Historical Blindness

In the conclusion of my series on the moral panics of the eighties, I look at the development of the Satanic Panic and consider its resurgence today. megaphone.link/ARML7259385038

In this episode, I look at the development of the Stranger Danger moral panic as a precursor to right wing conspiracist claims today. megaphone.link/ARML7504586372

For October, we look at a "haunting" that was claimed to be the first in which paranormal phenomena was scientifically observed. The Rosenheim Poltergeist is a perfect case for examining the ghost story generally, its history, and the pseudoscience of parapsychology. megaphone.link/ARML9517108890

In this new episode, I talk about America's long history of resenting domestic policing by the military, especially when the military is used against citizen protesters, from the Boston Massacre to Gilded Age strikebreaking. megaphone.link/ARML1468476633

After Texas's recent mid-decade partisan redistricting, representing a blatant power grab for the Republican Party undertaken at Trump's behest, I search for precedents and historical parallels and examine the history of gerrymandering in the US. megaphone.link/ARML2875603292

In this episode, I look at the evolution of undeclared wars and military authorizations throughout US history, specifically examining the conspiracy claims about two preludes to war: Pearl Harbor and the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. megaphone.link/ARML2538057114

To conclude my series on the Israel-Palestine conflict, I look at Jewish indigeneity in the Levant, the the founding of the modern State of Israel, its unique economic and military relationship with the US, and its long asymmetrical conflict with Palestinians. megaphone.link/ARML6812975492

In this 1st part of a 2-part series on the Israel-Palestine conflict, I look at the Heritage Foundation's campaign to characterize any criticism of Israel or advocacy for Palestinians as anti-Semitism. megaphone.link/ARML3068323358

Late social post for last week's episode: I discuss the Trump administration's war on higher education and place it within the context of the history of academic freedom and previous assaults on it. megaphone.link/ARML9242556245

Here at the end of Pride, I want to discuss the long history and false scriptural basis of religious opposition to LGBTQ rights, and the effort of the religious right to seek an exemption to anti-discrimination laws so that they can persecute gay and trans people. megaphone.link/ARML7544520236

As Trump's immigration raids and use of the armed forces to intimidate peaceful protesters in my home state of California have sparked widespread national protest, I want to talk more about the long, racist history behind similar immigration crackdowns in the US. megaphone.link/ARML8582008976

In this episode I discuss the history of the controversial wartime power Trump invoked to justify mass deportation and the importance of the rights of due process and habeas corpus, granted by the constitution to all persons, that his administration wants to strip away. megaphone.link/ARML3035622474

In this episode, in response to Trump's order supposedly "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History," I look at the many ways he and his handlers/enablers distort and whitewash history and "sanewash" his administration. megaphone.link/ARML7863180411

In this episode, I tell the history of the US through the history of controversial tariff policies, and I examine speculation about the motivations behind Trump's disastrous tariff hikes. megaphone.link/ARML7802827411

From claims about the pagan origins of Easter traditions to biblical literalists asserting that the miraculous darkness at the crucifixion is historically provable, I explode all kinds of myths in this holiday special. megaphone.link/ARML7228019606

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Reformation, a story was told of the first female Pope. The story of Pope Joan is a myth, but it illustrates well the historical roots of the sexism and misogyny that still keeps women out of leadership positions. megaphone.link/ARML5452769629

In the face of trans erasure and genocide, this episode affirms the existence of transgender people throughout history, focusing on the trans empress of the Roman Empire, long misgendered and called Elagabalus, though that was not her name. megaphone.link/ARML8539906854

Predictably, it seems no smoking gun or magic bullet is to be found in the latest trove of declassified documents.

An examination of Aspasia, a woman of ancient Athens who was universally agreed to have been extremely influential in politics and philosophy, depicted as both a harlot and a sage. megaphone.link/ARML1550392574

If anyone wants a good podcast about historical myths and misconceptions, check out Historical Blindness @historicalblind.bsky.social

Yet another critically under subscribed creater!

In the 4th and final part of my series on the legends surrounding Lincoln and his assassination, I look at the false urban legend that John Wilkes Booth was not actually killed but rather escaped justice. megaphone.link/ARML2382049463

in the new episode, I further examine baseless conspiracy theories suggesting the plot to assassinate was much larger, showing how involving some of the favorite culprits of conspiracists: the government, the Catholic Church, the Freemasons, and Jews. megaphone.link/ARML6427837791

In the second part of this series, I look at the plot to assassinate Lincoln, and the claims that it was a much larger conspiracy than history suggests. megaphone.link/ARML4972770207

In the 2025 season premiere, I kick off a series about the myths and conspiracy theories surrounding Abraham Lincoln's assassination with a look at the misconceptions and legends that surround this much mythologized figure. megaphone.link/ARML4109320113

Historical Blindness (@historicalblindness) • Threads, Say more 87 Followers • 321 Threads • A podcast about historical myths and misconceptions, and the lessons to which we turn a blind eye. See the latest conversations with @historicalblindness.

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My podcast is aimed at refuting baseless conspiracy theories, and I would never suggest that coincidence is not possible, but given how openly X has come to embrace nazism, it is no longer possible to give this goosestepping, Nazi-saluting scion of Apartheid any benefit of the doubt.

So, if Elon's favorite letter X corresponds and references his favorite number 88, and 88 is code for "Heil Hitler," then it seems he has been publicly giving the Nazi salute all along, and nobody saw it.

88 88 is a white supremacist numerical code for Heil Hitler. Read more about the meaning behind the numbers, as well as how it’s used in non-extremist forms.

The connection to be made is that the letter X, in the ASCII code that represents text in computers, is the number 88. And the number 88 has long been recognized as code among neo-Nazis for the phrase "Heil Hitler," in that the letter H is the 8th letter of the alphabet. www.adl.org/resources/ha...

But wait, there's more. He put up 88 million shares of Tesla as collateral to buy Twitter. In 2021, SpaceX launched 88 satellites, and the year before that, the Tesla model 3 was revealed to have 88 voice commands and 88 kilowatt power. Hell, back in 2013, he sold the Tesla model X for $88k.

But there is a more disturbing explanation, connected to his repeated use of the number 88. As much as the letter X shows up in his ventures, so does the number 88. He launched Tesla Robitaxis on 8/8 last year. A couple years before that, he built a huge charging station with 88 stalls.