For our second open thread we’re asking: Which conspiracy theory do you actually believe. UFOs? JFK? Subliminal messages sung by Judas Priest? Bring ‘em on! Nancy’ll start: She’s always sort of thought COVID might have escaped from a Wuhan lab…
Talk amongst yourselves. But first! Early subscribers will recall a Nancy-bakes-for-you giveaway for 10th new paid subscriber. These cakes being sent to winner today. Let’s do it again: 5th new paid subscriber gets the goods. Go!
Aug 31, 2022·edited Aug 31, 2022Liked by Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
I don’t identify as a feminist, but you talked about “choice feminism” last week and I suppose that’s how I’d qualify myself. Anyway, I wanted to share one of my favorite anecdotes on the topic: When I got married 7 years ago, I decided to take my husband’s last name. My husband didn’t expect that I would, but it felt right to me. Several years later, I found out that one of my very good friends had just assumed that this hadn't been my choice, that there was some coercion involved to take my husband’s name. This friend knows me (and my husband) really well, and SHE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS BETTER than to jump to this conclusion, and yet couldn’t shake her mindset that Feminism = XYZ, which includes keeping one’s maiden name. Sigh.
As far as conspiracy theories go, I'm a big believer in the maxim "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." But yea, Covid probably came from a lab.
Covid def accidentally got out of that lab dude. Also I didn't know where to put this so yall would see it but I watched the first part of the Netflix doc about Manti Teo and it seems right up yalls alley. Former college football star gets catfished in front of the whole country. Would love to hear it discussed on the pod. Thanks and keep up the good work!
I weighed over 270 in May and now I’m down to 233. I’m planning to keep dieting intensely until I get to about 210 but I wonder how far I have to go until I don’t like obese anymore. I’m 5’10. I’m also for the most part still wearing the same clothes and that might contribute to looking heavier just wearing oversized outfits.
I don’t want to be like Kirstie Alley and lose 100 pounds and then gain 100 pounds and then lose 100 pounds, etc. So I’ll have to be careful from now on but at least give myself a break sometimes.
I'll second the endorsement of the virus lab leak theory. By this point it's up to them to prove it's not vs requiring me to prove it is.
The Econtalk interview with Amor Towles (Aug 29) about "A Gentleman in Moscow" is very good. I'd not heard him interviewed before, so learned a lot. He talks a lot about the writing process -- he is an outliner; writes in the morning, and more. He does love to talk, but he is interesting. I read that book 4 years ago and now will go back and read it (i.e. listen to it) again. He spaced out the depicted events in what he called an "accordion" fashion -- e.g. 1,3,6,10 days, 2,4,8,16 weeks, 2,4,8 years, and then back down in the same period. Interesting approach and it had not occurred to me that he had done this.
I don’t identify as a feminist, but you talked about “choice feminism” last week and I suppose that’s how I’d qualify myself. Anyway, I wanted to share one of my favorite anecdotes on the topic: When I got married 7 years ago, I decided to take my husband’s last name. My husband didn’t expect that I would, but it felt right to me. Several years later, I found out that one of my very good friends had just assumed that this hadn't been my choice, that there was some coercion involved to take my husband’s name. This friend knows me (and my husband) really well, and SHE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS BETTER than to jump to this conclusion, and yet couldn’t shake her mindset that Feminism = XYZ, which includes keeping one’s maiden name. Sigh.
As far as conspiracy theories go, I'm a big believer in the maxim "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." But yea, Covid probably came from a lab.
Birds (especially pigeons) aren't real. Why else do they call that Tennessee town Pigeon Forge?
Covid def accidentally got out of that lab dude. Also I didn't know where to put this so yall would see it but I watched the first part of the Netflix doc about Manti Teo and it seems right up yalls alley. Former college football star gets catfished in front of the whole country. Would love to hear it discussed on the pod. Thanks and keep up the good work!
I’m with Nancy that virus has got to be from the lab! Occam’s Razor.
JFK definitely a coup attempt
UFOs of course they are real 🖖🏽
I weighed over 270 in May and now I’m down to 233. I’m planning to keep dieting intensely until I get to about 210 but I wonder how far I have to go until I don’t like obese anymore. I’m 5’10. I’m also for the most part still wearing the same clothes and that might contribute to looking heavier just wearing oversized outfits.
I don’t want to be like Kirstie Alley and lose 100 pounds and then gain 100 pounds and then lose 100 pounds, etc. So I’ll have to be careful from now on but at least give myself a break sometimes.
I don't belive in UFO conspiracies. Instead I like the Don Henley song "They're not here, they're not coming." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQ_gj-biIc. or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79rAhn2A8Kk&t=9s.)
Nor do I believe in Kennedy assasination conspiracies. I believe the author of "Case Closed" got it right. (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Closed-Harvey-Oswald-Assassination/dp/1400034620/ref=asc_df_1400034620/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=353874173411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6730057154051957622&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015537&hvtargid=pla-489699041481&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=71634025176&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=353874173411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6730057154051957622&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015537&hvtargid=pla-489699041481) Sometimes small men can kill great men.
Instead what I would like to suggest is the idea of subliinal advertising. (https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/10/24/subliminal-advertising) It's possible there may be some truth to this idea.
So-called Conspiracies I believe:
Lab leak
Vaccine injury
Pharmaceutical industry is not your friend generally
Government supports industry (big agriculture for instance) over us
The cakes look good! What kind?
I'll second the endorsement of the virus lab leak theory. By this point it's up to them to prove it's not vs requiring me to prove it is.
The Econtalk interview with Amor Towles (Aug 29) about "A Gentleman in Moscow" is very good. I'd not heard him interviewed before, so learned a lot. He talks a lot about the writing process -- he is an outliner; writes in the morning, and more. He does love to talk, but he is interesting. I read that book 4 years ago and now will go back and read it (i.e. listen to it) again. He spaced out the depicted events in what he called an "accordion" fashion -- e.g. 1,3,6,10 days, 2,4,8,16 weeks, 2,4,8 years, and then back down in the same period. Interesting approach and it had not occurred to me that he had done this.
As for Judas Priest, I do hope you take "Electric Eye" seriously.
https://images.app.goo.gl/qA3Bnnuvwfy9TqWQA
We are one big petri dish for a universe that is chock full of beings superior to our barely-evolved monkey brains.