FALSE ALARM: October 2024 podcast playlist

This month’s playlist explores false alarms and the gap between our perception and reality. False alarms evoke strong reactions—panic, relief, and sometimes even humor—highlighting how easily we can be thrown off course by misinformation or misunderstood signals. This podcast playlist invites us to explore the psychological, social, and even technological dimensions of false alarms, showing how they impact everything from personal experiences to global events. It’s a compelling lens through which we can better understand our responses to uncertainty, fear, and the unexpected.

This playlist was curated by Adela, founder of Podcast Brunch Club and chapter leader of the Chicago chapter, with help from Matt, chapter leader of our Ames, Iowa chapter.

Podcast Playlist on FALSE ALARM

Get the full playlist on your podcast player of choice using these platforms:

 
Snap Judgment: “This Is Not A Drill – Snap Classic” (July 2021, 34 min)
On January 13th, 2018, at exactly 8:07 in the morning, one text message turned the state of Hawaii into a state of emergency. From panic and fear to acceptance and joy, Snap Judgment explores the 38 minutes when the people of Hawaii faced an incoming ballistic missile threat.
The Experiment: “The Great Seed Panic of 2020” (July 2021, 35 min)
In the summer of 2020, an unexplained phenomenon gripped nightly newscasts and Facebook groups across America: Unsolicited deliveries of obscurely labeled seed packages, seemingly from China, were being sent to Americans’ homes. Recipients reported the packages to local police, news stations, and agriculture departments; searched message boards for explanations; and theorized about conspiracies including election interference and biowarfare. Despite large-scale USDA testing of the packages, the mystery remained: Who sent the seeds and why?
Soul Search: “Satanic Panic — Dungeons & Dragons and Harry Potter” (September 2022, 54 min)
**PLEASE NOTE: This episode is not available on Spotify**
The Satanic Panic was a time of incredible anxiety in the United States – and Australia. This special feature examines how games like Dungeons and Dragons and books like Harry Potter became unlikely villains in a war over religion, politics and imagination.
American Hysteria: “Rainbow Fentanyl: Poisoned Halloween Candy Rerelease” (October 2022, 46 min)
A classic American urban legend is back with a vengeance, promising to ruin Halloween yet again. This episode explores the newest fearful iteration: Rainbow Fentanyl. Are drug traffickers really passing out a deadly drug disguised as colorful candy in order to get kids hooked.
Stuff You Should Know: “Selects: The Great War of the Worlds Panic Myth” (May 2024, 46 min)
On Halloween 1938 young radio star Orson Welles scared the pants off of America with a fictional news bulletin claiming Martians had landed and were destroying the country. People across the nation ran wild with panic in the streets – or did they?