Are UFOs real? Maybe, but that's not the point. From Congressional hearings on UFOs to the claims of RFK Jr., conspiracies have gone from fringe to mainstream political talking points. Authors Kelly Weill and Mike Rothschild join the show to explain why. Then, PEOPLE Magazine released this year's Sexiest Man Alive... and it was certainly a choice! But it got Brittany thinking: what makes someone sexy in the year 2024, and who decides what's hot? The hosts of Who Weekly, Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber, join the show to get into it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Full Episode
Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident. This week, we're connecting the dots between UFOs, milk, and election fraud. I know, I know. How are all of these things connected? Well, we're going to find out with authors Kelly Weil and Mike Rothschild.
Kelly, Mike, welcome to It's Been a Minute. Thank you. Thanks for having us. My pleasure. Okay, so humor me here. Do you think we're alone here on Earth? You think there could be life elsewhere?
I think it's totally plausible that there's life elsewhere. The question is whether there is a large government cover up. hiding it from us. And I think that is what conspiracy theorists are really invested in.
What do you say, Mike? I think statistically, given the size and age of the universe, it seems pretty likely that life has existed somewhere at some point. Now, does that mean they're here and flying around and dueling it with F-16s? Seems unlikely, but you never know.
You never know. You never know. I'm not going to lie. I'm not full X-Files pilled. I definitely agree that there's something out there. At least there's a good chance that there's something out there. And I'm not alone. Last week, Congress held a joint hearing on UFOs and UAPs, also known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Not a name I would have picked.
The United States government was accused of conducting secret UAP crash retrieval programs. And there was even an admission that, quote, advanced technologies not made by our government or any other government are monitoring sensitive military installations around us. the globe.
Are these private companies you're implying or is this non-human intelligence?
It may be both. And while this isn't the first time we've had a hearing on aliens, it's interesting to see this at the forefront of our news cycle. Things like UFOs and Area 51 were typically reserved for the more fringe part of the internet and our culture, but we seem to be willing to engage in theories like this more and more. It's not just UFOs, it's vaccine doubt.
raw milk advocates, election denial. And with the nomination of RFK Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, it seems like conspiracy theories have left the fringes and entered the mainstream to open arms. So that made me wonder, what led to this moment where conspiracy theories have become a legitimate part of our politics?
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