Conspiracy Culture

The words we use shape the world we live in - so it matters when we get them wrong. This series, from the creators of the chart-topping Origin Story podcast, sheds much-needed light on the true meanings and surprising stories behind some of our most used and abused political terms.

There are rogue government agents hunting supernatural creatures all over Charlotte. There's a bloodbath in the parking lot of a demon bar and a massacre at a shopping mall. There are protests and tear gas and riot cops and somehow Quincy F'n Harker is the one stuck in the middle of cops, monsters, and demon agents trying to keep them from tearing his city apart. And now there seems to be a traitor in their midst.

In a town where survival depends on influence and popularity, a group of teens find themselves trapped in a deadly experiment. Monitored by drones and ranked by a system that punishes the least influential, every move they make is critical. As the mysterious disappearance of the adults adds to the chaos, the group must navigate an increasingly dangerous world where trust is fragile and alliances are key. With the stakes rising and the threat of cancellation looming, they must fight to stay alive in a game designed to break them. Think you could escape being CANCELLED?

1776. The early days of the Revolutionary War. It supposedly began with Thomas Hickey, a private in the Continental Army, and New York governor William Tryon. In an astonishing power grab, they plotted to kill Hickey's boss: a man by the name of George Washington. In the end, Hickey was caught, brought to trial, and found guilty. It would seem he became the first person in the new nation to be executed for treason.

Years of grueling police work have left Niall Hamarsson jaded and disillusioned with life...although it’s likely he’s been that way all along. The last straw lands when the DA refuses to try a case Niall worked for years to bring to justice. Within hours he finds himself heading to the only place he’s ever been able to call home - a place he knows he doesn’t belong. Mat Dempsey returned to Piedras Island after his father’s death. Niall and Mat have a history, and it’s not one Mat’s proud of. Will the two men be able to put aside their pasts and embrace a future?

Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? You haven’t, have you? No one has, not in many, many years. They used to be everywhere. You couldn’t walk out of your front door in New York City in the 1930s without seeing dozens of those little guys scurrying around. Today, there are millions of grown up pigeons in New York, but not a baby pigeon to be seen. That’s because they come out of the factory as adults. In Birds Aren’t Real, whistleblowers Peter McIndoe and Connor Gaydos trace the roots of a political conspiracy so vast and well-hidden that it almost seems like an elaborate hoax.

What if you found your father living with your mother’s murderer? Burnt out from death, mayhem and relationships gone sour, former special forces operative Rayna Tan returns home to Vancouver to recharge, only to discover her father is hiding the illegal Mexican student who killed Rayna’s mom. The principal of a Canadian private school duped the teenager and her friends from an impoverished village with promises of free education and living expenses. But if it’s too good to be true… Deception and lies were the real price. The school is a front for a drug operation. Rayna’s mother ...

It’s 1963 and Katie Winston, a young zoologist working on her doctoral thesis at the Zoologico de Sao Paulo, is asked to write a brief impact study for a dam about to be built on a tributary of the Amazon River in the jungles of northern Brazil. She travels from a bustling city to a construction camp at the edge of a deep jungle valley. After a harrowing adventure, just getting to the location, her arrival is met with animosity. The foreman considers her study a waste of time and her presence in a camp full of men, a dangerous distraction. She befriends two heavy machinery operators. One ...

Today it is widely recognized that gay men played a prominent role in defining the culture of mid-20th-century America, with such icons as Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Montgomery Clift, and Rock Hudson defining much of what seemed distinctly "American" on the stage and screen. Even though few gay artists were "out," their sexuality caused significant anxiety during a time of rampant anti-homosexual attitudes.

Today's world is complicated: companies are becoming more powerful than nations, the lines between public and corporate institutions grow murkier, and the internet is shredding our privacy. To combat these onslaughts, people everywhere - rich and not so rich, in business and in their personal lives - are turning away from traditional police, lawyers, and government regulators toward a new champion: the private investigator.

Jabez Van Cleef arrived at Cornell in June of 1966 as a member of an experimental program, funded by the Ford Foundation, which was intended to provide 48 liberal arts students a path to earning PhD's within six years. The first summer the group lived near Clara Dickson hall in a building called Phillips house. Then in the fall they moved into the Cornell Heights Residential Club on the fringe of the campus in Cayuga Heights.In spite of the inherent stress of this collective competitive enterprise, the special students established a kind of enforced mutual solidarity because of their ...

Be Amazed by a Book Unlike Anything You Have Read Before Is the doctrine of dualism encoded in the Bible, and how does it relate to the fall of man? Is it possible that something as simple as the doctrine of dualism can provide the key to all that is presently wrong in the world? Could ideological dualism be the basis of all degenerate ideologies, such as Marxism? Could this heretic doctrine be the root of the degeneration of all religions over time? And is there a place for the concept of dualism in the scheme of all things? Discover how ideological dualism corrupts all aspects of human ...

The newspaper headlines all asked the same question; is James Brennan the new Messiah? Roy Lindermann's, MP for a ruling Liberal Party in crisis, is left a Top Secret folder by his dead friend Dustin Hislop. Investigating the folder's contents, he begins to unravel the story of James Brennan, writer, philosopher and, some would say, Messiah, who the Government put on trial for Treason. Brennan has been under house arrest for years, his only communication with the outside world being a soundless, live broadcast on TV every night from his farm. Now the transmissions have suddenly stopped. Is ...

From revolutionizing breakfast tables to fueling global empires, the humble coffee bean has a story far more potent than its caffeine kick. The Coffee Bean Conspiracy unveils the surprising history of this tiny seed, revealing its profound impact on politics, war, and the very fabric of modern society. Journey through centuries of captivating narratives as you discover: How coffee houses became hotbeds of political dissent, sparking revolutions and shaping democratic ideals. The dark side of coffee’s rise, exploring its connection to colonialism, slavery, and the exploitation of labor in ...

Where did the coronavirus outbreak originate, and was the pandemic predicted? Did aliens help to build the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid of Giza, and what were they trying to tell us? Is the food industry colluding to make us addicted to sugar? Prepare yourself for some startling revelations on these topics and many more in this updated and expanded compendium of the world’s scariest and strangest conspiracy theories.

From societal and cultural decline to deepening political divisions, looming economic and financial collapse to environmental catastrophes, scientific and religious dogmatism to the obesity and mental health epidemics, the two decades punctuated by 9/11, the financial crisis, and Covid task humanity to SEEK self-evident experiential knowledge of what in hell is with us—in the one place the hard Truth can be found: Hell itself. Hard Truth is what this book offers, dear reader.

Perhaps it is human nature to believe there is more to the world than meets the eye - that the greatest secrets and truths are hidden from us. Whatever the reason, conspiracy theories are a global phenomenon. Conspiracies Uncovered delves into some of the most pervasive theories, from the assassination of John F. Kennedy to the moon landings, showcasing the evidence for and against each one, revealing the surprising truths behind some and the bizarre inspirations for others.

Satan Goes to the Mind Control Convention looks at the role that conspiracy theories play in American life and the current political climate. The book begins at a convention for therapists who uncover “memories” of past lives, extraterrestrials, and government mind control operations.

Danny Wallace, million-copy bestselling author of Yes Man and Join Me, has fallen down the modern rabbit hole of lies, conspiracies and disinformation. Along the way, he encounters families torn apart by accusations and fake news, journalists putting themselves on the frontline of the disinformation war, reformed conspiracy theorists, influencers who see profit in stoking paranoia, and the shadowy nameless, faceless trolls on the other side of our screens.

Enter a hidden world of mysteries, scandals, secrets and lies. Perhaps it is human nature to believe there is more to the world than meets the eye - that the greatest secrets and truths are hidden from us. Whatever the reason, conspiracy theories are a global phenomenon. Conspiracies Uncovered delves into some of the most pervasive theories, from the 'The assassination of John F. Kennedy' to the moon landings, showcasing the evidence for and against each one, revealing the surprising truths behind some and the bizarre inspirations for others.