Those Who Conspire

It's a Christmas miracle! We blew the dust off the podcast and are bringing you a brand new episode, just in time for the holidays. This year we interviewed producer, screenwriter, and author Kathleen Hale about her latest book, Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls. We highly recommend the book and can't wait for you to hear the interview.

For more information about author Kathleen Hale, please visit her website. 

https://kathleenhale.org

Zack and Kyle spend their holiday season with the man of the hour (checks notes)...wait, Satan? That's right; we look at the Satanic Panics of the 20th century in this first of two episodes focusing on old Hornhead and the changing America.

Zack and Kyle log into Facebook and poke each other about the social network's influence, its role in spreading misinformation, and get meta about the Metaverse. Plus, we answer a meme that goes south for Zack real fast. All this and more as soon as you check your notifications for...Those Who Conspire.

Dr. Kathleen Belew (University of Chicago) guests on the podcast to discuss conspiracy theories, the law, and her new edited collection A Field Guide to White Supremacy. Kyle and Zack listened, learned, and were proud to have Dr. Belew shed light on how the issues of the past are still impacting our future.

Zack and Kyle go looking for feral people in national parks. What they found was a weird and wooly history of hiking in the United States. We hope you're ready for a podcast that tackles no media and social media all in the same one because it's been a while and we missed you!

Zack and Kyle conclude Spooktober with some urban legends! We chronicle weird America with creepy stories that helped pave the way for the conspiracy theories of today. What happened to Dudleytown? Why shouldn't you go to the Hollywood sign? Why has Richard Linklater not returned our phone calls about the fourth Before movie, "After: Ghost Hawke?" Join us around the campfire - or your phone, whatevs - for the close of our haunted Halloween hootenanny!

Zack and Kyle disappear into the lost colony of Roanoke. What happened to the settlers? What does "Croatoa" mean? And are we going to talk about aliens again? (Spoiler: of course we will!)

Celebrate Spooktober with us all month long! We kick things off with the Mothman. Kyle and Zack invite their friend Ryan Normile from Stories Unroll'd to discuss West Virginia's favorite winged wonder! Check out the conspiracy theories that have everybody buzzing!

Listen y’all, we’ve covered some dark subjects on the show, but never anything like this. This story literally has sex, drugs, rock n’ roll, murder, mind control, human experimentation, radiation poisoning, and a pre-dune buggy Charles Manson. We had a great time! We dive deep into the CIA’s experiments to unlock the secret of mind control, Project MK Ultra. It’s probably my favorite episode. Which one of us is writing this? You’ll never knowbigfootisreal. 

Zack and Kyle talk the September 11 attacks, 20 years later. It's a double-sized episode featuring Christo Smith debunking the inside job/explosives conspiracy theories. Plus, we give our listeners what they always wanted: trivia about The Drew Carey Show! Thanks for going on this journey with us.

Zack and Kyle start smoking...out the misinformation created by the tobacco industry! We uncover some of the harsh truths of nicotine, why advertising was so manipulative, and reminisce on when you could use meal plan dollars to buy cigarettes when you should have been buying food (sorry, mom). Don't miss an unfiltered episode of goodness this week on Those Who Conspire!

You're sitting at home, discussing the new Spider-Man movie with your wife. She's uninterested. You bail on the conversation and open your phone. The first thing you see is an ad for the Spider-Man 4K Collection. Did your phone listen to your chat? Is it recording every word? Do you need marriage counseling? Zack and Kyle don their tinfoil hats and dive face-first into the scary world of surveillance.

Part 1 of a special minisode set on Organic foods! Zack surprises Kyle with a breakdown of the myths of organic food, and whether they are actually better for us. How do they impact the climate? What about natural pesticides? And will we still call Zack "Cat Daddy"? (Kyle's note: Yes. Yes we will.) Join us for a homegrown good time on Those Who Conspire!

Kyle and Zack read the news and talk about critical race theory this week. What is it, really? Why should we know about it? Are your kids in elementary and middle school learning about it? (Only if they're cool, TBH) Plus, we address family matters, and we ain't talkin' Urkel! Did we do that? Find out on this week's Critical Race Theory episode of Those Who Conspire.

Kyle surprises Zack with some alien updates! We look at the report on UFOs/UAPs from the Director of National Intelligence and talk about what it means for the military, science, and why it’s only nine pages long. Plus, Zack gets his revenge on Kyle at the end. Don’t believe your eyes, because you’re using your ears to listen to us!

Zack and Kyle get their second round of vaccines and talk about the misinformation continuing to surround them. Will we need booster shots? What are some of the fears behind the COVID-19 vaccines? How can we continue to protect ourselves? Join us as we find answers to some tough questions and seek out the Legend of Curly's Gold!*

*Apologies to Billy Crystal, we're only human.

Zack and Kyle take flight with this episode. Are birds real? Did the government eradicate 12 billion birds and replace them with surveillance devices? Is bird poop a tracking device? This episode has wings, so make sure you fly with us on Those Who Conspire.

Zack and Kyle fell into the Hollow Earth conspiracy this week. What did they find? Dinosaurs? Robots? Atlantis?...Hamilton, Ohio?!? We brought in a neutron star of a special guest to journey to the center of this theory, so won't you join us?

Zack and Kyle talk about Jeffrey Epstein, the wild conspiracy theories surrounding his suicide, and get serious about sex trafficking and QAnon. We've got some jokes in there for you, but we hope you stay until the end to learn how you can help stop human trafficking. CW for descriptions of sexual assault, trafficking, and suicide.

For information on how you can fight human trafficking, please visit https://www.state.gov/20-ways-you-can-help-fight-human-trafficking/