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Red Pill Blue Pill: How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us
A revealing trip down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories--their appeal, who believes them, how they spread--with an eye to helping people deal with the alt-right conspiracists in their own lives. 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. Neiwert uses the story of Lane Davis as an example of what this worldview does to people and how it affects their personal lives as well as their ability to influence the larger public. The alt-right, pro-Trump Davis spent most of his time posting on the internet. Obsessed with "liberal pedophilia", he stabbed his father to death. Davis is an extreme example of "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.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2020
55 people are currently reading
855 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 5, 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.
November 1, 2020
Possibly the most vile thing I've read in a long time, this book attempts to retroactively define the term 'red pill' as a belief in false conspiracy theories.
The truth is that Socrates was the first to be red-pilled. From there, philosophy has been a ceaseless parade of red pills more disorientating than the last. You could argue that as a result it doesn't take very much to be red-pilled anymore as the lowest hanging capsules have already been consumed. If we are to take the phrase at its most universal, everyone has been 'red-pilled' at some point or another. To take the red-pill is simply to see reality, or more precisely to see a new reality. Problems arise, however, when reality becomes subjective.
The word aletheia is Greek for truth, but it means much more than understanding facts and details. It translates closer to "awakening" or "uncovering", and an ancient probably the closest in meaning to the modern "red pill moment". It's a term that Heidegger used throughout his work, but to be red-pilled is only a recent phenomenon. As most will know, it is a metaphor from the film The Matrix made in 1999, and is such a good metaphor that it's been used on and off since then. It's been used by yoga and business gurus alike, but really came to prominence in the MGTOW scene, where men became 'red-pilled' on women. Some would say the WQ is the first, real red-pill from which all else follows.
Recently Netflix twitter feed tried to retroactively asses The Matrix as a transgender allegory.
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a33...
What we see here is the culture wars at work. Trying to repaint red-pilling as either a metaphor for transgenderism or shifting it to mean kooky conspiracy believers is blatantly trying to warp culture for an agenda. In his book David Neiwert tries and fails to do this.
He starts by listing a series of lone-wolf right-wing terror attacks, held in isolation but all of them hooked to right-wing beliefs. While this is true, what is jarring is how for the rest of the book David tries to tie these all to Trump. There is an entire cottage industry of altright/Trump non-fiction where authors try to give their readers the real scoop on the fascists in our midst, but these books ultimately are nothing more than fear-mongering. They're often not even coherent. For example, David attempts to show that believing that certain minorities commit more violent crime than whites is a right wing fallacy, but instead of providing alternative facts he merely states this as if it is self-evidently wrong, and in doing so might prompt readers to do what he warns against, which is to investigate themselves, leading them down the right-wing (read: Nazi) rabbit hole. Towards the end of the book he tries to outline how to bring back people who have been 'red-pilled' but the whole time I couldn't help but think how the same tactics could be used to persuade adamant liberals away from their Russia-gate theories. His links are all so tenuous, and all his sources end up in circles of speculation that it's quite sad to admit that I read this book.
Fundamentally, the red-pill is a metaphor that can be used in any sense, but for such obvious twisting of the truth here it is stunning that this trash can get published. This is a spiteful little tome that should never have seen the light of day, but unfortunately fake news has bled into fake publishing, and it is a crime against culture and memory. You may not be interested in the culture wars, but they are interested in you. History is written by the victors....
The truth is that Socrates was the first to be red-pilled. From there, philosophy has been a ceaseless parade of red pills more disorientating than the last. You could argue that as a result it doesn't take very much to be red-pilled anymore as the lowest hanging capsules have already been consumed. If we are to take the phrase at its most universal, everyone has been 'red-pilled' at some point or another. To take the red-pill is simply to see reality, or more precisely to see a new reality. Problems arise, however, when reality becomes subjective.
The word aletheia is Greek for truth, but it means much more than understanding facts and details. It translates closer to "awakening" or "uncovering", and an ancient probably the closest in meaning to the modern "red pill moment". It's a term that Heidegger used throughout his work, but to be red-pilled is only a recent phenomenon. As most will know, it is a metaphor from the film The Matrix made in 1999, and is such a good metaphor that it's been used on and off since then. It's been used by yoga and business gurus alike, but really came to prominence in the MGTOW scene, where men became 'red-pilled' on women. Some would say the WQ is the first, real red-pill from which all else follows.
Recently Netflix twitter feed tried to retroactively asses The Matrix as a transgender allegory.
https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a33...
What we see here is the culture wars at work. Trying to repaint red-pilling as either a metaphor for transgenderism or shifting it to mean kooky conspiracy believers is blatantly trying to warp culture for an agenda. In his book David Neiwert tries and fails to do this.
He starts by listing a series of lone-wolf right-wing terror attacks, held in isolation but all of them hooked to right-wing beliefs. While this is true, what is jarring is how for the rest of the book David tries to tie these all to Trump. There is an entire cottage industry of altright/Trump non-fiction where authors try to give their readers the real scoop on the fascists in our midst, but these books ultimately are nothing more than fear-mongering. They're often not even coherent. For example, David attempts to show that believing that certain minorities commit more violent crime than whites is a right wing fallacy, but instead of providing alternative facts he merely states this as if it is self-evidently wrong, and in doing so might prompt readers to do what he warns against, which is to investigate themselves, leading them down the right-wing (read: Nazi) rabbit hole. Towards the end of the book he tries to outline how to bring back people who have been 'red-pilled' but the whole time I couldn't help but think how the same tactics could be used to persuade adamant liberals away from their Russia-gate theories. His links are all so tenuous, and all his sources end up in circles of speculation that it's quite sad to admit that I read this book.
Fundamentally, the red-pill is a metaphor that can be used in any sense, but for such obvious twisting of the truth here it is stunning that this trash can get published. This is a spiteful little tome that should never have seen the light of day, but unfortunately fake news has bled into fake publishing, and it is a crime against culture and memory. You may not be interested in the culture wars, but they are interested in you. History is written by the victors....
September 7, 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 the hell out of this book as it was useful for me in a recent paper where I had to asses a lot of data concerning conspiracy theories. Also appreciated the ending chapter containing a sort of step-by-step guide to aiding a family member or friend that has found themselves in this hole and how to engage in conversations with them about this (from a position of care). Overall I think this book’s strong point is its ease of readability—psychological theories are defined and broken down for readers to understand, and I found the chapters effectively structured.
I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in misinformation, the rise of conspiratorial thinking (and how disillusionment and isolation are the warning signs leading to this), understanding the types of theories and conspiracies central to their causes (like NWO, QAnon, incel culture, “cultural Marxism”, etc.) & general concern for how to combat this.
I have colour-tabbed the hell out of this book as it was useful for me in a recent paper where I had to asses a lot of data concerning conspiracy theories. Also appreciated the ending chapter containing a sort of step-by-step guide to aiding a family member or friend that has found themselves in this hole and how to engage in conversations with them about this (from a position of care). Overall I think this book’s strong point is its ease of readability—psychological theories are defined and broken down for readers to understand, and I found the chapters effectively structured.
I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in misinformation, the rise of conspiratorial thinking (and how disillusionment and isolation are the warning signs leading to this), understanding the types of theories and conspiracies central to their causes (like NWO, QAnon, incel culture, “cultural Marxism”, etc.) & general concern for how to combat this.
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 David Neiwert’s latest deserves an extraordinary amount of credit for this. That being said, I did have two ‘sticking points’ in reading this book. First, I wondered if it felt too rushed, if some areas of analysis were glossed over too quickly and in other areas some concepts and ideas were not as appropriately fleshed out as they ought to be. My second ‘sticking point’, directly resulting from the first, is in an area where Neiwert is somewhat unclear. This is in his grouping of prior extremist attackers in Elliot Rodger and Alek Minassian amongst other extremist actors such as Dylann Roof and Brenton Tarrant. Neiwert does not seem to specify clearly whether he believes the two former actors are in the same category as the others for their all having been inspired by, ultimately, conspiracy theories, or whether he genuinely believes the conspiracy theories and ideologies which drove them all to act are indistinguishable from each other (for various reasons, they are not).
This latter detail is unlikely to irk anyone not especially familiar with these subject matters, but personally I found it grating in its frustration and the extent to which it is unclear.
Lastly, and this is primarily from a place of my having researched this incident very specifically and thoroughly due to various proximities (my being a researcher on far-right, being Australian, being uniquely familiar with various groups inspiring the actor in question), Neiwert’s understandings of the inspirations and context of Brenton Tarrant (perpetrator of the Christchurch terror attacks, 2019) are flawed in their being incomplete or, in a few cases, wrong. For example, Neiwert states Tarrant’s upbringing was in NSW (correct) but infers that his town of birth is in the same Australian state as cities Brisbane and Gold Coast (incorrect, both QLD, a state north of NSW).
All of this being said, however, Neiwert is a uniquely insightful and experienced researcher and journalist working in the field relating to right-wing extremism and, by extension, conspiracy theory, and for its measured approach to advocating for deradicalisation as effective means to counter extremism and conspiracy theorising respectively this book is a great read I’d happily recommend.
This latter detail is unlikely to irk anyone not especially familiar with these subject matters, but personally I found it grating in its frustration and the extent to which it is unclear.
Lastly, and this is primarily from a place of my having researched this incident very specifically and thoroughly due to various proximities (my being a researcher on far-right, being Australian, being uniquely familiar with various groups inspiring the actor in question), Neiwert’s understandings of the inspirations and context of Brenton Tarrant (perpetrator of the Christchurch terror attacks, 2019) are flawed in their being incomplete or, in a few cases, wrong. For example, Neiwert states Tarrant’s upbringing was in NSW (correct) but infers that his town of birth is in the same Australian state as cities Brisbane and Gold Coast (incorrect, both QLD, a state north of NSW).
All of this being said, however, Neiwert is a uniquely insightful and experienced researcher and journalist working in the field relating to right-wing extremism and, by extension, conspiracy theory, and for its measured approach to advocating for deradicalisation as effective means to counter extremism and conspiracy theorising respectively this book is a great read I’d happily recommend.
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.
January 15, 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 the problem. In the end the best the author can come up with is something that feels a lot like a twelve step program for people who have become addicted to conspiracy theories. Twelve step programs are great, but they are better at helping individuals recover from addiiction than they are curing the problems that cause substance abuse to begin with. I want a social solution to the problem of extremist polarization fueled by conspiracy theories. Surely there must be one somewhere. I don't know what it is, but I know that I didn't find it here.
April 16, 2025
Mi sono dimenticata di pubblicare gli aggiornamenti, ma "recupero" con la recensione!
Libro, a mio parere, importantissimo soprattutto per l'ultimo capitolo: il vademecum per comunicare e riportare alla luce della ragione il complottista (fatelo solo se la persona che avete momentaneamente perso è una a cui tenete tanto).
Libro, a mio parere, importantissimo soprattutto per l'ultimo capitolo: il vademecum per comunicare e riportare alla luce della ragione il complottista (fatelo solo se la persona che avete momentaneamente perso è una a cui tenete tanto).
February 19, 2021
This three-star review is in reference to the audiobook only. The book itself earns at least 4, but the narrator read like he was auditioning to be the next Tom Brokaw. It was so weird! He added stilted auditory punctuation to every sentence that was so confusing and distracting that I almost quit the book several times. I will never listen to another book narrated by Matthew Josdal.
February 17, 2021
SUMMARY: An excellent book on extremism and conspiracy theories in America, and how we can treat them. A little unpolished, but invaluable - with a great Bibliography.
The book is a passionate but ragged thing. I felt it needed some more editorial work, maybe shorten a few sections, some different formatting choices, etc. At the same time the book has a rawness that helps communicate the importance - I'll take that over perfection. In some ways the rawness adds a kind of "punk" feel of doing its own thing and not trying to play nice, all wrapped in excellent writing.
Neiwart walks us through some introductions and history, then individual cases of extremists. From there he goes into the history of conspiratorial thinking in America, and then looks at our current insanity as of 2021. Neiwart does an excellent job of showing the timeline of how we got here - and it took decades.
After addressing this there is a useful - but all too-short - section on how to address the raging conspiratorial thinking in America. It's surprisingly hopefuly and has useful visions for how we can help - but it's an all-hands-on-deck job.
This is recommended reading for anyone that studies conspiratorial thinking, and who hopes to help friends and family out of extremism. It's not the end-all of the subject, but a pretty good start and overview.
The book is a passionate but ragged thing. I felt it needed some more editorial work, maybe shorten a few sections, some different formatting choices, etc. At the same time the book has a rawness that helps communicate the importance - I'll take that over perfection. In some ways the rawness adds a kind of "punk" feel of doing its own thing and not trying to play nice, all wrapped in excellent writing.
Neiwart walks us through some introductions and history, then individual cases of extremists. From there he goes into the history of conspiratorial thinking in America, and then looks at our current insanity as of 2021. Neiwart does an excellent job of showing the timeline of how we got here - and it took decades.
After addressing this there is a useful - but all too-short - section on how to address the raging conspiratorial thinking in America. It's surprisingly hopefuly and has useful visions for how we can help - but it's an all-hands-on-deck job.
This is recommended reading for anyone that studies conspiratorial thinking, and who hopes to help friends and family out of extremism. It's not the end-all of the subject, but a pretty good start and overview.
October 9, 2020
Neiwert covers his topic of alt-right terror organizations and conspiracy theories with his usual scholarship and flair. This book feels like something of a continuation of his other work "Alt-America", this time focusing in on the conspiracy theories that radicalize the furthest and most hateful fringes of the Right. Something that sets this apart from other books chronicling the history of these hate groups is a section towards the end with advice and suggestions about how we as a society and as individuals can stop the spread of these dangerous "theories". I enjoy the way Neiwert writes, I just wish his topics of research weren't so distressingly prevalent.
November 18, 2020
While a worthwhile subject, it wasn't an easy read.....often reads like a clinical textbook.
November 29, 2021
David Neiwert's most recent book builds on his decades of writing about the political right in the U.S., and is a timely and readable book. It suffers significantly from a "Chapter 10 Problem" whereby the final section, purportedly dedicated to solutions to the challenges described, is very obviously not up to the task.
Anna Merlin's Republic of Lies is the conspiracy book that seems to have caught the zeitgeist, but Red Pill, Blue Pill is an engaging and thoughtful read, typical of Neiwert. If you've read his stuff, you will not be surprised that he starts by tracing some of the current conspiracies back through the 1990s when many of the same ideas where being shared through the old Patriot/militia networks, which Neiwert has written about ad nauseum.
He is hardly the first to observe that the rise of the internet has had a profound impact on how easy it is to spread these beliefs, and the ways that algorithms on social media or Youtube act as feeders, responding to financial incentives to share more and more extreme content with viewers.
He identifies similar radicalization arcs with many of the shooters who have committed atrocities in recent years, such as Dylann Roof (South Carolina church) and Stephen Paddock (Las Vegas concert). (How sad that these events have become so commonplace that the parentheticals are necessary to remind us which psycho goes with which massacre.) The first-person description of one of the survivors of Stephen Paddock's spree was the best part of the book for me - completing gripping reading.
There seems to be a substantial segment of our population that are susceptible to this kind of conspiracism, and some number of those people take it upon themselves to act on their beliefs in violent and shocking ways on an increasingly regular basis. This book was published before the events of January 6, 2021, but that display would seem to be in keeping with the expanding scale of this problem.
It is impossible now for me to drive to my daycare in my small town and not see cars or houses adorned with flags indicating belief in Q-ANON, 3 percenter nonsense, or other weird Trump stuff. A decade ago, this all would have seemed very fringe. If you did subscribe to these beliefs, you kept your paraphernalia in the basement. Now it's everywhere.
Which brings me to the Chapter 10 Problem. Neiwert appears to be writing in his concluding section for people with loved ones consumed by conspiracism, who wish to try to bring them back around to reality. He suggests a laborious sort of 12-step program of compassionate listening and gentle challenging, occurring over a long period of time. This may in fact be the best hope if you have a parent or grandparent or other loved one caught up in this stuff, and it at least offers a little hope that you can salvage your relationships.
But on the larger, societal level, it doesn't give us much to go on. These beliefs are widespread. Social media content creators are unlikely to stop or be reined in. One major political party is incentivized to stoke this discontent. Weapons of war are easily available.
The next combustion is just a matter of time.
Anna Merlin's Republic of Lies is the conspiracy book that seems to have caught the zeitgeist, but Red Pill, Blue Pill is an engaging and thoughtful read, typical of Neiwert. If you've read his stuff, you will not be surprised that he starts by tracing some of the current conspiracies back through the 1990s when many of the same ideas where being shared through the old Patriot/militia networks, which Neiwert has written about ad nauseum.
He is hardly the first to observe that the rise of the internet has had a profound impact on how easy it is to spread these beliefs, and the ways that algorithms on social media or Youtube act as feeders, responding to financial incentives to share more and more extreme content with viewers.
He identifies similar radicalization arcs with many of the shooters who have committed atrocities in recent years, such as Dylann Roof (South Carolina church) and Stephen Paddock (Las Vegas concert). (How sad that these events have become so commonplace that the parentheticals are necessary to remind us which psycho goes with which massacre.) The first-person description of one of the survivors of Stephen Paddock's spree was the best part of the book for me - completing gripping reading.
There seems to be a substantial segment of our population that are susceptible to this kind of conspiracism, and some number of those people take it upon themselves to act on their beliefs in violent and shocking ways on an increasingly regular basis. This book was published before the events of January 6, 2021, but that display would seem to be in keeping with the expanding scale of this problem.
It is impossible now for me to drive to my daycare in my small town and not see cars or houses adorned with flags indicating belief in Q-ANON, 3 percenter nonsense, or other weird Trump stuff. A decade ago, this all would have seemed very fringe. If you did subscribe to these beliefs, you kept your paraphernalia in the basement. Now it's everywhere.
Which brings me to the Chapter 10 Problem. Neiwert appears to be writing in his concluding section for people with loved ones consumed by conspiracism, who wish to try to bring them back around to reality. He suggests a laborious sort of 12-step program of compassionate listening and gentle challenging, occurring over a long period of time. This may in fact be the best hope if you have a parent or grandparent or other loved one caught up in this stuff, and it at least offers a little hope that you can salvage your relationships.
But on the larger, societal level, it doesn't give us much to go on. These beliefs are widespread. Social media content creators are unlikely to stop or be reined in. One major political party is incentivized to stoke this discontent. Weapons of war are easily available.
The next combustion is just a matter of time.
November 23, 2021
Mostly accurate in my estimation. A helpful guide in the radicalization process through conspiracy theory and their appeal. It would be a wholly marvelous book if not for two things:
1) I don't agree with the definition offered for a modern conspiracy theory, differentiating it from pre-9/11 conspiracy theories. Every time Neiwert asserts this claim, he goes on to list several historical examples that I do not find "almost wholly separate" from their modern counterparts. The biggest difference I can find is the speed of their spread and evolution today, but how is that very different from what happened with the introduction of radio and pirate radio stations (for example)? Remember the chaos when Orson Welles did a broadcast show of War of the Worlds and people panicked thinking it was real (despite the announcements that it was a drama)? Plus, Robert Evans' podcast Behind the Bastards did an excellent two-part episode on how the radio show host Joe Pine and successors changed and influenced right wing media, creating the monster it is today.
2) The last chapter is about how to pull people out of conspiratorial beliefs. I get their point that allowing people space to feel safe and save face makes the transition easier… But I wonder about the role of the Overton Window, and am reminded of the story of Derek Black. Derek's decision to leave the white supremacy movement, which he was being groomed to lead, was in large part due to the people who held spaces for him and challenged his beliefs. But he wasn't accepted by his college body at large, and I got the impression that that had to be part of the process. The fact that his beliefs were so repugnant to the majority, and that he was made to feel unwelcome for it; it gave him some doubt. And that doubt was what may have allowed for him to befriend those who challenged his views. He was made to feel uncomfortable, and so he sought those that would make space for him. I worry that if we didn't have the outright repugnance on campus, doesn't that allow space for the hate groups to propagate in the name of "free speech"? Don't we see enough of that already because of the permissiveness of several schools? Derek's story mentioned how just his presence--as a known white supremacist--at the college seemed to give perceived permission for other students to spread hate speech.
1) I don't agree with the definition offered for a modern conspiracy theory, differentiating it from pre-9/11 conspiracy theories. Every time Neiwert asserts this claim, he goes on to list several historical examples that I do not find "almost wholly separate" from their modern counterparts. The biggest difference I can find is the speed of their spread and evolution today, but how is that very different from what happened with the introduction of radio and pirate radio stations (for example)? Remember the chaos when Orson Welles did a broadcast show of War of the Worlds and people panicked thinking it was real (despite the announcements that it was a drama)? Plus, Robert Evans' podcast Behind the Bastards did an excellent two-part episode on how the radio show host Joe Pine and successors changed and influenced right wing media, creating the monster it is today.
2) The last chapter is about how to pull people out of conspiratorial beliefs. I get their point that allowing people space to feel safe and save face makes the transition easier… But I wonder about the role of the Overton Window, and am reminded of the story of Derek Black. Derek's decision to leave the white supremacy movement, which he was being groomed to lead, was in large part due to the people who held spaces for him and challenged his beliefs. But he wasn't accepted by his college body at large, and I got the impression that that had to be part of the process. The fact that his beliefs were so repugnant to the majority, and that he was made to feel unwelcome for it; it gave him some doubt. And that doubt was what may have allowed for him to befriend those who challenged his views. He was made to feel uncomfortable, and so he sought those that would make space for him. I worry that if we didn't have the outright repugnance on campus, doesn't that allow space for the hate groups to propagate in the name of "free speech"? Don't we see enough of that already because of the permissiveness of several schools? Derek's story mentioned how just his presence--as a known white supremacist--at the college seemed to give perceived permission for other students to spread hate speech.
July 11, 2022
It's a shame this book has issues, because there is some great advice in it for deradicalizing people from far right conspiracy theories. The tips and advice for doing so - and it's hard to blame the author for this, because the book came out just before the following information was revealed to the public - is presented, in part, by super questionable sources. For example, a section about how important mutual trust is in deradicalizing people contains numerous quotes from CV Hitolo-Haddad, who had, it turned out, been lying about their race for quite a while (see: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/17/us/wis...), which is a shame because the points they make are valid and, in my opinion, good, just incredibly ironically, badly sourced.
If the point of this book is to largely convince those veering into alt-right conspiracy theories to pull themselves out before they get in to far, I can't really recommend it. The first half of the book is a very detailed review of the many, many mass killings these conspiracy theorists have committed, followed by the aforementioned unfortunately badly sourced info about how to help these people. It was an interesting read, and I don't fault the author for not knowing about some issues about his sources prior to publication, but this topic should probably be revisted in the future with less problematic sources.
David Neiwert is worth reading, but I'd skip this one and go read "Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump" instead.
If the point of this book is to largely convince those veering into alt-right conspiracy theories to pull themselves out before they get in to far, I can't really recommend it. The first half of the book is a very detailed review of the many, many mass killings these conspiracy theorists have committed, followed by the aforementioned unfortunately badly sourced info about how to help these people. It was an interesting read, and I don't fault the author for not knowing about some issues about his sources prior to publication, but this topic should probably be revisted in the future with less problematic sources.
David Neiwert is worth reading, but I'd skip this one and go read "Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump" instead.
January 23, 2021
If you're already pretty familiar with conspiracies/right wing violence and want to get to the "what to do about it" part, you can probably skip ahead to chapters 6-9.
You can definitely skip chapter 3 if you think repeated stories of mass violence are likely to upset you. You won't miss too much of his argument; he's basically just building the case that this shit matters because conspiracy theories and internet radicalization are linked to extreme cases of violence, and you get all of the build up to the violent scenes in chapter 2.
Chapter 9 is the most important imo, and if I was rating that chapter alone I would give it 5 stars.
Neiwert does address the role of toxic masculinity in many cases of radicalization, but I think there's more to be said/researched about what the deradicalization process looks like if the person trying to do the deradicalizing is perceived to be of a less authoritative status or is a member of a group who is the subject of conspiracy theories. I think the ideas he presents are helpful, and he does preface them with a warning that they wont guarantee success, but I definitely kept in mind while reading that being a woman will impact how I'm perceived and possibly how effective my efforts are if/when I do try to implement them with people in my life.
You can definitely skip chapter 3 if you think repeated stories of mass violence are likely to upset you. You won't miss too much of his argument; he's basically just building the case that this shit matters because conspiracy theories and internet radicalization are linked to extreme cases of violence, and you get all of the build up to the violent scenes in chapter 2.
Chapter 9 is the most important imo, and if I was rating that chapter alone I would give it 5 stars.
Neiwert does address the role of toxic masculinity in many cases of radicalization, but I think there's more to be said/researched about what the deradicalization process looks like if the person trying to do the deradicalizing is perceived to be of a less authoritative status or is a member of a group who is the subject of conspiracy theories. I think the ideas he presents are helpful, and he does preface them with a warning that they wont guarantee success, but I definitely kept in mind while reading that being a woman will impact how I'm perceived and possibly how effective my efforts are if/when I do try to implement them with people in my life.
January 6, 2021
Overall a good read and worthwhile I think. The first half of the book devotes far too much content to tracing the path that a variety of different perpetrators of violence took to conspiracist views that were linked to their violence. That those extremists all followed pathways with similar hallmarks was important groundwork but the amount of content spent on it seemed disproportionately long and insufficiently necessary to the real meat of the book which is the last half; which covers the wider societal trends (particularly how online content algorithms drive people to conspiracism in the pursuit of "engagement") and what, if anything, can be done to rescue people who've descended into conspiracism.
That last half of the book, to my reading at least, was interesting and occasionally insightful but relied on too few sources who all happened (it seemed) to present more or less the same message without much diversity or variation.
That last half of the book, to my reading at least, was interesting and occasionally insightful but relied on too few sources who all happened (it seemed) to present more or less the same message without much diversity or variation.
January 16, 2025
This book provided a fairly comprehensive (fairly, not entirely) catalog of extremist groups, conspiracy theories, and acts of terrorism in the US over the last 40ish, but primarily 10-15 years. At the 70-75% mark I realized the subtitle was “how to counteract” these but that was hardly discussed, if at all. I am a fat, gay, historically poor, white person in a large metropolitan city in the US- I’ve definitely heard of these things and it made me a bit annoyed that there was way less discussion about what to do about them than there was to explain how white men turn into Nazis……especially with the inauguration coming up next week, I wish I’d spend the last week reading something…..better. It wasn’t bad but again it just kind of fed into the like “ok so this happens and very often but we can’t do anything about it” feedback loop which feels icky.
July 5, 2023
Maybe this is unfair, but might have been four stars if the audiobook narrator had been better and not mispronounced so many words. While I wish the "counteract" part of the title had occurred earlier in the book--it took a long time to wade through the domestic terrorism muck--I do appreciate how Neiwert thoroughly documented how much of a problem this kind of thinking is. I also appreciate that Neiwart remained fairly objective (except regarding issues like, y'know, mass murder). It's a bit of a slog at points but definitely worth it.
August 31, 2025
2.5 stars. Two-thirds of the book was just a recounting of famous massacres perpetrated by conspiracy theorists. Only the last 1/4 to 1/3 of the book is about the purported title. Those bits were useful, but could have just been a standalone essay.
Also: a note on the audiobook. Was among the worst, most stilted readings of an audiobook I’ve ever heard. Narrator sounded like he was trying to make every sentence have secret hidden, serious meaning. But ended up just being a slog to get through. Really bad.
Also: a note on the audiobook. Was among the worst, most stilted readings of an audiobook I’ve ever heard. Narrator sounded like he was trying to make every sentence have secret hidden, serious meaning. But ended up just being a slog to get through. Really bad.
November 23, 2022
A worryingly accurate portrait of how a conspiracy theory can lead a person down the worst path.
Granted a very American book but some of it can be seen globally, hence the 4 star rating. This delves into how a theory can start, those who might lean into said theory, how they find or manipulate those into believing their narrative and also so not all doom and gloom, ways to help those who fell down the rabbit hole before it is too late.
Granted a very American book but some of it can be seen globally, hence the 4 star rating. This delves into how a theory can start, those who might lean into said theory, how they find or manipulate those into believing their narrative and also so not all doom and gloom, ways to help those who fell down the rabbit hole before it is too late.
April 16, 2021
I've been following David Neiwert for years. His writing has been invaluable in understanding the alt-right. This book is a good history of the violence that conspiracy theories and Qanon can provoke.
It did not spend as much time as I would have liked covering how to combat these theories, with only the final chapter covering that topic.
It did not spend as much time as I would have liked covering how to combat these theories, with only the final chapter covering that topic.
January 28, 2021
As a person with little knowledge or experience in conspiracy theories, I really appreciate the mix of stories and analysis. I found the reality based suggestions for talking to people I know who are going down the rabbit hole particularly useful.
March 4, 2021
I respect David Neiwert's work on this subject but the presentation here is really unorganized. It seems like we skip from Las Vegas to Joseph McCarthy to the role of anti-semitism in conspiracy theories without an obvious set up for why these particular things are grouped in this section.
October 19, 2022
An excellent book about a difficult subject. One of the few books on the conspirasphere that is totally reasoned and, while some events described are shocking, the book does not slip into sensationalism.
October 22, 2021
Excellent, but doesn't age very well - very 'of its time'.
November 10, 2021
The narrator for the audiobook was terrible, and I wish there was more practical advice, but overall it was interesting.
December 11, 2021
A really insightful view into the crazy world we exist in now. Some thought provoking stuff if you have someone close who has been sucked in.
Read
February 5, 2022Audiobook, only got 30% thru. Couldn’t take the guy’s voice and the content was boring/annoying. If I find it in book form might try again
April 23, 2022
Shocking.
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