneo Network. Behind closed doors, Vance encouraged his audience to get away from that weird feeling in their chests when listening to the unique truths of conspiracy theorists. Like, Alex Jones sees the world more clearly than MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. The right also apparently needs more oligarchs. Oh, and the literal Devil is at work in the world around us. Show Notes J.D. Vance Speaks at a Private Teneo Network Event, Sept. 2021 Inside the “Private and Confidential” Conservative Group That Promises to “Crush Liberal Dominance” How Lord of the Rings Shaped JD Vance’s Politics The Influences on JD Vance’s Political Philosophy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Juli 20241h 10min

Project 2025's plan for workers is clear: crush unions, eliminate minority protections, curtail reproductive health care benefits, and make the workplace biblical again. Derek and Julian unpack the details of another insane chapter from Project 2025's 920-page manifesto that describes their vision for the reduced rights of the working class. According to their own statements, a Trump presidency would set these and other disastrous plans in motion from day one. Show Notes Conspirituality 187: Project 2025: An Authoritarian Conspiracy Project 2025's Disdain for Public Education The GOP Thinks Food Stamps Are the Real Problem The GOP Takeover of Media The Plan to Dismantle Health Care Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Juli 20246min

We cover conspiracy theories, spiritual abuse, and religious and right-wing extremism. We cover showmen and charismatics suffering from King Victim Complex. Last week we had to study a goddam assassination attempt.  But sometimes we get to peek into the worlds that younger people are making within our cursed digital environments, and we realize they might be laughing at some of the problems that fill us olds with despair right out of existence.  Gaming journalist and Master of Divinity Riley MacLeod joins Matthew to talk about whether the hit indie game Cult of the Lamb might be all the inoculation against cultic dynamics that generation Alpha ever needs.  Show Notes Riley MacLeod - Aftermath Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Juli 202446min

Two landmark Supreme Court decisions—the Trump immunity case and the overturning of the Chevron doctrine—represent the legal institutionalization of the core values of conspirituality: self-sovereignty, natural immunity or divine protection, and “doing your own research.”  The attempted assassination on the former president forged the essence of these two rulings into a stunning still life of Trump’s image for those who love him and those he’s appointed to serve him.  Julian and Matthew wade into the flood, and what might happen at ground zero of conspiracy theory formation—this time veering left as well as right. Show Notes Former classmate of Trump rally gunman says he was ‘bullied almost every day’  The FBI Identifies Suspected Gunman in Trump Rally Shooting: What to Know - The New York Times FBI identifies Thomas Crooks of Bethel Park as the suspect in Trump assassination attempt FBI probing motives, background of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the Western Pa. gunman behind Donald Trump assassination attempt  A shooting range, a gun store, and a ladder purchase: Tracking the Trump rally gunman's movements leading up to his attack  Trump rewrites Republican convention speech to focus on unity not Biden - Washington Examiner   Vance shooting response: https://x.com/JDVance1/status/1812280973628965109  Musk shooting response: https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1812256998588662068  Rubio shooting response: https://x.com/marcorubio/status/1812256529296613657  Boebert shooting response: https://x.com/KyleClark/status/1812316469016846373  Brief: The Theatre of Trump (w/Hank Willenbrink) — Conspirituality   23-939 Trump v. United States (07/01/2024) Clarence Thomas Raised Another Issue: Was Jack Smith Legally Appointed? - The New York Times  22-451 Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo (06/28/2024) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

18 Juli 20241h 2min

Project 2025's approach to environmental issues is pretty straightforward: deny climate science, dismantle the EPA, clear a path that prioritizes corporate profits, and let the world burn. Derek and Julian unpack the details on the chilling chapter from Project 2025's 920-page manifesto that outlines their plans for the Environmental Protection Agency. According to their own statements, a Trump presidency would set these and other disastrous plans in motion from day one. Show Notes Conspirituality 187: Project 2025: An Authoritarian Conspiracy Project 2025's Disdain for Public Education The GOP Thinks Food Stamps Are the Real Problem The GOP Takeover of Media The Plan to Dismantle Health Care Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Juli 20245min