Star Wars is escape fiction with a light moral touch in an expandable storytelling universe. In that fictional setting our imaginations can engage and reinterpret to create retroactive continuity to mask poor writing. But how does this affect our relationship with reality?

Donald Trump is a bully who wants to feel powerful. His influence causes reactions that oppose him. Alberta separatists seek to seize their opportunity to do… something in the middle of this chaos. How should we react?

Dark City is a film about a secret reality that is being hidden from its residents. What does that look like? What does it lead to? How do we cope with divergent realities? These questions are explored in ep 135 of Truth Unrestricted.

Hey @rachelgilmore.bsky.social , this looks like it fits your skill set and interest. Who do you think this might be in this Epstein email? Can’t be a whole lot of places that teach polo in Calgary in 2009. Might be interesting to dig into.

Ep 134 of Truth Unrestricted is about how both versions of The Manchurian Candidate affect conspiracy thinking. How does the realism affect the audience's viewing experience? How do the ideas carried by the films and affect our ability to navigate reality?

Snowden Bishop has attempted to thread the needle between a previous life as a platformer of disinformation and a current life as an advocate for science. Has she done this appropriately? Find out in Ep 133 of Truth Unrestricted.

I call upon Alex Hale @climatecrisisclub.org to ask Snowden Bishop when her podcast episodes featuring dangerous antivaccine disinformation will be removed from Spotify and iHeartRadio. youtu.be/70ADZbUQf28

The Manchurian Candidate has long been an idea separated from the film that created the term. The idea that a person could be reshaped and controlled as an assassin has long inspired conspiratorial thinking. So what other ideas from the film inspire these errant notions?

Subjective reality is the mind's best estimation of what the objective world is. "Best estimation" is doing a *lot* of heavy lifting in that sentence. Ep 130 of Truth Unrestricted takes a look at the ways in which what you know both is and isn't real.

They Live is a film about wealth inequality, not grand conspiracies. So why do so many people see it as a wink and a nod to their conspiratorial ideas? And how can we use that to understand them better? Ep 129 of Truth Unrestricted dives into this film and its conspiracy ideas.

The US influences many other nations, particularly the English speaking ones. And most Americans don't think much about it. So I decide to talk to @arestlessnative.bsky.social about American Cultural Influence In Scotland. Truth Unrestricted Ep 128.

Inception is a film about the barriers between the real and the imaginary. It provides a rich backdrop for understanding reality. The concept of incepting an idea into another's mind helps us understand the decision paranoia at the heart of all conspiracism.

It's always a pleasure to be a guest on Spencers podcast!

The recent (apparent) heelturn of Marjorie Taylor Greene gives us the perfect reason to discuss how to leave conspiracy beliefs behind. @formerantivax.bsky.social and @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social join me to discuss how to navigate some of our future parasocial relationships with unreal politicians.

Ep 125 of Truth Unrestricted is about the film Wag The Dog and how its ideas intersect with unreal ideas about our world. Also, for a few minutes near the end, I decided to name and shame famous actors who wouldn't be good enough to be crisis actors. Fun stuff. Enjoy.

Ep 124 of Truth Unrestricted is about how the film The Matrix presents ideas that fuel conspiratorial notions and provide building blocks for justifying radically unreal ideas. The value of choices. The nature of fate. The strength of will to shape reality.

When Dean Withers got surprised by someone asking him point blank why pedophilia is wrong I knew I wanted to tell the world why. So I asked @fixinyouruglies.bsky.social to help and we made Ep 123 of Truth Unrestricted! Why Pedophilia Is Wrong.

This is a excellent podcast with @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social and @spencerwatson.bsky.social . I had a lot of thoughts about it, which I wouldn’t bother to share, but it’s a great listen. ( this is part 2 ) both parts are great. podcasts.apple.com/kh/podcast/t...

It's been more than a year since my previous episode dedicated to the shooting in Butler, PA. So when I saw the opportunity to have @scorpionthebird.bsky.social and @quoracthebard.bsky.social on the podcast to discuss it, I jumped at the chance. Ep 212 of Truth Unrestricted (link to follow).

Fox Sisters: the original "rap" stars. Tonight at 8:00PM EST

This is going to divide the internet yet again. One side will proclaim that it’s just one more joyous thing she has given the world and the other will add it to the list of grievous wounds on her ledger. This is how tribes are built.

Everyone who says I shouldn’t criticize Jim Stewartson because I’m “causing division on the left” needs to explain to me why they’re okay with Stewartson causing division on the left. He causes the division. I’m trying to remove the cause of the division.

The conversation occurring in my head: bsky.app/profile/spen...

Violence is not the answer to our political situation. Showing restraint in the face of belligerence and insult is the best way to prevent the manipulations and machinations of fascists.

Some people believe that violence is an expression of strength. This isn’t true. Violence is what happens when you don’t have the strength for #Restraint

Ep 119 of Truth Unrestricted is about situations that are not usually conspiracies but which are mistaken for them regularly. AKA Pseudoconspiracies. This episode was recorded live on twitter with @joelcardwell.bsky.social

What would the world look like if the creator of this video *somehow* got what they claim they want here? The only way to *really* make this happen (absent the racial purity angle) is a rejection of technology. That’s *not* going to happen. Obviously. 1/

Everyone who was wrong about Trump — please say so openly to those who trust you and follow you. You have influence and thus bear responsibility.

The light is awful when thunderstorms roll in—except on a Costa’s hummingbird. That’s when his gorget feathers turn electric. #birdsky

Is this the crowd you want to encourage? An immediately frenetic and enthusiastically unthinking horde that lashes out as a reflex? You make yourself out to be a thought leader. These are the people who are following your thought leadership. Choosing mockery over thoughtful argument.

Listen to Donald. He’s very rational.

Jim Stewartson is slowly warping the minds of people on the left. His rhetoric is a simplistic mirror of his opponent, Mike Flynn. I talk with danzbyrd21 to shine a light on that process in ep 118 of Truth Unrestricted.

Bill Cosby's fall from fame represents a complete change of our collective view of him. An inversion of our shared reality. How should we look at people who once attempted to associate themselves with his image? In this episode, @notbadgers.bsky.social joins me to discuss an edge case.

It’s finally real. I have a publication date! The Conspiracists: Women, Extremism, and the Lure of Belonging comes out Jan 6, 2026. Five years inside conspiracy culture—what draws people in, what it costs to leave. Pre-orders are up: noellecook.com/book

I sincerely hope that everyone listens to this episode. It is my hope that this becomes a new standard for critical rebuttal in social media. Ep 116 of Truth Unrestricted is called Dr Nice's Identity Politics.

When candidkitten.bsky.social was on *my* podcast I called her the most charming guest I’d ever had. Glad to hear that charm hasn’t diminished in *this* interview at thevaccinationstation.org . podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

Despite rebuilding being a full time job, I'm picking up steam on a few big writing projects. The income from your Patreon subscriptions has helped make it possible. If you can, I'd love to have your help as the year hits the halfway mark. Thank you! Patreon.com/MikeRothschild

Is the US at war with Iran? Should anyone believe anything Trump says? How will the Iranian response affect world markets? Are we slow walking past mere nuclear brinksmanship? @pokerpolitics.bsky.social joins me for ep 115 of Truth Unrestricted to make sense of Operation Midnight Hammer.

Happy 4th birthday to my book on the origin and spread of QAnon, THE STORM IS UPON US. Given that multiple Trump cabinet members have supported Q, and Trump himself regularly shares QAnon memes, the book continues to be incredibly relevant. www.amazon.com/Storm-Upon-U...

The Throne Speech is usually not newsworthy. Until the response to it is a direct shot across the bow from the heart of Alberta Separatism. We also discuss deficit spending and the economic sleight of hand of Mark Carney. Ep 114 of Truth Unrestricted is about Canadian stuff!

I’m back on @spencerwatson.bsky.social ‘s Truth Unrestricted podcast to discuss “playing nice” in two areas I discuss a lot — #Survivor & politics! We saw it in Survivor 48 and some say there should be more in the political realm. But can you win that way in EITHER area? youtu.be/rzp9-Dx85KM?...

Is playing nice in politics the same as playing nice in a competitive game? Do the same rules apply? Should we look at these things similarly? Are some of us doing so already? Ep 113 of Truth Unrestricted is about Playing Nice.

Join me, @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social @cscnme.bsky.social @grza.bsky.social @spencerwatson.bsky.social and @thevaccinationstation.org for a 24 hr livestream fundraiser for @pokerpolitics.bsky.social and come with your craziest academic jargon examples! Details below! 🥳

Referendums about separation tend to get litigated over dinner tables and facebook threads with family and friends. Will you be prepared for those conversations? Will you sit silently wishing you had worked out the case against separation? Don't worry. We've got you covered.

With all the talk about tacos, let's take a moment to remember Noah Pozner. He wanted to run his own taco factory someday. He really loved tacos. His father carries on his legacy and fights for his son's memory.

A group of friends, podcasters, and more are holding a 24 hour Twitch stream to raise money for our friend @pokerpolitics.bsky.social. It will begin on Saturday, May 31st at 6PM EST and end on Sunday, June 1st at 6PM EST.

I’m back as a guest on @spencerwatson.bsky.social ‘s Truth Unrestricted podcast to discuss Pascal’s Wager as it applies to climate change. I spent over 31 years working in air pollution control/regulation for this moment! Find it wherever you get podcasts or on YouTube: youtu.be/ciwtf52zANs?...

James Mason, Siege, neo-Nazism, Industrial Music and more with @transform6789.bsky.social. @doubtisthewayout.bsky.social @quacksanonymous.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/0wl8...