Episodes

  • 224: RFK Jr’s Pet Guru Blesses Trump
    Sep 19 2024
    There’s been a question gnawing at fans of Charles Eisenstein: what does he really feel about RFK Jr’s pivot to Trump? The always aspiring poet-philosopher was hired as a messaging advisor to Bobby, after all. We’ve spotted little fragments of Eisenstein’s exceptionally long essays sneaking their way into Bobby’s speeches. There was some influence, for sure, even after Charles went on multiple Costa Rican sabbaticals right in the middle of campaign season and apparently cut his consulting rate down from $21k per month, perhaps out of the goodness of the heart he knows is possible. And yet, for weeks after Bobby jumped the shark, Charles remained silent. Until now, that is. With the publication of his recent 6,711-word essay, “Shades of Many Colors,” Eisenstein finally breaks his silence and lands firmly on the side of…well, we’re not quite sure. But one thing that’s emerged is Charles’s penchant for not crediting the source of some of his galaxy-brained ideas. Today, we’ll look at some of what Charles says in his latest opus, and try to figure out what exactly he’s saying. Show Notes mRNA vaccine spike protein differs from viral version The effect of SARS-CoV-2 variant on respiratory features and mortality SARS-CoV-2 Infections in mRNA Vaccinated Individuals are Biased for Viruses Encoding Spike E484K and Associated with Reduced Infectious Virus Loads that Correlate with Respiratory Antiviral IgG levels. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Connective Tissue Disorders Following COVID-19 Risk of autoimmune diseases following COVID-19 and the potential protective effect from vaccination: a population-based cohort study The Lancet: Most comprehensive study to date provides evidence on natural immunity protection by COVID-19 variant and how protection fades over time Conspirituality 1: Coronation for Whom? Brief: The New Age Origin Story of RFK Jr’s Campaign — Conspirituality 86: Charles Eisenstein, New Age Q — Conspirituality Disavowing Disinformation - North Atlantic Books Inside the Last Weeks of RFK Jr.’s Campaign Charles Eisenstein - What is the Next Story? - Scientific and Medical Network Brian Swimme: The Cosmos Watching Itself (E35) ​Charles Eisenstein Whitewashes Trump, Caricatures & Demonizes Democrats in Post Decrying Caricatures & Demonization (Part 1) Charles Eisenstein Endorses Trump, but Thinks You're Not Clever Enough to Notice (Part 2) Cardiac Events Following Mpox Vaccine Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • Bonus Sample: Waking Up With the Biohackers
    Sep 16 2024
    "Biohacking expert" Kayla Barnes recently published a 31-minute video about her morning routine, filled with EMF-blocking shields, grounding protocols, and 40 different daily supplements. Good if you can afford it, but then she sells questionable protocols at her Cleveland, Ohio-based clinic, Lyv Wellness, despite having no clinical training. Derek watches what she says, then watches what she sells. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Brief: Tucker Carlson’s Friendly Fascism
    Sep 14 2024
    Tucker Carlson is the Steve Bannon of Joe Rogans. Tucker surpasses Rogan’s massive reach at times, but his curated guest list drives a deliberate agenda: normalizing neo-fascist political discourse. He does it all with an affable, friendly, just-asking-questions, I’m-not-as-smart-as-my-guests attitude that may disguise what he’s doing—like interviewing a Holocaust-denier Nazi apologist, or framing modern-day dictatorships as admirable, or promoting the anti-semitic Great Replacement Theory, or globe-trotting to flatteringly interviewing brutal enemies of democracy like Viktor Orban or Vladimir Putin. In the wake of recent controversy about WWII revisionism on Carlson’s show, Julian breaks down the accelerationist contours of Tucker’s far-right influence and agenda. Being fired from FOX News and going “independent” has only made it worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    28 mins
  • 223: Tucker Carlson’s Toxic Cleanse
    Sep 12 2024
    In 2022, Tucker Carlson produced a documentary called “The End of Men,” his contribution to the so-called “masculinity crisis.” That’s when testicle tanning hit the mainstream, which one astute observer dubbed “bromeopathic therapy.” Turns out the former Fox News host isn’t done dabbling in conspirituality. This year, he’s platformed the QAnon Shaman, Jacob Chansley; lyme disease conspiracist, Kris Newby; the “other” Naomi, Naomi Wolf; brother-sister optimizers, Casey and Calley Means; and he’s currently on a 16-city tour with the likes of Russell Brand and Alex Jones. He’s also partly responsible for helping usher RFK Jr into Donald Trump’s camp. While the former CNN and MSNBC host turned far right provocateur isn’t leading wellness retreats (yet), he’s certainly being shared by an increasing number of wellness influencers, and we want to know why. Show Notes DOJ Accuses Russia of Sprawling Election Interference Campaign Homeland Violence and Diaspora Insecurity: An Analysis of Israel and American Jewry | Politics and Religion | Cambridge Core Safety through Solidarity by Shane Burley, Ben Lorber Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • Relief Project #1: Jivana Heyman
    Sep 10 2024
    Here’s the first installment of a regular timeline cleanser featuring interviews with folks reflecting on hope, faith, resilience and building community in hard times. You know—all the things that conspirituality itself can’t offer. These are short, personal visits in which Matthew asks each guest the same five questions about their life wisdom—at least as it’s coming together in this moment. To start this series, Matthew hearkens back to the roots of Conspirituality Podcast in the yoga world with guest Jivana Heyman. Jivana is the founder and director of Accessible Yoga, an organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings and supporting yoga teachers. He’s the author of Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body; Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion; and The Teacher's Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body. BTW: here are the five questions. You can think about them too. What terrifies you most in these times? What is the most meaningful and supportive idea or story you return to for reliable wisdom and relief? What is the greatest obstacle you face in forming community relationships, and how do you work to overcome it? If you were responsible for comforting and guiding a child terrified of climate catastrophe, how would you do it? What would you say? If your wisest ancestor came in a dream to offer you one piece of advice about living in difficult times, what would it be? Show Notes jivanaheyman.com 9: Ableism in Conspiracy Theories (w/Jivana Heyman) — Conspirituality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    30 mins
  • Bonus Sample: Imaginary Children # 3: Mole Children vs. Gazan Children
    Sep 9 2024
    What does it mean to spill ink on dispelling conspiracy theories about non-existent children being murdered, while actual children are being murdered? At what point does the labour of debunking right wing wackjobs also do the shadow-work of supporting the liberal-center orthodoxy? Matthew looks at how with QAnon, the liberal-center press criticized irrational responses to imaginary traumas, with a great sense of urgency. But on Gaza, they criticize rational responses to actual traumas, and imply that protesters are asking for too much, too fast. What happens downstream of denials, minimizations, and contradictions? What are the social and mental health implications of moral injury? Are these not some of the same social conditions that generate conspiracism? Content warning: discussion of children, genocide Show Notes Is Israel Committing Genocide in Gaza? New Report from BU School of Law’s International Human Rights Clinic Lays Out Case Rights expert finds ‘reasonable grounds’ genocide is being committed in Gaza | UN News Dems Gave the 'Uncommitted Movement' Space to Talk About Gaza — Just Not on TV First-Ever DNC Panel on Palestinian Rights: We Need to “Restore the Soul of the Democratic Party” “Stop Arming Israel”: Meet the DNC Delegates Who Unfurled Banner During Biden Speech 201: Librarians Are Not Groomers (w/Heath Umbreit) — Conspirituality What I Saw Was “Unfathomable”: Doctor Who Worked in Gaza Speaks Out Against U.S. Arming of Israel Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential - The Lancet Clearing Gaza of almost 40m tonnes of war rubble will take years, says UN Israel Has Killed 2,100 Babies Under 2 Years Old in Gaza, Rights Group Says | Truthout NYU barricades benches College Administrators Spent Summer Break Dreaming Up Ways to Squash Gaza Protests The Black Mark on the Democrats’ Big Party | The New Republic Amnesty International Warns of U.S. Complicity in War Crimes in Gaza Christian Wiman | Yale Divinity School Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    6 mins
  • Brief: Ultra-processed Pseudoscience
    Sep 7 2024
    Calley Means is the cofounder of TrueMed, a company that helps businesses qualify products and services like supplements and ice baths for HSA and FSA money. Casey Means is the founder of Levels, a continuous glucose monitor subscription service aimed at the biohacking community. The brother and sister recently appeared on Tucker Carlson's podcast to rage against seed oils, as well as the food and pharma industries' focus on profits over people. Derek dug into their business models, finding them guilty of the same "crimes" they accuse others of. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    21 mins
  • 222: RFK Jr: As the Worm Turns
    Sep 5 2024
    RFK Jr has dropped out of the presidential race and thrown his weight behind Trump. In our 10th episode on the man in the last year-and-a-half, we look at the potential dangers of this unholy alliance, and what it means for America. Show notes are extensive, visit patreon.com/conspirituality or conspirituality.net for more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 14 mins