Truthers

Wake up, sheeple!

Further Studies

The Psychology of Storytelling

The animation that was used in the Heider and Simmel study Heider, F., & Simmel, M. (1944) An experimental study in apparent behavior. The American Journal o...

Topics

McCarthyism

“What is McCarthyism? And how did it happen?” by Ellen Schrecker, TED-Ed, 14 March, 2017

Logical Fallacies

Here is a link to the below list of logical fallacies you can use when analysing the rhetoric of conspiracy theorists

(from informationisbeautiful.net.)

Pattern seeking

“We are pattern seeking mammals. It’s part of our evolution. We look for patterns. We’re designed to look for them. And if we can’t find a good explanation, we’ll come up with a bad one rather than none at all. Most people would rather have a conspiracy theory than no theory. ”

— Christopher Hitchens

Topics

Flat Earth

• “FLAT EARTH Clues Introduction” by Mark Sargent on the Flat Earth Clues YouTube channel, 10 February, 2015
  
  

Satanic Panic

• “The history of Satanic Panic in the US — and why it's not over yet” by Aja Romano, VOX: 30 Oct. 2016

• “MotherJones JF93: Doors of Memory” by Ethan Watters, Mother Jones: Jan/Feb. issue 1993

QAnon

• “A Game Designer’s Analysis Of QAnon” by Reed Berkowitz, curiouserinstitute: 30 September 2020

YouTuber Folding Ideas explores flat earther conspiracies, but (spoiler alerts) segues into an analysis of QAnon.

Texts

Books

• Suspicious Minds – Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories by Rob Brotherton, Bloomsbury Sigma: 2015

• Escaping the Rabbit Hole by Mick West, Skyhorse Publishing: 2018

• The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson, Picador: 2005 (2004)

• Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson, Picador: 2001

• Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer, Henry Holt and Company: 1997

Speeches

• Eisenhower’s Farewell Radio and Television Address to the American People, January 17th, 1961

Articles

• “Trapped in a hoax: Survivors of conspiracy theories speak out” by Ed Pilkington from The Guardian: 24 January, 2019

• “Trolls for Trump” by Andrew Marantz, the New Yorker, 24 October, 2016

• “QAnon Is Like a Game—a Most Dangerous Game” by Clive Thompson, Wired, 22 Oct. 2020

Documentaries

• “Why You Can Never Argue with Conspiracy Theorists | Argument Clinic |” WIRED: 17 June, 2017

• “Why conspiracy theories are rational to believe” VOX: 21 May, 2014

• Behind the Curve dir. Daniel J. Clark, Netflix: 2018
  
  
  

The phrase "Flat Earthers" might bring to mind tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorists who are seriously out of touch with reality. But "Behind the Curve" i...

Self-described involuntary celibates, or incels, have been tied to a handful of mass shootings in the past few years. Blaming women and society in general, t...

Podcasts

• Things They Don’t Want You to Know

• Those Conspiracy Guys

• Hoax Busters: Conspiracy or just Theory?

• American Hysteria

Grammar and Vocab

• “Enemies from Within” – vocab matching exercise

• Remembering Satan – vocab