Can you change the mind of a conspiracy theorist? 👁️🛸🌐
Hey everyone, it’s your favorite of the three hosts, Manny.
First of all, we have some fun callouts for future episodes.
For a future mailbag episode, the boys are doling out advice. Got friendship drama? Relationship issues? Annoying coworker? Call us at (860) 325-0286 and leave an anonymous voicemail asking for advice! If you’re voice-shy, you can also email us at mannynoahdevan@gmail.com. Tell us whatever context is helpful, and we’ll answer your question on the pod. If you’d like us to change the sound of your voice, please say so!
We’re looking to talk to people who are at least seven feet tall. If you’re a 7-footer, or know someone who is, please shoot us an email!
Now, for today’s episode.
Recently, I was back home in Columbus, Ohio, and met up with some friends at a dive in the city’s famous Short North district. A couple drinks in, one of the friends in the group began firing off some QAnon-esque, dark web conspiracy babble that completely threw me off.
I was conflicted, because, as we discuss in today’s episode, there are actually some trivial, harmless conspiracy theories that are kind of fun to engage with. For one, I’m amused by the theory that the moon landing was real, but the footage was faked and rushed out to drum up nationalism during the space race. And, I actually believe that there must have been a second shooter during the JFK assassination based on the implied trajectory of the “magic bullet.”
But other theories are genuinely dark and often harmful. Like that random friend in the bar, I wondered what it would take to change the mind of someone who went deep down the rabbit hole.
Luckily, another friend of mine, journalist and producer Zach Mack, has already ventured to do just that. His incredible three-part show, Alternate Realities, finds him trying to convince his father to stop believing in the conspiracy theories that are tearing his family apart. Today, Zach debriefs us on his mission.
(Apple, Spotify, YouTube, & Others)
Here’s part one of Zack’s great series, Alternate Realities:
You can listen to all three parts here.
And here’s the study mentioned on the viability of conspiracy theories.
Have any (fun) conspiracy theories to share? Drop a comment below!
And as always, please give us 5 stars wherever you listen to us, share with a friend, and keep emailing us questions you’d like to hear answered for the show. If we can’t do a whole episode on it, we’ll try to include your question in a mailbag!
Talk soon.