Ding Dong Darkness Time

Latest Episodes:

16: Class of Cults -- The Long Tide of the Moonies aka The Unification Church Nov 16, 2022

Show notes

If you think Reverend Sun Myoung Moon was merely interested in mass marriages in baseball stadiums, then buckle up, because there is a whole lot to learn about the vast empire built by the now late religious figure who used anti-communist sentiment and Christianity to begin a following in South Korea in the 1950s, and then gain far-reaching influence with conservative and far-right movements in the United States starting in the 1970s and lasting well up to today, including participation in the Capitol riot of January 6th, 2021 as well as the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the summer of 2022.
This is a cult that has a firm monetary grip on media and governments across the world, and this episode only begins to scratch the surface.
Also, Allison answers a listener question on how she feels about the phrase "Drinking the Kool-Aid."
Additional Info:
Unification Church Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_Church#Background_and_origins
Steven Hassan's BITE Model of Authoritarian Control:
https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/

List of Organizations and Businesses Owned by or Affiliated with the Unification Church:
https://freedomofmind.com/exclusive-list-of-entities-closely-associated-with-sun-myung-moon/
SPLC Article on Rod of Iron Ministries (Moonie offshoot cult)
https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/10/08/rod-iron-antigovernment-christian-right-and-far-right-movements-join-freedom-festival
Vice Documentary on Rod of Iron Freedom Festival:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_JhtYm3-zY
How Reverend Moon Made Sushi Big in America:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zhZnvvi_lA
Account of a Former Moonie:
https://www.insider.com/to-the-moon-and-back-lisa-kohn-what-its-like-to-be-former-moonie-2018-8

Show Credits:
Graphics -- Nathaniel Dickson: http://ndickson.com
Music -- Spencer Morelock, Ken Dickson
Ding Dong Darkness Time Media:
Twitter: @dddarknesstime
Instagram: dddarknesstime
Gmail: dddarknesstime@gmail.com

Ding Dong Ditch: Skulls, Cattle, and Lightning -- The Cults of the Neolithic Era Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

Life was hard in early human history. And around 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic Period, when our interests turned to gathering in stationary settlements and manipulating the earth and animals in our favor, it became particularly challenging to hold it all together in the face of elemental forces we take for granted these days.
This was fertile ground for the growth of cults. In this short episodes, Allison discusses three of them today and in doing so hopefully demonstrates how straight line can still be drawn between the people of prehistoric times and the people of today.
Additional Info:
Skull Cult at Gobleki Tepi
https://www.vice.com/en/article/7xp55b/gobekli-tepe-skull-cult-ancient-ruins-temple-ritual
Neolithic Cattle Cult
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-neolithic-cattle-cult-build-these-sprawling-structures-180977629/
Thunder and Lightning Gods
https://symbolsage.com/thunder-and-lightning-gods/

DDD12: Skulls, Cattle, and Lightning -- The Cults of the Neolithic Era Nov 09, 2022

Show notes

22: Class of Cults -- The Ultimate Cult Primer Episode Nov 02, 2022

Show notes

If you're a psychology nerd or always wanted to be, the premier episode of Season 3: Class of Cults is all for you. Allison gathers with two of her dearest friends, Chris from 80s High, who also happens to have a psychology degree, and Dr. Bart Abplanalp, noted forensic psychologist, to discuss what cults are, what types of cults exist, and all the ways in which every one of us is vulnerable to a cultic mindset through the manipulation of emotions and language.
In order to illustrate this, we begin with a discussion on the Stanley Milgram Obedience Study and then venture on to Philip Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment and its impacts on humanity's views of authority, before talking about cognitive dissonance, personality disorders, and a myriad of other ways groups of humans can assemble in dysfunctional and destructive ways.
Hopefully this will set a firm foundation for the upcoming season chock full of education on all the cults and organizations that behave suspiciously like them. Arm yourself with knowledge!
Additional Info:
Sponsor: Local Hero Press: https://localheropress.com
Book Sources
Cults Inside Out by Rick Alan Ross
https://www.amazon.com/Cults-Inside-Out-How-People-ebook/dp/B00OZR1QNO

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell https://www.amazon.com/Cultish-Language-Fanaticism-Amanda-Montell/dp/0062993151
Chris's Podcast, 80s High: https://the80shigh.podbean.com/
Dr Bart's HORR-O Horror Movie Bingo Game: https://horr-o.com/
Dr Bart's YouTube Page, Ask Dr Bart: https://www.youtube.com/user/bartpsy/videos
Milgram Experiment Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment
Stanford Prison Experiment Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

15: Class of Cults -- The Ultimate Cult Primer Episode Nov 01, 2022

Show notes

Ding Dong Ditch: Devil's Night and Other Halloween Hijinks Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

Halloween is a time of great traditions. Most are wholesome, but some are destructive. The concept of Mischief Nights, usually preceding Halloween by a day or two, go back to the late 1700s in England, but they eventually popped up in the United States. And in Detroit in particular, things got particularly fiery for a number of years until the city banded together for the power of good.
In this short episode, Allison talks about the now thankfully defunct custom of Devil's Night in Detroit, as well as how such phenomena came to be associated with Halloween in the first place. It wasn't always this way.
Additionally, Allison wraps things up by talking about several other eerie or macabre historical events that have happened on or just before All Hallow's Eve.
Additional Info:
Devil's Night: https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/organized-crime/devils-night/
Devil's Night Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Night
Strange Events on Halloween: https://www.insider.com/strange-things-happened-on-halloween
Woman Finds S.O.S. from China in Halloween Decorations: https://nypost.com/2021/02/13/us-mom-found-sos-in-decorationsand-exposed-chinas-camps/

DDD11: Devil's Night and Other Halloween Hijinks Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

21: I See Dead People: Allison and Brett Talk Ghosts Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

By popular demand, Ding Dong Darkness Time strays into the spiritual realm just in time for Halloween. Brett from The Prosecutors joins Allison to talk about his time as a paranormal researcher. Yes, that's right. Among being an amazing podcast host and hot shot lawyer guy, the man hunted ghosts, and he has brought with him some incredible insights into the search for the paranormal.
Not only that, but there are some listener submitted personal ghost stories and encounters with the strange and unusual. We also talk a bit about the existential pursuit of evidence of the afterlife, as well as cursed objects and a few of our favorite ghost movies!
There's a lot to see here. But what we really want you to do is press play and enjoy.
Additional Info:
The Prosecutors Podcast: https://prosecutorspodcast.com/
The Haunted Alabama Black Belt: https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Alabama-Black-Belt-America/dp/1609499441
Haunted Tuscaloosa: https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Tuscaloosa-America-David-Higdon-ebook/dp/B00XQZBLZ4

14: I See Dead People: Allison and Brett Talk Ghosts Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

20: The Found Footage Horror Movie Fest Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

In the spirit of the Halloween season, Allison and Chris join forces to talk about their favorite subgenre of horror: found footage! And because they're a couple of oldsters, they wax about how awesome it was to experience the viral marketing campaign around The Blair Witch Project as it was coming out.
But that's far from all they cover here. The discussion dives into the origins of the genre, then onto so many of the movies it's spawned, but somehow they've only barely scratched the surface. Also tune in to see which found footage movie receives their crowning jewel.
Additional Info:
The 80s High Podcast https://the80shigh.podbean.com/

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