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The Paranoid Strain

The Paranoid Strain

Written by: Fearful Jesuit
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About this listen

 The podcast that explains why so many people believe ridiculous conspiracy theories.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2017-2019 Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • New! Unidentified--The strangest Area 51 theory you've ever heard

    New! Unidentified--The strangest Area 51 theory you've ever heard
    Jan 20 2026
    As promised, here's Annie Jacobsen's super-weird story about the *real* reason Area 51 was founded. It's super dumb. But fascinating. But dumb. Seriously. Real, real dumb. I don't know how she possibly believed this crap. Enjoy!

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    32 mins
  • New! Unidentified--Dirty bombs and dirty deeds at Area 51

    New! Unidentified--Dirty bombs and dirty deeds at Area 51
    Jan 6 2026
    We continue our exploration of the (actual) history of Area 51, this time emphasizing some of the truly awful, irresponsible, and dangerous stuff that went on there--not just nuclear tests, but a simulated dirty bomb explosion with radiation that should clear up in about fifty thousand years, plus an nauseating story about poisoning employees and then refusing to acknowledge said poisoning because the place where they worked doesn't even officially exist. Next time: one of the weirdest goddamned stories we've ever covered. And it's from an otherwise sensible book. I KNOW! Can't wait for you to hear about it.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    32 mins
  • New! Unidentified--U2. No, not that one. The spy plane.

    New! Unidentified--U2. No, not that one. The spy plane.
    Dec 23 2025
    Merry Christmas, or Happy Hannukah, or like whatever you're into, folks. This time, we talk about Area 51's original raison d'etre, the notorious U2 spy plane. We learn how and why this odd-looking thing was built, how it played into one of the earliest crises of the Cold War, and how its weird shape and unbelievable maximum altitude essentially made sightings of it as a truly unidentified flying object nearly inevitable.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    30 mins
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