188: A Conspiracy of Violence

Supercharged

In the wake of the Parkland tragedy, amongst many others, Tommy and Adam discuss whether or not science and psychology can help prevent disinformation (like conspiracy theories) and mass violence.

Links for this episode:

• Emma Gonzalez Speaks After the Parkman Shooting
  CNN video posted by Slate.
• Florida Shooting Survivor Emma Gonzalez to Trump: “We Call BS”
  Slate: "Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who survived Wednesday’s mass shooting, gave a blistering speech at an anti-gun rally on Saturday about the politicians complicit in the murder of her classmates. It was yet another reminder that the teenagers and children who grew up in the shadow of school shootings (and the 150,000 who survived one) are more practical—and less tolerant of empty rhetoric—than the adults who are supposed to protect them. Gonzalez had no use for crocodile tears from President Trump, who was in Florida on Friday to offer his condolences (and, reportedly, to drop by a Studio 54 theme party at Mar-a-Lago)."
• Every Politician Bought By the NRA Needs to Hear This Florida Student’s Speech
  Splinter: "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School senior Emma Gonzalez, who took shelter in an auditorium while 19–year–old Nikolas Cruz gunned down her classmates, friends, and colleagues, has a message for President Donald Trump and the nation’s lawmakers: Stop accepting money from the National Rifle Association and do something to stop gun violence or we will kick you out of office."
• Audit shows NRA spending surged $100 million amidst pro-Trump push in 2016
  OpenSecrets: "The National Rifle Association’s overall spending surged by more than $100 million in 2016, surpassing any previous annual NRA spending totals on record, according to an audit obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics."
• Opensecrets.org: Gun Rights vs Gun Control
  Data spreadsheet provided by Opensecrets.org. As discussed, you can see how this data (due to its labeling) isn't clear when compared with other data published by the same organization. This isn't to imply that it is incorrect, but that it is easy to misread what these amounts mean.

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