There are some wild theories about the Denver International Airport. But is it really the headquarters of the Illuminati, guarded by the demonic statue of a blue horse? Believe it or not, conspiracy theories like these can be useful to sociologists and other social scientists. They can teach us about a given society’s beliefs and general concerns and help us counter false beliefs. In this episode, I talk to Jesse Walker, book editor at Reason magazine and author of The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory (HarperCollins, 2013), as well as Stephanie Figueroa, public information officer at Denver International Airport.  Notes DEN Files https://www.flydenver.com/great_hall/denfiles Rubino, J. (2020, March 3). Denver International Airport at 25: From Boondoggle to Boon. The Denver Post. Retrieved September 14, 2022, from https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/01/denver-airport-25-years-boondoggle-anniversary/ Walker. (2013). The United States of paranoia : a conspiracy theory (First edition.). Harper. https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0062135562/reasonmagazineA/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/sociology-ruins-evrything/support