Smoke, Mirrors, and the Moral Panic Machine

What do Dungeons & Dragons, TikTok, and 17th-century witch trials have in common?They all played starring roles in full-blown moral panics—times when society lost its mind over exaggerated or imaginary threats. In today’s episode, Alex explores how moral panics take hold, who profits from them, and why the real damage often lasts long after the headlines fade.If you've ever wondered why outrage feels contagious—and suspiciously profitable—you'll want to give this one a listen.Spoiler: the real danger isn’t the thing they tell you to fear. It’s what you’re being distracted from.In This Episode:The anatomy of a moral panicHow fear gets weaponized for profit and powerGreatest hits: from Salem to Satanic Panic to Super PredatorsWhy critical thinking—not panic—is our best defenseA personal reflection on the importance of holding fast during cultural stormsCONNECT:​⁠⁠⁠⁠All the Fits That's News on Substack (Free or Paid)⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex on Medium⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Alex's Author Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ​⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mysterious Goings On website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠​⁠⁠⁠Contact Alex about advertising/sponsorship here⁠⁠⁠.⁠Buy a Book?⁠​Announcer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mary McKenna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. PR After Hours Theme: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://filmmusic.io⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ "Bossa Antigua" by Kevin MacLeodMusic Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Original theme music "Mysterious Goings On" by Jamie Green. Want your own cool score for your podcast or website? Contact Jamie at ⁠⁠⁠Greenhouse Consulting.⁠⁠⁠ Check out Jamie's interview on the show ⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.We are an Amazon Associates seller, and some of our links may earn us a commission.