What did last year's drone mystery have to do with an antisemitic myth that won't die? Medievalist and conspiracy scholar Elise Wang connects the dots between the West’s 900-year-old conspiracy theory playbook and the UFO psyops flooding TikTok today. She and Cristen also unravel the Battle of Los Angeles, hypersexual alien abduction tropes, and how conspiracy theories serve the powerful—not the paranoid.

(00:53) Drone Fever and Dior Bags

(02:02) Introduction to Elise Wong and Conspiracy Theories

(04:46) Medieval Origins of Conspiracy Theories

(11:36) A Medievalist POV on Alien and UFO Conspiracies

(17:54) The Battle of Los Angeles

(23:14) Race, Sex and Alien Invasions

(25:49) Gender and Power in Conspiracy Theories

(27:34) Who Started It?

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Inbox: conspiracyshewrote@gmail.com

Instagram: @unladylikemedia

Website: conspiracyshewrote.com

Patreon: The Cabal

Conspiracy, She Wrote is an Unladylike Media production created, hosted and written by Cristen Conger. Music is from Blue Dot Sessions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before alien abduction became pop culture cliché, there was Betty and Barney Hill. Why did this couple's 1961 roadtrip define the abduction narrative for generations, and what did their biracial marriage have to do with it - or not? Historian Matt Bowman retraces the Hills' journey from the liberal mainstream to UFO microstardom, and Cristen has questions for Betty. Find out how identity, memory and one woman’s obsession helped shape the myth of the greys in part 2 (of 3) of the Paranormal Women miniseries.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: Abduction Beyond Aliens

(00:38) The Hills' Abduction Story

(01:24) The Cold War and UFOs

(04:40) Betty and Barney Hill: Background

(09:35) The Fateful Night in 1961

(13:37) Reporting the Incident

(20:50) Hypnosis and Recovered Memories

(28:47) Betty and Barney Become Famous

(35:10) Betty's Psychophysics Attempt

(37:35) Marjorie Fish and Conspiracy Road

(42:18) Betty's Alien Optimism

. . .

Inbox: conspiracyshewrote@gmail.com

Instagram: @unladylikemedia

Website: conspiracyshewrote.com

Patreon: The Cabal

Conspiracy, She Wrote is an Unladylike Media production created, hosted and written by Cristen Conger. Music is from Blue Dot Sessions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UFOs aren't a basement boys' club anymore. From Pentagon disclosures to TikTok starseeds and alien romance novels, belief in extraterrestrials is getting spiritual, feminine-coded, and algorithmically viral. Science journalist Sarah Scoles traces the gendered evolution of UFO culture and conspiracies—from Cold War-era military men to the cosmic girlies raising our consciousness to the fifth dimension. Plus, why are we so obsessed with searching the skies? And what happens when women start doing their own ET research?

(00:43) Gender in UFO Culture

(01:44) Exploring UFO Communities and Conspiracies

(03:48) The Role of Women in UFO Research

(08:57) Personal Experiences and UFO Mysteries

(13:09) Star Seeds and Social Media Influence

(19:41) Historical UFO Sightings and Government Cover-ups

(22:34) The Roswell Incident and Its Impact

(30:56) Who Benefits from UFO Conspiracies?

(33:34) Science vs. Ufology

. . .

Inbox: conspiracyshewrote@gmail.com

Instagram: @unladylikemedia

Website: conspiracyshewrote.com

Patreon: The Cabal

Conspiracy, She Wrote is an Unladylike Media production created, hosted and written by Cristen Conger. Music is from Blue Dot Sessions.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.