ESCAPING THE RABBIT HOLE How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect mick west Skyhorse Publishing Copyright © 2018 by Mick West All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or
[email protected] Skyhorse® and Skyhorse Publishing® are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.®, a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for. Cover design by Brian Peterson Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-3580-4 Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-3581-1 Printed in the United States of America Contents Acknowledgments v Prologue: Willie – Rabbit Hole Escapee vii Introduction xii Overview xxii part one Chapter 1: The “Conspiracy Theory” Conspiracy Theory 1 Chapter 2: Conspiracy Spectrums 11 Chapter 3: The Shill Card 26 Chapter 4: The Rabbit Hole: How and Why 37 Chapter 5: Core Debunking Techniques 56 Chapter 6: Steve – A Journey through the Rabbit Hole 75 part two Chapter 7: Chemtrails 85 Chapter 8: Stephanie – A Former Chemtrailer 129 Chapter 9: 9/11 Controlled Demolitions 135 Chapter 10: Karl – Temporary Truther 160 Chapter 11: False Flags 164 Chapter 12: Richard – Drawing the Line at Sandy Hook 189 Chapter 13: Flat Earth 194 Chapter 14: Bob – Escape from Flat Earth 212 part three Chapter 15: Complications in Debunking 219 Chapter 16: The Future of Bunk and Debunking 233 Conclusion 249 Glossary 251 Endnotes 257 Index 274 Acknowledgments The backbone of this book is the collection of accounts from people who have escaped from the rabbit hole. I am very grateful to each of them for the time they took to share their stories with me, and for their continued resilience. My thanks go to Willie, Martin Beard, Steve, Stephanie Wittschier, Karl, Richard, and Bob. Thanks also to the many other people whom I interviewed or simply chatted with online. While I did not get everyone’s story in, their input greatly informed this book. Many of them I only know by internet pseudonyms, or they wished to remain anonymous, so I shall list only first names, thanking Nathan, Elliot, Scooter, Michael, Adam, Julie, David, Ed, Marty, Frank, Johnny, DJ, and Joshua. Thanks to the members of Metabunk, my main forum for discussing these topics. I am particularly grateful to Deirdre, both for useful feedback on my communication style, and invaluable help in moderating Metabunk while I was distracted with writing. Thanks also to Trailblazer, Pete Tar, Landru, Trailspotter, TEEJ, JFDee, Efftup, Jay Reynolds, TWCobra, MikeC, NoParty, Ross Marsden, Scombid, Skephu, Whitebeard, MikeG, and many others. Thanks to the prolific skeptical author Benjamin Radford, who took the time to read an early draft and gave many valuable suggestions. I just wish I’d asked him earlier! Thanks to Joe Rogan, a rabbit hole escapee himself, who invited me on his show to explain Chemtrails, then later Flat Earth and other conspiracies, helping create the platform for this book. Thanks to my agent Jill Marr and my editor Andrew Geller for their support and guidance through the entire process. Special thanks must