Red Pill, Blue Pill, David Neiwert
Red Pill, Blue Pill, David Neiwert
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Red Pill, Blue Pill
How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us

Author: David Neiwert

Narrator: Matthew Josdal

Unabridged: 10 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/29/2020

Synopsis

Conspiracy theories are killing us. Once confined to the fringes of society, this worldview now has adherents numbering in the millions—extending right into the White House. This disturbing look at this alt-right threat to our democratic institutions offers guidance for counteracting the personal toll this destructive mindset can have on relationships and families.

Author David Neiwert—an investigative journalist who has studied the radical right for decades—examines the growing appeal of conspiracy theories and the kind of personalities that are attracted to such paranoid, sociopathic messages. He explains how alt-right leaders are able to get such firm holds on the imaginations of their followers and chronicles the destruction caused by the movement's most virulent believers.

Colloquially, this recruitment to alt-right ideologies is called "getting red-pilled"—a metaphor for when believers of conspiracy theories become convinced that their alternate universe is real. Uniquely, and optimistically, Neiwert provides a "blue pill toolkit" for those who are dealing with conspiracy theorists in their own lives, including strategies drawn from people who counsel former far-right extremists who have renounced their former beliefs.

About David Neiwert

David Neiwert is a journalist and author and an acknowledged expert in American right-wing extremism. He has appeared on Anderson Cooper 360, CNN Newsroom, and The Rachel Maddow Show. His work has also appeared in the American Prospect, the Washington Post, MSNBC, Salon, and other publications. His previous books include The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, Strawberry Days: How Internment Destroyed a Japanese-American Community, as well as And Hell Followed With Her: Crossing the Dark Side of the American Border, which won the 2014 International Latino Book Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Dale on October 05, 2020

In a world filled with Qanon, western chauvinists, and other paranoid conspiracy theories, Red Pill Blue Pill is a must read. David Neiwert has been researching, and writing about right wing extremists since the 90s, and brings that expertise to our current extremist landscape.......more

Goodreads review by Kayli on September 07, 2021

4.5 Stars! I found this to be an excellent primer collectively amassing expert insights paired with case studies surrounding falling down the rabbit hole of conspiracies and how it may lead to extremist acts (often carried out by white nationalist supremacists, incels, etc.). I have colour-tabbed th......more

Goodreads review by James on September 24, 2020

I’m pleasantly surprised at the extent to which this book offers a measured and wholistic approach to deradicalisation as the most impactful and effective way to counter conspiracy theorists and extremism alike given how rare such an insightful and measured response to these issues currently, so Dav......more

Goodreads review by Cecilia on October 21, 2020

I really appreciate how measured this book is in its analysis of our problems with conspiracies. I also really appreciate the way he expressed the costs effect those who believe in them and can be deadly to the rest of us.......more

Goodreads review by Richard on January 14, 2021

This book didn't do much for me. I didn't need the catalog of right wing hate groups and the stories of how people get sucked into them and how a few of those people go over the edge into mass shootings which takes up the first 80% of the book. I was looking for constructive suggestions for solving......more

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