What do you think?
Rate this book
Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect
The Earth is flat, the World Trade Center collapse was a controlled demolition, planes are spraying poison to control the weather, and actors faked the Sandy Hook massacre….
All these claims are bunk: falsehoods, mistakes, and in some cases, outright lies. But many people passionately believe one or more of these conspiracy theories. They consume countless books and videos, join like-minded online communities, try to convert those around them, and even, on occasion, alienate their own friends and family. Why is this, and how can you help people, especially those closest to you, break free from the downward spiral of conspiracy thinking?
In Escaping the Rabbit Hole, author Mick West shares over a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience investigating and debunking false conspiracy theories through his forum, MetaBunk.org, and sets forth a practical guide to helping friends and loved ones recognize these theories for what they really are.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, the most successful approaches to helping individuals escape a rabbit hole aren’t comprised of simply explaining why they are wrong; rather, West’s tried-and-tested approach emphasizes clear communication based on mutual respect, honesty, openness, and patience.
West puts his debunking techniques and best practices to the test with four of the most popular false conspiracy theories today (Chemtrails, 9/11 Controlled Demolition, False Flags, and Flat Earth) — providing road maps to help you to understand your friend and help them escape the rabbit hole. These are accompanied by real-life case studies of individuals who, with help, were able to break free from conspiracism.
With sections on:
the wide spectrum of conspiracy theories
avoiding the “shill” label
psychological factors and other complications
(and concluding with) a look at the future of debunking
Mick West has put forth a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape.
All these claims are bunk: falsehoods, mistakes, and in some cases, outright lies. But many people passionately believe one or more of these conspiracy theories. They consume countless books and videos, join like-minded online communities, try to convert those around them, and even, on occasion, alienate their own friends and family. Why is this, and how can you help people, especially those closest to you, break free from the downward spiral of conspiracy thinking?
In Escaping the Rabbit Hole, author Mick West shares over a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience investigating and debunking false conspiracy theories through his forum, MetaBunk.org, and sets forth a practical guide to helping friends and loved ones recognize these theories for what they really are.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, the most successful approaches to helping individuals escape a rabbit hole aren’t comprised of simply explaining why they are wrong; rather, West’s tried-and-tested approach emphasizes clear communication based on mutual respect, honesty, openness, and patience.
West puts his debunking techniques and best practices to the test with four of the most popular false conspiracy theories today (Chemtrails, 9/11 Controlled Demolition, False Flags, and Flat Earth) — providing road maps to help you to understand your friend and help them escape the rabbit hole. These are accompanied by real-life case studies of individuals who, with help, were able to break free from conspiracism.
With sections on:
the wide spectrum of conspiracy theories
avoiding the “shill” label
psychological factors and other complications
(and concluding with) a look at the future of debunking
Mick West has put forth a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 18, 2018
206 people are currently reading
2201 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
July 6, 2025
THE CONSPIRACY ICEBERG
This book is a practical guide to deprogramming your friend or family member. In order to get to grips with the whole thing we have to start by understanding this other conspiratorial way of thinking, beginning with the conspiracy iceberg. I thought this was a useful way to think about conspiracy theories. There’s a hierarchy. At the top is the almost reasonable, and the bottom is the clearly batshit. This is Mick’s little list:
1. Big Pharma – they conspire to sell drugs that people don’t actually need.
2. Global warming – it’s a hoax.
3. JFK – blah blah
4. 9/11 – it was an inside job.
5. Chemtrails – they are putting something sinister into the atmosphere.
6. False flag shootings – the LA and the Sandy Hook shootings were false flag fakes.
7. Moon landing – look at the shadows, sheeple
8. UFO cover up – blah blah
9. Flat earth – now you’re talking
10. Reptile overlords – yeah, those shapeshifting rascals. The Queen of England was one, you know. In fact the whole royal family.
It turns out that someone who believes in 9/11 theories thinks flat earthers are crazy and quite likely government shills paid to make decent conspiracy theorists looks like idiots.
Now the next excellent point : within the mainstream theories there are also hierarchies of believability. The 9/11 stuff gives the clearest example. The most believable version of that one says that the Bush government knew it was going to happen and deliberately allowed it. In this entry-level theory, you can agree on the rest of the official version, that the planes brought down the towers. The next set of 9/11 theories say the US government made the whole thing happen themselves, that it was a gigantic false flag operation. Controlled explosions, not planes, brought down the towers. Then down there in the bottom of the barrel are the “no-planers” : a group who thinks that all the television footage was faked, that nothing hit the towers and that all the screaming running crowds were paid actors and the planes were CGI. The mainstream truthers think these no-planers are either raving idiots or quite likely government shills paid to make decent conspiracy theorists looks like idiots.
In order to begin extracting your friend from the rabbit hole, says Mick, you need to locate their demarcation point – the line where they say this bit is what I believe, but that bit is silly. And then you can start investigating the bit of the believed theory that is closest to the demarcation line, and start to move the demarcation line inch by inch towards reasonableness. It might take a long time, and you have to do it with maximum respect. No name calling. No sneering!
YOU ARE MIRRORED IN THE EYES OF YOUR OPPONENT
He says you have to remember that the conspiracy believer thinks you have been fooled by bad information into believing something that is clearly impossible. Hey, just exactly what YOU think about HIM. So, proceed with caution. You can let him try to convert you. You can restate his argument and improve it! This reminded me of the Stones’ 19th Nervous Breakdown
On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after a while I realized you were disarranging mine
IT WON’T BE EASY
For example, the difficulty in rebutting the truthers’ controlled demolition 9/11 theory is that this was a unique building collapse, so when they all say well, it just doesn’t look right, how could they fall down so neatly we can’t point to other examples where 102 storey buildings fell down.
THREE COMPLAINTS, KIND OF
This is a pretty good well meaning book but of course there were a couple of things wrong with it. Mick began his debunking by spending years investigating chemtrails so this is his big expertise, and I myself wouldn’t care if twenty chemtrails fell on my house, I have zero interest, so pages 85 to 128 were useless, and should have been devoted to something of more general interest.
Also – a bigger question is glanced at but never confronted, which is : what kind of world do the truthers think we are living in? If the US government is so evil they will murder 3000 of their own citizens to provide themselves with a pretext for a couple of foreign invasions (that seems to be the gist of the argument) then – are Americans actually living in a democracy at all or is this elaborate Congress and elections and political parties set-up just shadowplay? If the deep state can steal one election, why won’t it steal the next election too? And by the way how come they allow all you truthers to run about undermining their total information control? And also by the way what are we supposed to do with all this truth? If enough people believe in the 9/11 theory will that mean we can rise up and catch the criminals and put them in prison? Is that the point?
Also – and this is probably true – in order to rebut most of the conspiracy theories you have to arm yourself with the most arcane knowledge, because that’s what the theorists do. When they quote Newton’s second law of thermodynamics at you
you tell them that Newton’s laws only apply to abstract point masses, and they will tell you that’s bullshit. You try to tell them about point masses versus rigid bodies versus articulated bodies, elastic versus inelastic collisions, conservation of momentum versus conservation of energy, potential energy in the building versus chemical energy from explosives, static force versus dynamic force, vertical support cross-sections, and the square-cube scaling law. They tell you that’s all a bunch of handwaving because they think “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” proves the buildings could not have simply collapsed as they did.
THERE’S PROBABLY A CUTE NAME FOR THIS FALLACY
The 9/11 theorists can’t abide the idea that 19 guys with box cutters caused all that horror. It can’t have happened like that, there must be something more to it.
This is the same thing as thinking that weaselly nobody Lee Harvey Oswald could not have killed JFK either at all or by himself. One nasty little guy killing the most powerful man in the world? Come on. Must be more to it than that.
I LIKED THIS
The common concession in debates that “the truth is somewhere in the middle is a fallacy. The world is not half flat
I BELIEVE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND I LOVE THE FBI AND THE CIA
Non-theorists are always in the invidious position of sort of more or less accepting the Official Version of 9/ll or climate change or vaccinations, etc, for which we are continually mocked. It’s cooler to be a conspiracist.
This book is a practical guide to deprogramming your friend or family member. In order to get to grips with the whole thing we have to start by understanding this other conspiratorial way of thinking, beginning with the conspiracy iceberg. I thought this was a useful way to think about conspiracy theories. There’s a hierarchy. At the top is the almost reasonable, and the bottom is the clearly batshit. This is Mick’s little list:
1. Big Pharma – they conspire to sell drugs that people don’t actually need.
2. Global warming – it’s a hoax.
3. JFK – blah blah
4. 9/11 – it was an inside job.
5. Chemtrails – they are putting something sinister into the atmosphere.
6. False flag shootings – the LA and the Sandy Hook shootings were false flag fakes.
7. Moon landing – look at the shadows, sheeple
8. UFO cover up – blah blah
9. Flat earth – now you’re talking
10. Reptile overlords – yeah, those shapeshifting rascals. The Queen of England was one, you know. In fact the whole royal family.
It turns out that someone who believes in 9/11 theories thinks flat earthers are crazy and quite likely government shills paid to make decent conspiracy theorists looks like idiots.
Now the next excellent point : within the mainstream theories there are also hierarchies of believability. The 9/11 stuff gives the clearest example. The most believable version of that one says that the Bush government knew it was going to happen and deliberately allowed it. In this entry-level theory, you can agree on the rest of the official version, that the planes brought down the towers. The next set of 9/11 theories say the US government made the whole thing happen themselves, that it was a gigantic false flag operation. Controlled explosions, not planes, brought down the towers. Then down there in the bottom of the barrel are the “no-planers” : a group who thinks that all the television footage was faked, that nothing hit the towers and that all the screaming running crowds were paid actors and the planes were CGI. The mainstream truthers think these no-planers are either raving idiots or quite likely government shills paid to make decent conspiracy theorists looks like idiots.
In order to begin extracting your friend from the rabbit hole, says Mick, you need to locate their demarcation point – the line where they say this bit is what I believe, but that bit is silly. And then you can start investigating the bit of the believed theory that is closest to the demarcation line, and start to move the demarcation line inch by inch towards reasonableness. It might take a long time, and you have to do it with maximum respect. No name calling. No sneering!
YOU ARE MIRRORED IN THE EYES OF YOUR OPPONENT
He says you have to remember that the conspiracy believer thinks you have been fooled by bad information into believing something that is clearly impossible. Hey, just exactly what YOU think about HIM. So, proceed with caution. You can let him try to convert you. You can restate his argument and improve it! This reminded me of the Stones’ 19th Nervous Breakdown
On our first trip I tried so hard to rearrange your mind
But after a while I realized you were disarranging mine
IT WON’T BE EASY
For example, the difficulty in rebutting the truthers’ controlled demolition 9/11 theory is that this was a unique building collapse, so when they all say well, it just doesn’t look right, how could they fall down so neatly we can’t point to other examples where 102 storey buildings fell down.
THREE COMPLAINTS, KIND OF
This is a pretty good well meaning book but of course there were a couple of things wrong with it. Mick began his debunking by spending years investigating chemtrails so this is his big expertise, and I myself wouldn’t care if twenty chemtrails fell on my house, I have zero interest, so pages 85 to 128 were useless, and should have been devoted to something of more general interest.
Also – a bigger question is glanced at but never confronted, which is : what kind of world do the truthers think we are living in? If the US government is so evil they will murder 3000 of their own citizens to provide themselves with a pretext for a couple of foreign invasions (that seems to be the gist of the argument) then – are Americans actually living in a democracy at all or is this elaborate Congress and elections and political parties set-up just shadowplay? If the deep state can steal one election, why won’t it steal the next election too? And by the way how come they allow all you truthers to run about undermining their total information control? And also by the way what are we supposed to do with all this truth? If enough people believe in the 9/11 theory will that mean we can rise up and catch the criminals and put them in prison? Is that the point?
Also – and this is probably true – in order to rebut most of the conspiracy theories you have to arm yourself with the most arcane knowledge, because that’s what the theorists do. When they quote Newton’s second law of thermodynamics at you
you tell them that Newton’s laws only apply to abstract point masses, and they will tell you that’s bullshit. You try to tell them about point masses versus rigid bodies versus articulated bodies, elastic versus inelastic collisions, conservation of momentum versus conservation of energy, potential energy in the building versus chemical energy from explosives, static force versus dynamic force, vertical support cross-sections, and the square-cube scaling law. They tell you that’s all a bunch of handwaving because they think “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” proves the buildings could not have simply collapsed as they did.
THERE’S PROBABLY A CUTE NAME FOR THIS FALLACY
The 9/11 theorists can’t abide the idea that 19 guys with box cutters caused all that horror. It can’t have happened like that, there must be something more to it.
This is the same thing as thinking that weaselly nobody Lee Harvey Oswald could not have killed JFK either at all or by himself. One nasty little guy killing the most powerful man in the world? Come on. Must be more to it than that.
I LIKED THIS
The common concession in debates that “the truth is somewhere in the middle is a fallacy. The world is not half flat
I BELIEVE IN THE GOVERNMENT AND I LOVE THE FBI AND THE CIA
Non-theorists are always in the invidious position of sort of more or less accepting the Official Version of 9/ll or climate change or vaccinations, etc, for which we are continually mocked. It’s cooler to be a conspiracist.
September 2, 2018
From the title alone, one may deem the thrust of this book to be an attack on those who believe in what are commonly referred to as conspiracy theories. Right from the start, author Mick West explains the book advocates respect and discussion, and is not presenting a hard-nosed offense against different viewpoints. This theme is reiterated throughout each chapter. The term “rabbit hole” describes what happens when a person begins researching different theories, and how easy it can be to become lost inside its depths.
It is refreshing to read a book that educates without the shrillness I’ve come to expect when venturing on websites that debate topics discussed in “Escaping the Rabbit Hole.” While touching on other theories, Mr. West addresses four of the most prominent: chemtrails, 9/11 (controlled detonations), flat earth, and false flags. He presents the points brought up by the conspiracy theory sites and moves on to debunk them, all the while advising readers how to talk with friends (or family) in an effort to guide them out of their personal rabbit holes.
My own history, which does not involve actively reviewing the sites and proponents of these theories, is that I have entertained questions concerning some of them. For instance, I do see contrails and have witnessed them spread over the skies; thus, I wonder if there is chemical spraying going on and are my food and garden safe. The book gave me a ton of information, more than I could hope for. In fact, I found myself researching both sides of the discussions, my Kindle propped up next to my computer as I cross-referenced data.
I also gained many insights on how to help friends and family members who have fallen down their own rabbit holes. I have already used some of these recommendations, and even though the author warns the turnaround could take a long time, I am encouraged by the initial results.
This book has value for just about anyone, but especially people like me looking for ideas to help others, and those who are beginning to question the beliefs they have formed. There are hundreds of links to information supporting Mr. West’s book, and it is a thoughtful as well as helpful resource. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an advance complimentary copy of this book.
It is refreshing to read a book that educates without the shrillness I’ve come to expect when venturing on websites that debate topics discussed in “Escaping the Rabbit Hole.” While touching on other theories, Mr. West addresses four of the most prominent: chemtrails, 9/11 (controlled detonations), flat earth, and false flags. He presents the points brought up by the conspiracy theory sites and moves on to debunk them, all the while advising readers how to talk with friends (or family) in an effort to guide them out of their personal rabbit holes.
My own history, which does not involve actively reviewing the sites and proponents of these theories, is that I have entertained questions concerning some of them. For instance, I do see contrails and have witnessed them spread over the skies; thus, I wonder if there is chemical spraying going on and are my food and garden safe. The book gave me a ton of information, more than I could hope for. In fact, I found myself researching both sides of the discussions, my Kindle propped up next to my computer as I cross-referenced data.
I also gained many insights on how to help friends and family members who have fallen down their own rabbit holes. I have already used some of these recommendations, and even though the author warns the turnaround could take a long time, I am encouraged by the initial results.
This book has value for just about anyone, but especially people like me looking for ideas to help others, and those who are beginning to question the beliefs they have formed. There are hundreds of links to information supporting Mr. West’s book, and it is a thoughtful as well as helpful resource. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for an advance complimentary copy of this book.
October 4, 2021
امتیاز ۳/۵
چگونه دوستان خود را از تلهی تئوری توطئه نجات دهیم؟
این میتونه عنوان دقیقتر این کتاب باشه. کتابی که نویسندهاش بیشتر از ده ساله که زندگیش رو دقیقاً وقف همین کار کرده - نجات آدمها از افکار و اعتقادات غلط با استفاده از حقایق
کی میتونه حس خاصی که عضو گروه متفاوتی بودن به آدم میده رو منکر بشه؟ همین که کتاب میخونید و خیلیها نمیخونند شما رو از بقیه به نحوی متمایز میکنه و در یک گروه خاص قرار میده. گروهی که شاید نخواید هیچوقت بهش اقرار کنید (منم نمیخوام) ولی در اعماق وجودتون این حس رو بهتون میده از بقیه به نحوی آگاهترید. گودریدز میاید که آدمهایی مثل خودتون رو پیدا کنید که حرفتون رو میفهمند و از همه مهمتر مشتاق شنیدنند. شاید بیرون از اینجا کنار دوستان قدیمیتون احساس تنهایی میکنید و اینجا حتی با غریبهها گاهی حس بهتری دارید. خب، یکی از دلایل عمیق اعتقاد به تئوریهای توطئه هم درست همینه
تصور اینکه در فرد در اقلیتی هست که از سازوکار این دنیای دیوانه سر درمیاد و چیزی که اکثریت مردم نسبت بهش کور و بیتفاوتند رو میبینه، بهش احساس خاص بودن و آگاه بودن میده. حسی که میتونه با با آدمهای همفکر شریک بشه و از تنهایی این زندگی کم کنه. این تئوری ممکنه در انتهای محور باشه. مثل صاف بودن زمین، خزندگان تغییرشکل دهنده که زمین رو اداره میکنند و دزدی سراسری کودکان دنیا در یک طرح بزرگ برای تعرض جنسی. یا میتونه در وسط محور قرار بگیره. مثل برنامه آلوده کردن هوا و تغییر اقلیم با پسدمهی هواپیما و بمبگذاری برجهای دوقلو در یازده سپتامبر
ولی در هر صورت باعث میشه افراد حس متفاوت بودن داشته باشند و خیلی اوقات همینه که میتونه قبول کردن اینکه اشتباه میکنند رو براشوت سخت کنه
داشتن این مدل طرز فکر در ابتدا بدون ضرر به نظر میرسه. هرکس هرجور دوست داره میتونه فکر کنه نه؟ ولی مشکل عمیقتر از این حرفهاست و این آدمها اصولاً به مرور زمان رادیکال میشن و تبدیل به تروریست یا گروههای خشونتطلب میشن (مثل بمبگذاری اکلاهما و حمله به مجلس آمریکا) و حتی سلامت جامعه رو به خطر میاندازن. مسئلهای که در مورد واکسیناسیون کرونا کاملاً مشکلزا شده
نویسنده در ابتدا در مورد افراد معتقد به اینگونه تئوریها صحبت میکنه و از جوانب مختلف بررسیشون میکنه. در بخش بعدی به سراغ بررسی و استدلال آوردن برای رد چند تئوری معروف میره و در آخر اهمیت این مسئله رو مخصوصاً در جهان تکنولوژی محور ما بررسی میکنه. کتاب برای من در قسمتهایی معمولی و خستهکننده و در قسمتهایی به شدت جالب بود. کاملاً بستگی داره به چه دلیلی دارید این کتاب رو مطالعه میکنید و اگر علاقهی خاصی به این مسئله نداشته باشید، احتمالاً براتون جالب نیست. من از استدلالها رو خیلی سطحی خوندم و بیشتر میخواستم بدونم چه مدل حقایقی برای رد این تئوریها وجود داره. اما خواندن تجربیات افراد از درگیر بودن در این قضیه و همچنین فصل آخر که جوانب امروزی مسئله رو بررسی میکنه، واقعا مفید بود
M's Books : کتاب و صوتیش رو هم اینجا گذاشتم
۱۴۰۰/۷/۱۲
چگونه دوستان خود را از تلهی تئوری توطئه نجات دهیم؟
این میتونه عنوان دقیقتر این کتاب باشه. کتابی که نویسندهاش بیشتر از ده ساله که زندگیش رو دقیقاً وقف همین کار کرده - نجات آدمها از افکار و اعتقادات غلط با استفاده از حقایق
کی میتونه حس خاصی که عضو گروه متفاوتی بودن به آدم میده رو منکر بشه؟ همین که کتاب میخونید و خیلیها نمیخونند شما رو از بقیه به نحوی متمایز میکنه و در یک گروه خاص قرار میده. گروهی که شاید نخواید هیچوقت بهش اقرار کنید (منم نمیخوام) ولی در اعماق وجودتون این حس رو بهتون میده از بقیه به نحوی آگاهترید. گودریدز میاید که آدمهایی مثل خودتون رو پیدا کنید که حرفتون رو میفهمند و از همه مهمتر مشتاق شنیدنند. شاید بیرون از اینجا کنار دوستان قدیمیتون احساس تنهایی میکنید و اینجا حتی با غریبهها گاهی حس بهتری دارید. خب، یکی از دلایل عمیق اعتقاد به تئوریهای توطئه هم درست همینه
تصور اینکه در فرد در اقلیتی هست که از سازوکار این دنیای دیوانه سر درمیاد و چیزی که اکثریت مردم نسبت بهش کور و بیتفاوتند رو میبینه، بهش احساس خاص بودن و آگاه بودن میده. حسی که میتونه با با آدمهای همفکر شریک بشه و از تنهایی این زندگی کم کنه. این تئوری ممکنه در انتهای محور باشه. مثل صاف بودن زمین، خزندگان تغییرشکل دهنده که زمین رو اداره میکنند و دزدی سراسری کودکان دنیا در یک طرح بزرگ برای تعرض جنسی. یا میتونه در وسط محور قرار بگیره. مثل برنامه آلوده کردن هوا و تغییر اقلیم با پسدمهی هواپیما و بمبگذاری برجهای دوقلو در یازده سپتامبر
ولی در هر صورت باعث میشه افراد حس متفاوت بودن داشته باشند و خیلی اوقات همینه که میتونه قبول کردن اینکه اشتباه میکنند رو براشوت سخت کنه
داشتن این مدل طرز فکر در ابتدا بدون ضرر به نظر میرسه. هرکس هرجور دوست داره میتونه فکر کنه نه؟ ولی مشکل عمیقتر از این حرفهاست و این آدمها اصولاً به مرور زمان رادیکال میشن و تبدیل به تروریست یا گروههای خشونتطلب میشن (مثل بمبگذاری اکلاهما و حمله به مجلس آمریکا) و حتی سلامت جامعه رو به خطر میاندازن. مسئلهای که در مورد واکسیناسیون کرونا کاملاً مشکلزا شده
نویسنده در ابتدا در مورد افراد معتقد به اینگونه تئوریها صحبت میکنه و از جوانب مختلف بررسیشون میکنه. در بخش بعدی به سراغ بررسی و استدلال آوردن برای رد چند تئوری معروف میره و در آخر اهمیت این مسئله رو مخصوصاً در جهان تکنولوژی محور ما بررسی میکنه. کتاب برای من در قسمتهایی معمولی و خستهکننده و در قسمتهایی به شدت جالب بود. کاملاً بستگی داره به چه دلیلی دارید این کتاب رو مطالعه میکنید و اگر علاقهی خاصی به این مسئله نداشته باشید، احتمالاً براتون جالب نیست. من از استدلالها رو خیلی سطحی خوندم و بیشتر میخواستم بدونم چه مدل حقایقی برای رد این تئوریها وجود داره. اما خواندن تجربیات افراد از درگیر بودن در این قضیه و همچنین فصل آخر که جوانب امروزی مسئله رو بررسی میکنه، واقعا مفید بود
M's Books : کتاب و صوتیش رو هم اینجا گذاشتم
۱۴۰۰/۷/۱۲
July 5, 2021
If you know someone who has fallen down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole, or are interested in conspiracy theories yourself, Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect is essential reading. Mick West is the creator of Metabunk, an online forum devoted to investigating and explaining various extraordinary claims, from Flat Earth to UFOs and beyond. What began as a side passion for debunking chemtrail and Morgellons claims burgeoned into 17+ years of carefully explaining the science behind the unending stream of bunk on the internet.
With this book, you'll not only come away conversant on some of the major conspiracy theories and their primary claims (and refutations of those specific claims), but will also have a better understanding for how conspiracy theories take hold in people's minds. The goal is to be an effective communicator and a positive influence when you encounter friends, family or even strangers online who pepper you with 9/11 trivia or stories about shadowy cabals. The recommendations boil down to three behaviors: 1) Maintain an effective dialogue. 2) Supply useful information. 3) Give it time.
One really useful illustration is that of the "demarcation line". Everyone has such a line that they draw through the field of available conspiracy theories: one side is populated with "reasonable" theories and the other with "ridiculous" notions (or more nefariously, disinformation). It's helpful to ask questions and find where your interlocutor draws that line, and then examine the logic that puts similar ideas on opposite sides of that line. Perhaps you'll help them better understand their own beliefs and kickstart the comparing and contrasting process that can lead someone out of the rabbit hole.
Along the way, you can model a willingness to engage and learn new things, to admit when you're wrong or don't know something, and point to helpful sources. You're not going to know everything yourself, especially with highly specific and often technical claims. Quality sources are of utmost importance when determining what's real, and establishing which sources are reliable will be a major focus. You may share an article from Snopes, only to be told sneeringly that Snopes is owned by George Soros (it's not). Okay, perhaps you can follow the source used by Snopes, or Wikipedia, or CNN, or that infographic you found (yeah, a lot of reading and due diligence is involved), and present that as more direct evidence. Many conspiracy believers suffer from a crippled epistemology, defined here as having "a sharply limited number of relevant information sources". Over time, you can encourage them to consider other sources, point out issues with their sources, or simply encourage them to Google more. Eventually, they may discover that one piece of information which changes their mind about one thing, which can cause a chain reaction of realizations. The goal, of course, is not to brainwash anyone, but that might be their suspicion. They may label you a paid shill, or a disinformation agent. West reminds us to remain patient, open and honest as we address such concerns, and to think of it as a misunderstanding rather than taking it personally.
There's a lot more here, including an interesting look at the history of the term "conspiracy theory" itself, stories from people who have left the rabbit hole (they exist!), specifics about chemtrails (I learned a lot of helpful info about ballast barrels and exhaust vs. aerodynamic contrials), 9/11 conspiracies, false flag beliefs, and Flat Earth... as well as what we should expect in the future as AI improves and formerly hard evidence such as video, audio and even online chat becomes less trustworthy. This book is a patient, methodical and clearly explained resource that will only become more relevant in our current world of QAnon and "fake news".
Want to learn more? I had the pleasure of interviewing the author for my podcast, which you can listen to here. We talk about recent UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) in the news, as well as the topics covered in this book.
With this book, you'll not only come away conversant on some of the major conspiracy theories and their primary claims (and refutations of those specific claims), but will also have a better understanding for how conspiracy theories take hold in people's minds. The goal is to be an effective communicator and a positive influence when you encounter friends, family or even strangers online who pepper you with 9/11 trivia or stories about shadowy cabals. The recommendations boil down to three behaviors: 1) Maintain an effective dialogue. 2) Supply useful information. 3) Give it time.
One really useful illustration is that of the "demarcation line". Everyone has such a line that they draw through the field of available conspiracy theories: one side is populated with "reasonable" theories and the other with "ridiculous" notions (or more nefariously, disinformation). It's helpful to ask questions and find where your interlocutor draws that line, and then examine the logic that puts similar ideas on opposite sides of that line. Perhaps you'll help them better understand their own beliefs and kickstart the comparing and contrasting process that can lead someone out of the rabbit hole.
Along the way, you can model a willingness to engage and learn new things, to admit when you're wrong or don't know something, and point to helpful sources. You're not going to know everything yourself, especially with highly specific and often technical claims. Quality sources are of utmost importance when determining what's real, and establishing which sources are reliable will be a major focus. You may share an article from Snopes, only to be told sneeringly that Snopes is owned by George Soros (it's not). Okay, perhaps you can follow the source used by Snopes, or Wikipedia, or CNN, or that infographic you found (yeah, a lot of reading and due diligence is involved), and present that as more direct evidence. Many conspiracy believers suffer from a crippled epistemology, defined here as having "a sharply limited number of relevant information sources". Over time, you can encourage them to consider other sources, point out issues with their sources, or simply encourage them to Google more. Eventually, they may discover that one piece of information which changes their mind about one thing, which can cause a chain reaction of realizations. The goal, of course, is not to brainwash anyone, but that might be their suspicion. They may label you a paid shill, or a disinformation agent. West reminds us to remain patient, open and honest as we address such concerns, and to think of it as a misunderstanding rather than taking it personally.
There's a lot more here, including an interesting look at the history of the term "conspiracy theory" itself, stories from people who have left the rabbit hole (they exist!), specifics about chemtrails (I learned a lot of helpful info about ballast barrels and exhaust vs. aerodynamic contrials), 9/11 conspiracies, false flag beliefs, and Flat Earth... as well as what we should expect in the future as AI improves and formerly hard evidence such as video, audio and even online chat becomes less trustworthy. This book is a patient, methodical and clearly explained resource that will only become more relevant in our current world of QAnon and "fake news".
Want to learn more? I had the pleasure of interviewing the author for my podcast, which you can listen to here. We talk about recent UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) in the news, as well as the topics covered in this book.
November 2, 2022
The Publisher Says: The Earth is flat, the World Trade Center collapse was a controlled demolition, planes are spraying poison to control the weather, and actors faked the Sandy Hook massacre….
All these claims are bunk: falsehoods, mistakes, and in some cases, outright lies. But many people passionately believe one or more of these conspiracy theories. They consume countless books and videos, join like-minded online communities, try to convert those around them, and even, on occasion, alienate their own friends and family. Why is this, and how can you help people, especially those closest to you, break free from the downward spiral of conspiracy thinking?
In Escaping the Rabbit Hole, author Mick West shares over a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience investigating and debunking false conspiracy theories through his forum, MetaBunk.org, and sets forth a practical guide to helping friends and loved ones recognize these theories for what they really are.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, the most successful approaches to helping individuals escape a rabbit hole aren’t comprised of simply explaining why they are wrong; rather, West’s tried-and-tested approach emphasizes clear communication based on mutual respect, honesty, openness, and patience.
West puts his debunking techniques and best practices to the test with four of the most popular false conspiracy theories today (Chemtrails, 9/11 Controlled Demolition, False Flags, and Flat Earth) — providing road maps to help you to understand your friend and help them escape the rabbit hole. These are accompanied by real-life case studies of individuals who, with help, were able to break free from conspiracism.
With sections on:
the wide spectrum of conspiracy theories
avoiding the “shill” label
psychological factors and other complications
(and concluding with) a look at the future of debunking
Mick West has put forth a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Okay, I thought as I read The Twittering Machine, I've got the stakes clear in my head and I know where I fall in relation to the problem of social media's misuses by conspiracists. Now what?
The reason I love social media, in a nutshell, is: This book's existence would never have made it to my attention without social media, specifically bookish social media eg, LibraryThing, Goodreads, and Edelweiss+. I am clear enough on the issues created that I saw immediately how useful this book's message and techniques would be to me. This leads me to a confession: I am very much in need of help figuring out how to speak to conspiracists respectfully, or even just politely. My contempt and derision for and of them is part of what entrenches their adherence to these beliefs. How better to express one's rejection of being rejected than to double down?
Help me Obi-Mick West, you're my only hope, I thought as I began this read. My prayers were answered with a "sure, no sweat there, Grasshopper." (Have I used enough ancient-history media references to make my age obvious? I got more if you want 'em.) Author West is clearly in the business of debunking for a considerable span (see his amazing site Metabunk.org). He's lauded by the publishers of Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer magazines, as well as producers of The David Pakman Show, The Skeptic Zone, and even The Joe Rogan Experience. He is, in short, in command of his material.
Finding someone else's words to make your central argument for you requires deep involvement in and command of the landscape you're describing. And describing the landscape is the first part of the task of teaching others what you know. An equally urgent need is to show the potential future debunkers what the stakes are, simply, directly, and convincingly:
What he does in the text that follows is provide simple and easily absorbed ways to get your embroiled friend or loved one to engage with you on their chosen "alternative facts" so you can get past the initial resistance that is inevitable. Anyone who seeks out alternative facts is already feeling lost, or powerless, or just fed up. The rabbit holes they fall down are coping mechanisms and become, like any group identification, part of their identity and sense of self and purpose in the world.
This is something literally all of us seek. Some choose religious affiliations to build social networks through; others politics; still others identity issues. All of us, without exception, build identities. It is here that Author West does something I very badly needed done: He states that conspiracists aren't stupid, as a rule, but simply lack a wide array of "relevant information sources." It can be fatal to anyone's objective thinking to limit the sources of information one consults...it reduces the opportunities to compare and contrast the sources' sources, so to speak. Do I trust Fox News? Not to tell me the truth; but I still engage with it, in a limited fashion, to learn what will be floating past my deck chair as the great liner United States sinks.
Where I got to after reading this book was someplace I really wanted to get: Accepting that, while I am sure there are conspiracies out there in the world, there are no reasons to accept conspiracies as the one true explanation for the events of the day. I think that belief, here reinforced, is the solid rock to stand on when speaking to people who aren't moored in consensus reality. It's a lot harder for me personally to engage with the people involved deeply in some of the conspiracy theories politely. That being a personal issue, rooted in my own mishegas, I didn't expect Author West's book to help me address it as much as it did.
Simple. Actionable. Applicable to me, on a personal level. Maybe it can give you the support you need in resisting the encroachment of this dangerously misguided thinking deeper into the Body Politic of a threatened democracy.
All these claims are bunk: falsehoods, mistakes, and in some cases, outright lies. But many people passionately believe one or more of these conspiracy theories. They consume countless books and videos, join like-minded online communities, try to convert those around them, and even, on occasion, alienate their own friends and family. Why is this, and how can you help people, especially those closest to you, break free from the downward spiral of conspiracy thinking?
In Escaping the Rabbit Hole, author Mick West shares over a decade’s worth of knowledge and experience investigating and debunking false conspiracy theories through his forum, MetaBunk.org, and sets forth a practical guide to helping friends and loved ones recognize these theories for what they really are.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, the most successful approaches to helping individuals escape a rabbit hole aren’t comprised of simply explaining why they are wrong; rather, West’s tried-and-tested approach emphasizes clear communication based on mutual respect, honesty, openness, and patience.
West puts his debunking techniques and best practices to the test with four of the most popular false conspiracy theories today (Chemtrails, 9/11 Controlled Demolition, False Flags, and Flat Earth) — providing road maps to help you to understand your friend and help them escape the rabbit hole. These are accompanied by real-life case studies of individuals who, with help, were able to break free from conspiracism.
With sections on:
the wide spectrum of conspiracy theories
avoiding the “shill” label
psychological factors and other complications
(and concluding with) a look at the future of debunking
Mick West has put forth a conclusive, well-researched, practical reference on why people fall down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole and how you can help them escape.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: Okay, I thought as I read The Twittering Machine, I've got the stakes clear in my head and I know where I fall in relation to the problem of social media's misuses by conspiracists. Now what?
The reason I love social media, in a nutshell, is: This book's existence would never have made it to my attention without social media, specifically bookish social media eg, LibraryThing, Goodreads, and Edelweiss+. I am clear enough on the issues created that I saw immediately how useful this book's message and techniques would be to me. This leads me to a confession: I am very much in need of help figuring out how to speak to conspiracists respectfully, or even just politely. My contempt and derision for and of them is part of what entrenches their adherence to these beliefs. How better to express one's rejection of being rejected than to double down?
Help me Obi-Mick West, you're my only hope, I thought as I began this read. My prayers were answered with a "sure, no sweat there, Grasshopper." (Have I used enough ancient-history media references to make my age obvious? I got more if you want 'em.) Author West is clearly in the business of debunking for a considerable span (see his amazing site Metabunk.org). He's lauded by the publishers of Skeptic and Skeptical Inquirer magazines, as well as producers of The David Pakman Show, The Skeptic Zone, and even The Joe Rogan Experience. He is, in short, in command of his material.
It’s also tempting to simply label conspiracy theories as either "mainstream" or "fringe." Journalist Paul Musgrave referenced this dichotomy when he wrote in the Washington Post: Less than two months into the administration, the danger is no longer that Trump will make conspiracy thinking mainstream. That has already come to pass. Musgrave obviously does not mean that shape-shifting lizard overlords have become mainstream. Nor does he mean that Flat Earth, Chemtrails, or even 9/ 11 Truth are mainstream. What he’s really talking about is a fairly small shift in a dividing line on the conspiracy spectrum. Most fringe conspiracy theories remain fringe, most mainstream theories remain mainstream. But, Musgrave argues, there’s been a shift that’s allowed the bottom part of the fringe to enter into the mainstream.
Finding someone else's words to make your central argument for you requires deep involvement in and command of the landscape you're describing. And describing the landscape is the first part of the task of teaching others what you know. An equally urgent need is to show the potential future debunkers what the stakes are, simply, directly, and convincingly:
These false conspiracy theories are a problem. They hurt individuals by affecting their life choices, in terms of money, health, and social interactions. They hurt society by distracting from the very real problems of corruption and decreasing citizens’ genuine participation in democracy.
–and–
Helping a friend break free from the spiral of conspiracism is not easy and it will take time. No matter how politely you do it you are still challenging some fundamental aspects of their identity. They will push back, and they may fight you. But it is an immensely valuable thing that you are doing for them. Freeing their minds from the burden of conspiracy theories and letting them see and participate in the world more as it really is. Do not give up. The stories in this book prove that people do get out with help.
What he does in the text that follows is provide simple and easily absorbed ways to get your embroiled friend or loved one to engage with you on their chosen "alternative facts" so you can get past the initial resistance that is inevitable. Anyone who seeks out alternative facts is already feeling lost, or powerless, or just fed up. The rabbit holes they fall down are coping mechanisms and become, like any group identification, part of their identity and sense of self and purpose in the world.
This is something literally all of us seek. Some choose religious affiliations to build social networks through; others politics; still others identity issues. All of us, without exception, build identities. It is here that Author West does something I very badly needed done: He states that conspiracists aren't stupid, as a rule, but simply lack a wide array of "relevant information sources." It can be fatal to anyone's objective thinking to limit the sources of information one consults...it reduces the opportunities to compare and contrast the sources' sources, so to speak. Do I trust Fox News? Not to tell me the truth; but I still engage with it, in a limited fashion, to learn what will be floating past my deck chair as the great liner United States sinks.
Where I got to after reading this book was someplace I really wanted to get: Accepting that, while I am sure there are conspiracies out there in the world, there are no reasons to accept conspiracies as the one true explanation for the events of the day. I think that belief, here reinforced, is the solid rock to stand on when speaking to people who aren't moored in consensus reality. It's a lot harder for me personally to engage with the people involved deeply in some of the conspiracy theories politely. That being a personal issue, rooted in my own mishegas, I didn't expect Author West's book to help me address it as much as it did.
Most people can escape the rabbit hole of conspiracy thinking because most people who get stuck down there are ordinary people like you and me. They are not, as a rule, any more or less crazy than the general population. People don't get sucked into conspiracy theories because they are mentally ill or deficient, they get sucked in because they watched some videos at a point in their lives when those videos resonated. They stay down there because they lack exposure to other information sources. They lack relevant facts, they lack context, and they lack perspectives on, and other ways of thinking about, the issues. These are all resources you can bring to them. The most effective way to bring that information to your friend is with honesty and with respect. Mocking and harsh criticism do not work because people push back when they feel threatened. Even if you feel their position is ludicrous, respectful disagreement works better than derision.
Simple. Actionable. Applicable to me, on a personal level. Maybe it can give you the support you need in resisting the encroachment of this dangerously misguided thinking deeper into the Body Politic of a threatened democracy.
February 16, 2023
Specifically for people who want to engage conspiracy theorists in dialogue to — gently, kindly, and sincerely — help them debunk their views. Even if you're not engaged in that activity, it could be an interesting exercise to imagine how you might go about it, especially since it would depend on divining how the more tentative conspiracy theorists got one foot down the rabbit hole in the first place. More on The Shadow.
The author goes into detail on four theories: chemtrails; 9/11 as a controlled demolition; mass shootings being staged as “false flags”; and Flat Earth.
(Public service announcement: If you seek advice for talking someone out of QAnon specifically, there's a podcast called QAnon Anonymous. According to co-host Travis View, QAnon is more than a conspiracy theory; it's a radicalized worldview. Rather than dousing believers with facts, he thinks it's more effective to remind people what their lives were like and how they felt about themselves before they joined this community.)
The author goes into detail on four theories: chemtrails; 9/11 as a controlled demolition; mass shootings being staged as “false flags”; and Flat Earth.
(Public service announcement: If you seek advice for talking someone out of QAnon specifically, there's a podcast called QAnon Anonymous. According to co-host Travis View, QAnon is more than a conspiracy theory; it's a radicalized worldview. Rather than dousing believers with facts, he thinks it's more effective to remind people what their lives were like and how they felt about themselves before they joined this community.)
December 31, 2018
I was slightly disappointed with this book, I was hoping for more insights into this phenomenon. Why do people embrace these theories in the first place? what is feeding these movements and so forth. There was to much focus on debunking Chemtrails and 9/11 with little to no info on more popular rabbit holes.
October 18, 2019
A very important book that I think anyone would benefit from reading at least portions of (particularly the front end of the book & chapter summaries, if nothing else). Would have liked to see him include more conspiracy theories, but there's always room for a sequel to this.
September 19, 2018
i didn't know chemtrails were a thing until a friend started commenting on them every time we walked the dog. They make people sterile and cause cancer and killed jfk and you gotta look out for them cause THEY have been doing it for years. This book is great because it shows a way to respectfully reply, not to stupid people, but to friends and family who believe this stuff. We aren't going to be able to convince people on Facebook, although i've found linking to Snopes does pretty good, but we can in open conversations in the real world. Mark West has done a v. good thing in writing this book.
NetGalley was kind enough to send send a review copy via Kindle, i don't think i would have found it any other way. i'll be looking to buy a couple copies.
NetGalley was kind enough to send send a review copy via Kindle, i don't think i would have found it any other way. i'll be looking to buy a couple copies.
December 14, 2021
Mick West has far more patience than I do for those trapped in the conspiracy rabbit holes. I've had to end several friendships because of endless conspiracy nonsense, in additional to general bad behavior. A big point of this book is that it takes time, potentially huge amounts of time. I've found it necessary to do some kind of triage to determine who is worth spending on time, and who isn't because I have limited time, just like anyone else. I'm glad there are people like West out there fighting the good fight. I just have to pick my battles.
March 7, 2019
This book provides an intriguing insight into the world of conspiracism/conspiracists. I cut ties with conspiracist-type relatives years ago. One of the best things I ever did for myself.
February 12, 2021
What if someone out of the blue tells you they thought the world was flat. What would you say? After all it is OBVIOUS that it is a globe, and EVERBODY knows that. But how would you convince them, if with that belief any space photo is a fake, any explanation of the Earth’s shadow on the moon is explained away?…What do you do?
And outside the scope of this book, what if somebody tells you the last presidential election was “stolen” and the EVERYBODY know that. What would you do?
SOOOOOO….with QAnon all the rage and disinformation now the unstated central plank of a major American political party, I thought this book might help me understand how some of my fellow Americans think in general. Plus, one time an old Facebook friend from high school whom I knew as really pretty bright, let slip in a post something that indicated he was a 9/11 truther. That bugged me, how could this smart guy be part of that?
And then a family friend turned out to be Chemtrails sympathetic. I wouldn’t engage on Facebook for, well…reasons, and with the family friend I just said I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. But I have to admit after reading this I would be in much better shape to respond something such as suggested links as to how those beliefs may not be accurate.
In a way this is somewhat related to Fantasyland: and Idiot America, except Mick West is much more focused, in subject matter and in how to think about what other people are thinking. In those other books it is a given the what the stupid beliefs all around and it is the same here, except West digs deeper into WHY people believe crazy stuff and HOW they justify it all. He doesn’t say their insane beliefs are right, but he is intent on working out the best way to show those very people an alternative interpretation. He really, really, tries to work out the best way to explain how anybody can deduce the world is a globe.
You might wonder why he included flat-earthers in this book along with 9/11 truthers, Chemtrail proponents, and false flag fans, since Flat earthers are by far the least in numbers. But it is really a brilliant move on his part as he uses it almost like a teaching tool, because the structure of belief and tactics of defense of those beliefs are all the same as the other conspiracy theories. AND the debunking techniques are the same, just that with Flat Earthers it is way more clear cut so the example is more pure.
West starts with his goal…and a very nice goal it was.
I also want people to wake up to the true nature of the world. But the conspiracy theory rabbit hole is not the way to do it, it’s full of seductive nonsensical theories, a bizarre wonderland of time-wasting and harmful falsehoods that are taking people further away from the real world, not closer. It’s not a blue pill or a red pill, it’s a poison pill. Pg. Xv
We get some background and with his own words as well as testimonials he shows WHY people get sucked into these belief rabbit holes.
Recognizing that his own theories regarding the cover up of UFOs did not really hold water, Scott also seemed to recognize that reality is complicated and not always amenable to straightforward explanations. Pg. 55
“It was exciting, it was family, it was fun and for people who did not have much of a social life it fulfilled that too.” Pg. 76
And there is the HOW
Conspiracy theorists flourish in walled gardens. When asked where they got their news they will often point to only to alternative fringe sites like…. Pg. 53
“Conspiracy theorists think that they question everything. In fact, they just quote other theorists and mostly they receive their “knowledge” from You Tube videos.” Pg. 132
And this [ quoting Sunstein and Vermeule ]
Conspiracy theories typically stem not from irrationality or mental illness of any kind but from a “crippled epistemology” in the form of a sharply limited number of (relevant) informational sources. Those who hold conspiracy theories do so because of what they read and hear. Pg. 227
And really, the “crippled epistemology” is at the crux of the matter. Just as epistemology is at the crux of everything we say and believe. Where my definition of epistemology is about how do we “KNOW” anything? For most people they don’t worry about such stuff, after all it is obvious what to believe. BUT the thing is, the flat-earther AND the traditional scientist BOTH say it is obvious. It is all about where you draw the line on belief. Of course he is mainly going on about conspiracy beliefs but I am adopting his techniques to think about any beliefs.
Now by no means am I saying all beliefs are equal, but his example is that, yes, there are some actual conspiracies in the world and life is messy and not everything has an easy explanation so the line of what is believable and unbelievable is different for different people. He calls this the Conspiracy Spectrum.
https://twitter.com/MickWest/status/1...
But back to the book, IF you want ammo to debunk somebody, politely like Mick does, this has really good info. I found the Contrail – Chemtrail topic fascinating. Fascinating because I NEVER gave those jet exhaust clouds a second thought and it turns out people’s imaginations can go wild looking at clouds in the sky. Which is both a real thing and metaphor for getting bent out of shape of bits of water vapor and ice clouds.
Stuff that I made notes on:
CONTRAILS VS CHEMSTRAILS
Contrails from engine exhaust start out exactly the same as the condensation from your breath, as a cloud of billions of micro-droplets of water. But since the temperature is very cold in the upper atmosphere (-40C/-40F), the droplets freeze. Once frozen they cannot evaporate. A Contrail is the frozen breath of a jet engine.
If the humidity is very low the cloud won’t last very long... But the level of humidity needed for ice clouds to persist is much lower than the level needed for water clouds. Water clouds need 100 percent humidity with respect to water, but ice clouds need only 50 percent to 70 percent. Pg. 53
Aerodynamic contrails: You still need the humidity, but because the temperature drop is caused by the pressure reduction over the plane’s wing you don’t need the air to be so cold. Pg. 95
And outside the scope of this book, what if somebody tells you the last presidential election was “stolen” and the EVERYBODY know that. What would you do?
SOOOOOO….with QAnon all the rage and disinformation now the unstated central plank of a major American political party, I thought this book might help me understand how some of my fellow Americans think in general. Plus, one time an old Facebook friend from high school whom I knew as really pretty bright, let slip in a post something that indicated he was a 9/11 truther. That bugged me, how could this smart guy be part of that?
And then a family friend turned out to be Chemtrails sympathetic. I wouldn’t engage on Facebook for, well…reasons, and with the family friend I just said I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. But I have to admit after reading this I would be in much better shape to respond something such as suggested links as to how those beliefs may not be accurate.
In a way this is somewhat related to Fantasyland: and Idiot America, except Mick West is much more focused, in subject matter and in how to think about what other people are thinking. In those other books it is a given the what the stupid beliefs all around and it is the same here, except West digs deeper into WHY people believe crazy stuff and HOW they justify it all. He doesn’t say their insane beliefs are right, but he is intent on working out the best way to show those very people an alternative interpretation. He really, really, tries to work out the best way to explain how anybody can deduce the world is a globe.
You might wonder why he included flat-earthers in this book along with 9/11 truthers, Chemtrail proponents, and false flag fans, since Flat earthers are by far the least in numbers. But it is really a brilliant move on his part as he uses it almost like a teaching tool, because the structure of belief and tactics of defense of those beliefs are all the same as the other conspiracy theories. AND the debunking techniques are the same, just that with Flat Earthers it is way more clear cut so the example is more pure.
West starts with his goal…and a very nice goal it was.
I also want people to wake up to the true nature of the world. But the conspiracy theory rabbit hole is not the way to do it, it’s full of seductive nonsensical theories, a bizarre wonderland of time-wasting and harmful falsehoods that are taking people further away from the real world, not closer. It’s not a blue pill or a red pill, it’s a poison pill. Pg. Xv
We get some background and with his own words as well as testimonials he shows WHY people get sucked into these belief rabbit holes.
Recognizing that his own theories regarding the cover up of UFOs did not really hold water, Scott also seemed to recognize that reality is complicated and not always amenable to straightforward explanations. Pg. 55
“It was exciting, it was family, it was fun and for people who did not have much of a social life it fulfilled that too.” Pg. 76
And there is the HOW
Conspiracy theorists flourish in walled gardens. When asked where they got their news they will often point to only to alternative fringe sites like…. Pg. 53
“Conspiracy theorists think that they question everything. In fact, they just quote other theorists and mostly they receive their “knowledge” from You Tube videos.” Pg. 132
And this [ quoting Sunstein and Vermeule ]
Conspiracy theories typically stem not from irrationality or mental illness of any kind but from a “crippled epistemology” in the form of a sharply limited number of (relevant) informational sources. Those who hold conspiracy theories do so because of what they read and hear. Pg. 227
And really, the “crippled epistemology” is at the crux of the matter. Just as epistemology is at the crux of everything we say and believe. Where my definition of epistemology is about how do we “KNOW” anything? For most people they don’t worry about such stuff, after all it is obvious what to believe. BUT the thing is, the flat-earther AND the traditional scientist BOTH say it is obvious. It is all about where you draw the line on belief. Of course he is mainly going on about conspiracy beliefs but I am adopting his techniques to think about any beliefs.
Now by no means am I saying all beliefs are equal, but his example is that, yes, there are some actual conspiracies in the world and life is messy and not everything has an easy explanation so the line of what is believable and unbelievable is different for different people. He calls this the Conspiracy Spectrum.
https://twitter.com/MickWest/status/1...
But back to the book, IF you want ammo to debunk somebody, politely like Mick does, this has really good info. I found the Contrail – Chemtrail topic fascinating. Fascinating because I NEVER gave those jet exhaust clouds a second thought and it turns out people’s imaginations can go wild looking at clouds in the sky. Which is both a real thing and metaphor for getting bent out of shape of bits of water vapor and ice clouds.
Stuff that I made notes on:
CONTRAILS VS CHEMSTRAILS
Contrails from engine exhaust start out exactly the same as the condensation from your breath, as a cloud of billions of micro-droplets of water. But since the temperature is very cold in the upper atmosphere (-40C/-40F), the droplets freeze. Once frozen they cannot evaporate. A Contrail is the frozen breath of a jet engine.
If the humidity is very low the cloud won’t last very long... But the level of humidity needed for ice clouds to persist is much lower than the level needed for water clouds. Water clouds need 100 percent humidity with respect to water, but ice clouds need only 50 percent to 70 percent. Pg. 53
Aerodynamic contrails: You still need the humidity, but because the temperature drop is caused by the pressure reduction over the plane’s wing you don’t need the air to be so cold. Pg. 95
December 8, 2022
Conspiracy theories run the gamut from plausible to completely unhinged. This book was a survey of some enduring conspiracy-related theories and rumors, with a focus on speaking with friends and family members who have been lost "down the rabbit hole."
Of course, any book on this subject that was printed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and all of the conspiracy talk that mushroomed around that, will be instantly dated. There is also no talk, of course, of the Jan. 6th riots, and Qanon is only mentioned in passing. The author also mentions podcaster Joe Rogan as a voice of reason in the conspiracy discussion. Um...yeah. So don't come to this one as a up-to-the-moment discussion of all angles of the subject matter.
ESCAPING could be dry at times. In-depth discussion of the reasons how and why airplanes in flight produce contrail clouds and so forth wasn't the most thrilling listening for me. That said, the author does ask some pointed and thought-provoking questions regarding some conspiracies, especially those who claim that mass shooting events were faked. Thankfully, the most well-known champion of this belief has been repeatedly sued by victims' families for his outrageous behavior toward them.
Of course, any book on this subject that was printed before the COVID-19 pandemic, and all of the conspiracy talk that mushroomed around that, will be instantly dated. There is also no talk, of course, of the Jan. 6th riots, and Qanon is only mentioned in passing. The author also mentions podcaster Joe Rogan as a voice of reason in the conspiracy discussion. Um...yeah. So don't come to this one as a up-to-the-moment discussion of all angles of the subject matter.
ESCAPING could be dry at times. In-depth discussion of the reasons how and why airplanes in flight produce contrail clouds and so forth wasn't the most thrilling listening for me. That said, the author does ask some pointed and thought-provoking questions regarding some conspiracies, especially those who claim that mass shooting events were faked. Thankfully, the most well-known champion of this belief has been repeatedly sued by victims' families for his outrageous behavior toward them.
May 20, 2023
If I am being honest, I don’t know how I feel about this book…
There are parts that were extremely interesting and new to me, parts that felt like advanced science and engineering classes and then parts that were just kill-me-dead boring.
The book starts off in part one with some definitions, explanation and classifications of conspiracy theories. Then the author explains how he used to be a conspiracy theorist and got out of the rabbit hole and why he thinks it’s important to debunk these theories and their harm on society.
Part two of the book highlights four of the most popular conspiracy theories: Chemtrails, 9/11, False Flags and Flat Earth. Each of these chapters is followed by the story of a rabbit hole escapee telling their story.
To briefly summarize the conspiracy theories…
- Chemtrails conspiracy theory: claims that the white trails airplanes produce in the sky behind them are spraying poison intentionally into the atmosphere. I personally have never heard of this before.
- 9/11 conspiracy theory: this is basically believing that 9/11 was an inside job. It wavers back and forth from “the government knew about this and didn’t stop it” to “they flat out demolished these buildings using explosives”.
- False Flags conspiracy theories: these are basically covert operations designed to trick the public into thinking an act was carried out by a certain party while in reality it was carried out by the government. Examples include the JFK assassination, the Nevada shootings, Pearl Harbor and even 9/11 again.
- Flat Earth conspiracy theory: this is pretty self explanatory and it was shocking to read about how people still believe this especially in this day and age.
The author, throughout the book, also mentions a few other conspiracy theories such as the walking on the moon being a hoax, UFOs and UFO kidnappings, global warming, Big Pharma and my personal favorite Reptile Overloads. This last conspiracy theory has its believers convinced that the ruling classes are a race of shape-shifting trans-dimensional reptiles. Yeah, read that again… like what????
If you’re interested in reading about the latest conspiracy theories and their debunking, I would suggest you check out the website Metabunk.org. It’s a website created by the author that lists and debunks any and all rising conspiracy theories. I checked out the website and it is interesting actually with so many weird theories floating around these days.
I think I would recommend this book to anyone who is naturally curios about broadening their reading horizons beyond the usual genres and anyone who is interested in knowing more about “less popular” opinions.
There are parts that were extremely interesting and new to me, parts that felt like advanced science and engineering classes and then parts that were just kill-me-dead boring.
The book starts off in part one with some definitions, explanation and classifications of conspiracy theories. Then the author explains how he used to be a conspiracy theorist and got out of the rabbit hole and why he thinks it’s important to debunk these theories and their harm on society.
Part two of the book highlights four of the most popular conspiracy theories: Chemtrails, 9/11, False Flags and Flat Earth. Each of these chapters is followed by the story of a rabbit hole escapee telling their story.
To briefly summarize the conspiracy theories…
- Chemtrails conspiracy theory: claims that the white trails airplanes produce in the sky behind them are spraying poison intentionally into the atmosphere. I personally have never heard of this before.
- 9/11 conspiracy theory: this is basically believing that 9/11 was an inside job. It wavers back and forth from “the government knew about this and didn’t stop it” to “they flat out demolished these buildings using explosives”.
- False Flags conspiracy theories: these are basically covert operations designed to trick the public into thinking an act was carried out by a certain party while in reality it was carried out by the government. Examples include the JFK assassination, the Nevada shootings, Pearl Harbor and even 9/11 again.
- Flat Earth conspiracy theory: this is pretty self explanatory and it was shocking to read about how people still believe this especially in this day and age.
The author, throughout the book, also mentions a few other conspiracy theories such as the walking on the moon being a hoax, UFOs and UFO kidnappings, global warming, Big Pharma and my personal favorite Reptile Overloads. This last conspiracy theory has its believers convinced that the ruling classes are a race of shape-shifting trans-dimensional reptiles. Yeah, read that again… like what????
If you’re interested in reading about the latest conspiracy theories and their debunking, I would suggest you check out the website Metabunk.org. It’s a website created by the author that lists and debunks any and all rising conspiracy theories. I checked out the website and it is interesting actually with so many weird theories floating around these days.
I think I would recommend this book to anyone who is naturally curios about broadening their reading horizons beyond the usual genres and anyone who is interested in knowing more about “less popular” opinions.
February 24, 2020
Not a big fan of Mick West's book, as he does not practise what he preaches. He is the opposame of conspiracy theorists that write books, and try to conquer the market by trying to silence competitors. Mick writes that politeness is essential, and patience with conspiracy theorists are also essential, and that it is impoliteness, and censoring, that makes people go down the Rabbit hole to begin with. Yet Mick West moderates and censors his own forum, and actually censors fellow "debunkers" and is anything but polite to them. he is passive aggressive, and arrogant to fellow debunkers. Does he ever consider then, that he is doing exactly what he says "alienates" people?
When signing up for an account at his website "meta-bunk", he makes people first answer a verification question. What completes the book title "escaping the Rabbit ......?
This is a man purely trying to sell sell sell, and even wage war on his competitors, by belittling them and censoring them. Though, they are only competitors in his own mind. In reality, they are his supporters.
Also his book is hardly professional. It revolves around his research in to the midset of conspiracy theorists. However his method is amatuer at best. It is made up of stories given to him by anonymous youtubers in comment sections. He does not even know these people, nor their real names, and he even thanks their psuedonyms in his book.
This is frankly silly. This is not how you conduct research, in order to form an opinion, nor gain reliable insight.
Mick West's book, for this reason, is not credible. And it appears Mick West is simply cashing in on the vulnerable anonymous type on youtube, the exact sameway conspiracy theory gurus do.
When signing up for an account at his website "meta-bunk", he makes people first answer a verification question. What completes the book title "escaping the Rabbit ......?
This is a man purely trying to sell sell sell, and even wage war on his competitors, by belittling them and censoring them. Though, they are only competitors in his own mind. In reality, they are his supporters.
Also his book is hardly professional. It revolves around his research in to the midset of conspiracy theorists. However his method is amatuer at best. It is made up of stories given to him by anonymous youtubers in comment sections. He does not even know these people, nor their real names, and he even thanks their psuedonyms in his book.
This is frankly silly. This is not how you conduct research, in order to form an opinion, nor gain reliable insight.
Mick West's book, for this reason, is not credible. And it appears Mick West is simply cashing in on the vulnerable anonymous type on youtube, the exact sameway conspiracy theory gurus do.
June 27, 2018
Escaping the Rabbit Hole is a book about debunking everything from conspiracy theories to the Illuminati. It's well written and the author researched everything thoroughly. It contains things which you will have to decide are true or not. This book will not convince many that what is written is factual . People usually believe what they want to. Sometimes things can't be explained away, but many times we all shake our heads when we hear one more unbelievable claim. Read this book because it will make you rethink what you thought was true and then you can decide. There are several websites that you can look up. I did and found things I had never really thought about. I received this book from Net Galley for an honest review and no compensation otherwise. The opinions are my own.
April 9, 2019
It's helpful, and I'm glad to see it approaches conspiracy theorists with a caring and gentle touch.
a good chunk of this book is arguments against popular theories. Some of that is interesting. I found with Flat Earth and Chemtrails, the debunking info was a little too much.
Having said that, what really captured my attention was hearing people's stories about how they fell down rabbit holes and found their ways out. If the whole book was a catalogue of these stories, I would have loved it.
As it stands, it's decent. Not mindblowing. Also, I found a couple minor RT citations in the beginning of this book dubious. I don't think RT is the most trusted source for info.
a good chunk of this book is arguments against popular theories. Some of that is interesting. I found with Flat Earth and Chemtrails, the debunking info was a little too much.
Having said that, what really captured my attention was hearing people's stories about how they fell down rabbit holes and found their ways out. If the whole book was a catalogue of these stories, I would have loved it.
As it stands, it's decent. Not mindblowing. Also, I found a couple minor RT citations in the beginning of this book dubious. I don't think RT is the most trusted source for info.
April 18, 2020
Exhaustive
It’s a an exhaustive and somewhat exhausting scrutiny of conspiracy theories and how to help believers manage a return to sense and perhaps reason. True believers in conspiracies are immune to Occam’s razor sadly. It’s well worth the effort to keep going.
It’s a an exhaustive and somewhat exhausting scrutiny of conspiracy theories and how to help believers manage a return to sense and perhaps reason. True believers in conspiracies are immune to Occam’s razor sadly. It’s well worth the effort to keep going.
April 14, 2019
A book about debunking conspiracy theories. I found it fairly simplistic and mediocre, with a primary purpose to point people towards his own sites. More of a marketing tool than anything else.
October 11, 2018
[4.5 stars] Mick West is someone I knew through the videogame world, years ago. His outward persona reminded me a lot of Sherlock Holmes; besides being British, he was calm, thoughtful, fair-minded, and fond of the Socratic Method. He may remember me for the moody, stubborn nature I had back then. After retiring from the videogame business on the earnings of a hit game series, he went on to found a website devoted to debunking conspiracy theories, such as the Philip K. Dick-esque notion that aircraft contrails in the sky are actually chemicals being sprayed by the government. The same guy I remember is present on the pages of this book, and it was nice to reconnect with him.
While conspiracies, as West notes, are part of the real world, it's been on my mind lately that false beliefs about conspiracies can do serious harm. One that occurs to me is the stab-in-the-back myth created by the Nazis *. While 2018 is a different world, it's been hard not to notice the impact of conspiracy theories on society. Alex Jones infamously claimed that the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut had been a hoax, which led to threats against the parents of murdered children. Our President, Donald Trump, with his usual contempt for logic, regularly tries to discredit criminal investigations against himself and others connected to his administration by asserting them to be the dirty dealings of a nefarious "Deep State" conspiracy, of which globalist financiers pull the strings. Liberals could get sucked into comparable delusions during the Bush years. People have been murdered in Russia because state media pushes the idea that LGBT rights are being promoted by the West as a deliberate tool for weakening the country's traditions and character.
Given the above, I feel the urge now and then to vent my spleen at conspiracy theorists online, but Mr. West takes a more compassionate approach. He examines how ordinary people, generally not lacking in sanity or intelligence, become drawn into the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and can often be saved if treated with respect. In West's experience, most believers aren't rabid zealots, but everyday men and women who are simply misguided. They're pulled into the world of conspiracy thinking by compelling narratives, often through material they find online, and remain there because they aren't exposed to information and arguments that counter these narratives. Usually, they're doubtful of the most extreme versions of a theory, but something in it strikes them as as plausible (e.g. if the Bush administration was looking for an excuse to invade Iraq, perhaps it might have allowed -- or even enabled -- the 9/11 attacks). They may find the possibility of conspiracy exciting. Sometimes their beliefs have cost them relationships with friends and family, motivating them to "double down" out of pride. Sometimes they're lonely outsiders who have found community among other theorists. West's interviews with several former rabbit holers, while not out of line with what I expected, gave me a better, more personal understanding of the conspiracy mentality and its pull. As a former defense contractor, I had a laugh at the words of a 9/11 "truther" who pulled away from the movement after spending time in Washington DC and realizing that the federal government seemed too incompetent for such orchestrated villainy.
West's approach to engaging with "friends" (as he calls them) caught in rabbit holes is to find points of leverage and allow the person's own mind to do most of the work. He outlines heuristics such as listening and asking questions in a nonjudgemental way, discovering areas of agreement before assembling facts to counter a misunderstanding, showing trusted information sources to be unreliable, or finding the demarcation line between what the friend does and doesn't find credible, then looking at beliefs near that line. Several of the former rabbit holers quoted talk about how they became disillusioned after prominent members of their communities failed to respond adequately to evidence against their claims or began pushing views that seemed a little too insane. In general, West promotes an attitude of respect, honesty, transparency, and focus on verifiable, uncontroversial facts.
The book considers several active conspiracy theories, ranging from the kind that I've known to seduce fairly reasonable people ("9/11 was an inside job!") to ones that lean in the direction of madness (the airplane contrails we see in the sky are actually toxic chemicals sprayed by the government; the Earth is actually flat and the powers that be don't want us to know!). West even-handedly deals with each by the same basic process: deconstructing the belief and what makes it attractive, pointing out its logical flaws and deviations from fact, and explaining how to disable the most common arguments used in its defense. Occasionally, there's some dry humor, such as reference to a youtube video in which Air Force pilots have some silly fun on camera pretending to be "chemtrail sprayers", only to have the joke be taken as "evidence" by the believers who were the butt of it.
Personally, I found the chapters dealing with 9/11 conspiracy theories to be the most compelling. I've never considered the "inside job" claims to be very credible, but didn't engage with the matter because I felt too intimidated by the body of physics and engineering principles that would explain the particular destruction suffered by the World Trade Center. West, however, shows that the flaws in the "controlled demolition" theories are straightforward and within the layperson's grasp. That was helpful, and gave me the confidence that I have enough knowledge and tools at my disposal to be able to confront other conspiracy theories. Debunkers don't have to dismantle every aspect of a false belief -- their mission is to find chinks in the believer's mental armor. Sometimes it can be as easy as pointing out that the much-cited demolition expert who thought that the Building Seven collapse looked like controlled demolition had the opposite view about the main towers (which, unsurprisingly, doesn't get cited much by truthers).
The latter half of the book covers a range of topics, such as false flag beliefs and the US's history of actual false flag operations (which are exaggerated somewhat by believers). There are some thoughts on the dangers of "bots" and curated information feeds promoting conspiracy theories and some proposed solutions. West addresses complicating factors like dealing with loved ones, mental illness, and politically charged beliefs. While I wish he had delved into more of the specific, not-obviously-bonkers theories that are out there (hardly any JFK here!), well, he can always use my idea for his next book. (You can send me my royalties via Venmo, Mick.)
A good read and one I'd call such even if I didn't know the author. I listened to the audiobook, as usual, and it was definitely strange to hear a familiar "voice" in a different actual one. Narrator Ralph Lister does a good job, but sounds more argumentative and excitable than Mick himself does. The book advocates respect, but Lister seems to have some cheeky fun reading quotes from several conspiracy theorists in a slightly deranged-sounding manner. Not that I minded!
[* : In 1918, Germany was forced to sign an armistice ending the First World War. By then, the German military had been badly depleted by several years of meat-grinder warfare, its foreign co-belligerents had crumpled, Allied sanctions were strangling industry and the economy, and the swelling ranks of American troops in the opposing lines had removed any hope of holding onto conquered territory in France and Belgium. Yet, in later years, it became a feature of Nazi propaganda that Germany would have *won* the Great War, except that a shadowy Jewish cabal stabbed the army in the back, fomenting defeatism on the home front. Many Germans believed this nonsense, which allowed them to reclaim their sense of martial pride. Most of us know about the suffering that followed during the Second World War, both in terms of what Germans justified doing to others and what their delusions of invincibility visited upon themselves.]
While conspiracies, as West notes, are part of the real world, it's been on my mind lately that false beliefs about conspiracies can do serious harm. One that occurs to me is the stab-in-the-back myth created by the Nazis *. While 2018 is a different world, it's been hard not to notice the impact of conspiracy theories on society. Alex Jones infamously claimed that the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut had been a hoax, which led to threats against the parents of murdered children. Our President, Donald Trump, with his usual contempt for logic, regularly tries to discredit criminal investigations against himself and others connected to his administration by asserting them to be the dirty dealings of a nefarious "Deep State" conspiracy, of which globalist financiers pull the strings. Liberals could get sucked into comparable delusions during the Bush years. People have been murdered in Russia because state media pushes the idea that LGBT rights are being promoted by the West as a deliberate tool for weakening the country's traditions and character.
Given the above, I feel the urge now and then to vent my spleen at conspiracy theorists online, but Mr. West takes a more compassionate approach. He examines how ordinary people, generally not lacking in sanity or intelligence, become drawn into the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and can often be saved if treated with respect. In West's experience, most believers aren't rabid zealots, but everyday men and women who are simply misguided. They're pulled into the world of conspiracy thinking by compelling narratives, often through material they find online, and remain there because they aren't exposed to information and arguments that counter these narratives. Usually, they're doubtful of the most extreme versions of a theory, but something in it strikes them as as plausible (e.g. if the Bush administration was looking for an excuse to invade Iraq, perhaps it might have allowed -- or even enabled -- the 9/11 attacks). They may find the possibility of conspiracy exciting. Sometimes their beliefs have cost them relationships with friends and family, motivating them to "double down" out of pride. Sometimes they're lonely outsiders who have found community among other theorists. West's interviews with several former rabbit holers, while not out of line with what I expected, gave me a better, more personal understanding of the conspiracy mentality and its pull. As a former defense contractor, I had a laugh at the words of a 9/11 "truther" who pulled away from the movement after spending time in Washington DC and realizing that the federal government seemed too incompetent for such orchestrated villainy.
West's approach to engaging with "friends" (as he calls them) caught in rabbit holes is to find points of leverage and allow the person's own mind to do most of the work. He outlines heuristics such as listening and asking questions in a nonjudgemental way, discovering areas of agreement before assembling facts to counter a misunderstanding, showing trusted information sources to be unreliable, or finding the demarcation line between what the friend does and doesn't find credible, then looking at beliefs near that line. Several of the former rabbit holers quoted talk about how they became disillusioned after prominent members of their communities failed to respond adequately to evidence against their claims or began pushing views that seemed a little too insane. In general, West promotes an attitude of respect, honesty, transparency, and focus on verifiable, uncontroversial facts.
The book considers several active conspiracy theories, ranging from the kind that I've known to seduce fairly reasonable people ("9/11 was an inside job!") to ones that lean in the direction of madness (the airplane contrails we see in the sky are actually toxic chemicals sprayed by the government; the Earth is actually flat and the powers that be don't want us to know!). West even-handedly deals with each by the same basic process: deconstructing the belief and what makes it attractive, pointing out its logical flaws and deviations from fact, and explaining how to disable the most common arguments used in its defense. Occasionally, there's some dry humor, such as reference to a youtube video in which Air Force pilots have some silly fun on camera pretending to be "chemtrail sprayers", only to have the joke be taken as "evidence" by the believers who were the butt of it.
Personally, I found the chapters dealing with 9/11 conspiracy theories to be the most compelling. I've never considered the "inside job" claims to be very credible, but didn't engage with the matter because I felt too intimidated by the body of physics and engineering principles that would explain the particular destruction suffered by the World Trade Center. West, however, shows that the flaws in the "controlled demolition" theories are straightforward and within the layperson's grasp. That was helpful, and gave me the confidence that I have enough knowledge and tools at my disposal to be able to confront other conspiracy theories. Debunkers don't have to dismantle every aspect of a false belief -- their mission is to find chinks in the believer's mental armor. Sometimes it can be as easy as pointing out that the much-cited demolition expert who thought that the Building Seven collapse looked like controlled demolition had the opposite view about the main towers (which, unsurprisingly, doesn't get cited much by truthers).
The latter half of the book covers a range of topics, such as false flag beliefs and the US's history of actual false flag operations (which are exaggerated somewhat by believers). There are some thoughts on the dangers of "bots" and curated information feeds promoting conspiracy theories and some proposed solutions. West addresses complicating factors like dealing with loved ones, mental illness, and politically charged beliefs. While I wish he had delved into more of the specific, not-obviously-bonkers theories that are out there (hardly any JFK here!), well, he can always use my idea for his next book. (You can send me my royalties via Venmo, Mick.)
A good read and one I'd call such even if I didn't know the author. I listened to the audiobook, as usual, and it was definitely strange to hear a familiar "voice" in a different actual one. Narrator Ralph Lister does a good job, but sounds more argumentative and excitable than Mick himself does. The book advocates respect, but Lister seems to have some cheeky fun reading quotes from several conspiracy theorists in a slightly deranged-sounding manner. Not that I minded!
[* : In 1918, Germany was forced to sign an armistice ending the First World War. By then, the German military had been badly depleted by several years of meat-grinder warfare, its foreign co-belligerents had crumpled, Allied sanctions were strangling industry and the economy, and the swelling ranks of American troops in the opposing lines had removed any hope of holding onto conquered territory in France and Belgium. Yet, in later years, it became a feature of Nazi propaganda that Germany would have *won* the Great War, except that a shadowy Jewish cabal stabbed the army in the back, fomenting defeatism on the home front. Many Germans believed this nonsense, which allowed them to reclaim their sense of martial pride. Most of us know about the suffering that followed during the Second World War, both in terms of what Germans justified doing to others and what their delusions of invincibility visited upon themselves.]
February 3, 2019
In 2019, conspiracy theories have gone mainstream. Trump became President on the back of a racist conspiracy theory that Obama was a Kenyan Muslim. Or maybe the conspiracy theory is some variant of le affair de Russe. Beyond the political, conspiracy theories ferment and multiply on Youtube, with the recommender engine pushing increasingly extreme content towards viewers. It seems like there's no escape from the rabbit hole.
Mick West is the administrator of MetaBunk, a popular conspiracy debunking forum that started with Chemtrails, and he believes that he can help. (As an aside, West made his money as a programmer on Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Heck yeah, Superman!) This book is written as an an aid to help "your friend", a hypothetical conspiracy theorist, find their way out, with examples drawing from Chemtrails, 9/11 Truthers, False Flag mass shootings, and Flat Earth.
West approach is one of patient respect. Getting people out of the conspiracy hole isn't easy. The trick is to avoid triggering emotional/cognitive defense mechanisms, while exposing your friend to outside information. Conspiracy "facts" are astoundingly shoddy, full of obvious errors, gaps, and contradictions. It's just that most people never bother going to any sort of primary resource, instead choosing to repeat comfortable lies and memes. As West puts it, all of us have a threshold for conspiracies. We might hold conspiratorial beliefs that we believe are totally rational (West's example is that he himself believes pharmaceutical companies collude to drive up health care costs), while having a line for something silly. "Bush did 9/11" Truthers don't much care for "nanothermite" Truthers, who think the tinfoil hats in the "space lasers" camps are insane.
Sadly, there's no magic bullet for undoing conspiracy theories. As West describes it, we're herd animals, and someone who's made conspiracy beliefs part of their identity takes a lot of love to save. But it can be done.
Mick West is the administrator of MetaBunk, a popular conspiracy debunking forum that started with Chemtrails, and he believes that he can help. (As an aside, West made his money as a programmer on Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Heck yeah, Superman!) This book is written as an an aid to help "your friend", a hypothetical conspiracy theorist, find their way out, with examples drawing from Chemtrails, 9/11 Truthers, False Flag mass shootings, and Flat Earth.
West approach is one of patient respect. Getting people out of the conspiracy hole isn't easy. The trick is to avoid triggering emotional/cognitive defense mechanisms, while exposing your friend to outside information. Conspiracy "facts" are astoundingly shoddy, full of obvious errors, gaps, and contradictions. It's just that most people never bother going to any sort of primary resource, instead choosing to repeat comfortable lies and memes. As West puts it, all of us have a threshold for conspiracies. We might hold conspiratorial beliefs that we believe are totally rational (West's example is that he himself believes pharmaceutical companies collude to drive up health care costs), while having a line for something silly. "Bush did 9/11" Truthers don't much care for "nanothermite" Truthers, who think the tinfoil hats in the "space lasers" camps are insane.
Sadly, there's no magic bullet for undoing conspiracy theories. As West describes it, we're herd animals, and someone who's made conspiracy beliefs part of their identity takes a lot of love to save. But it can be done.
October 19, 2021
A very informative & interesting read.
July 22, 2022
Some conspiracy theories are correct. Most are not. There is a conspiracy theory scale (simple version: https://bigthink.com/wp-content/uploa...) and generally if a person believes in one conspiracy, they will also believe in the less extreme conspiracies on the scale. There are degrees of extreme belief within theories, which is why these views have a range of extremeness. If you have a friend who believes in extreme conspiracy theories, be respectful and talk with them about it. If you are inclined to believe conspiracy theories, the most important thing is to query who is really behind the theory and what their actual qualifications are.
July 17, 2023
This book has noble but insanely naive intentions. The fact is that most conspiracy nutters either know they're lying or are so stupid/so emotionally invested in their fantasies that no amount of facts, logic, or respect will ever reach them. Not to mention the more current MAGA-themed conspiracies, which the book barely addresses, are entirely hate-based - climate change is a chinese hoax, democrats drink babies blood, democrats/jews are importing brown people into the country to exterminate whites, academics are all "cultural marxists," LGBT people are all groomers and pedos, etc. How do you even begin to reason with people like this? Will any of the methods described in this book convince them otherwise? I seriously doubt it.
June 10, 2019
A big thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for sending me this book for an honest review.
Mick West is an interesting person and reading his book was definitely eye-opening. This book talks about people getting stuck in the proverbial 'rabbit hole' of conspiracy theories. He goes into detail about four main conspiracy theories and interviews people who have in fact come out of the hole.
This was fascinating but it was more an advice book about helping a 'friend' out of the rabbit hole rather than about the conspiracy theories themselves. I was unsure going into it what it entails but it is heavily advice so take that into account if you pick this one up.
I gave this three stars because I found it to be really well researched and executed but it was a tad repetitive for me and sometimes too much in depth about the Chemtrails theory which I know is Mick West's personal area of expertise.
Overall a good read and one I will think about in future but am unlikely to pick up again!
Mick West is an interesting person and reading his book was definitely eye-opening. This book talks about people getting stuck in the proverbial 'rabbit hole' of conspiracy theories. He goes into detail about four main conspiracy theories and interviews people who have in fact come out of the hole.
This was fascinating but it was more an advice book about helping a 'friend' out of the rabbit hole rather than about the conspiracy theories themselves. I was unsure going into it what it entails but it is heavily advice so take that into account if you pick this one up.
I gave this three stars because I found it to be really well researched and executed but it was a tad repetitive for me and sometimes too much in depth about the Chemtrails theory which I know is Mick West's personal area of expertise.
Overall a good read and one I will think about in future but am unlikely to pick up again!
August 21, 2021
This book nicely fills the gap regarding HOW to talk with people who hold conspiracist views, and to do so in an empathetic and open-minded way without being sucked down the rabbit hole yourself. It does rely on the need for you to become rather well armed with authoritative information, as conspiracy theorists have spent a lot more time than you thinking on these topics. So it’s not for the faint of heart or if you’re just going to talk out of your hat.
The author wisely spends the last two chapters tackling the new conspiracism behind fake news and political-derived theories. In reality, we now need a whole book on this topic and how to deal with these new issues because they are quite different than “classic” conspiracies like chemtrails. The majority of the book is indeed focused on these classic conspiracies, so for those of us who need to know more about COVID-denialism, anti-vaxx, conspiracy threats that degrade democracy (e.g., Qanon), climate change and other science denialism, and others that are plaguing us in 2021, learn what you can from this book and then seek other, newer info that is keeping with the times. It’s unbelievable to have to write this, since this book is only a couple years old, but much has happened in conspiracism very recently, including a broadening of Trump-inspired conspiracies, that require newer analysis. It’s not this book’s fault, just reality for where we are at.
Just a nitpick: spelling and grammar mistakes can sometimes be forgiven, but conspiracists aren’t very, so it’s too bad that errors like “in principal” slipped into the final copy.
The author wisely spends the last two chapters tackling the new conspiracism behind fake news and political-derived theories. In reality, we now need a whole book on this topic and how to deal with these new issues because they are quite different than “classic” conspiracies like chemtrails. The majority of the book is indeed focused on these classic conspiracies, so for those of us who need to know more about COVID-denialism, anti-vaxx, conspiracy threats that degrade democracy (e.g., Qanon), climate change and other science denialism, and others that are plaguing us in 2021, learn what you can from this book and then seek other, newer info that is keeping with the times. It’s unbelievable to have to write this, since this book is only a couple years old, but much has happened in conspiracism very recently, including a broadening of Trump-inspired conspiracies, that require newer analysis. It’s not this book’s fault, just reality for where we are at.
Just a nitpick: spelling and grammar mistakes can sometimes be forgiven, but conspiracists aren’t very, so it’s too bad that errors like “in principal” slipped into the final copy.
November 9, 2020
A useful guide in how to help your conspiracy-minded friends and family find their way "out of the rabbit hole." West took a deep dive into a handful of the most common conspiracy theories, from 9/11 truthers to chem trails to false flag operations, and laid out a path for how to use resources, conversations, and patience to help people see the truth. Especially insightful were the stories from actual people who came out of their conspiracy theories, talking about what eventually changed their mind. I do wish there was more about the political conspiracy theories - there was a small section at the end basically stating these were more difficult to deal with, because of ingrained biases, etc. But it seems like these are endangering the state of our Republic here in the US, so I was hoping to get more ideas on how to overcome this. Maybe an addendum, or a volume 2? :)
October 18, 2021
Surprised this was so reasonable and nuanced. Maybe I was looking for a list of ways to smack someone upside the head. Honestly, I wish I had the patience to engage with conspiracy theorists the way this books recommends. This is a valuable resource on how to deal with family members and other loved ones who have gone down the rabbit hole. I have to admit I kind of lost it at the section about “Flat Earthers.” It was illuminating to read how/why someone would choose to believe the Earth is flat. Despite the thoughtful advice presented here on how to debunk this for someone, I kept wondering if just shaking them vigorously was not an option. Because… my god. Wow. It was exhausting to just read about these folks. It would feel life-draining to engage with them.
September 13, 2021
This is a fascinating, detailed book by the man behind metabunk.org. The thrust is to suggest a methodical, non-threatening, respectful, long term approach to help a friend out of the group of a conspiracy theory worldview. Along the way some well-known theories are explored in detail, such as 9/11 and chemtrails. Also, and including stories of individuals that fell in thrall and escaped, is an exploration of the conspiracy theory view of chemtrails and Morgellons disease.
April 3, 2024
Escaping the Rabbit Hole is a kind of how-to manual for dealing with conspiracy theorists. There is a strong emphasis on debunking techniques and the intellectual posture necessary for prevailing against disinformed people. Sadly, the evidence for these techniques is mostly anecdotal, albeit based on a lifetime of debunking experience. The author offers great insight into the mindset of a conspiracy theorist and approaches the topic with great sensitivity and tact. Overall it was an informative and interesting read, especially regarding the specific theories that are used as case studies.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews