Part 3 of our Halloween series: Monsters as Mirrors
If monsters reflect our fears, what does it say that we keep making them?

In this final episode of our Halloween trilogy, Kristin and Laura dig deep into the psychology of monstering, from ancient instincts to modern media. We explore how and why the human brain was built to see monsters...and why we still crave them.

From evolutionary survival mechanisms to existential dread, we unpack:

• How fear comes first and logic comes later

• Why we invent monsters to make sense of chaos

• The role of projection, displacement, and group fear

• Monsters as scapegoats for guilt, anxiety, and social control

• Why we use horror to feel safe, bonded, and in control

• How neurodivergent brains might experience monsters differently

• What our favourite monsters reveal about our politics, culture & inner selves

This episode blends cognitive science, social psychology, existential theory, and lived experience into a final idea: our monsters are more human than we think...and so are we.

This is Part 1 of our special Halloween series: Monsters as Mirrors

What if our monsters say more about us than them?

In this episode, Kristin and Laura explore how monsters are a social mirror...a way for powerful systems to project fear, control bodies, and avoid accountability. From witches to AI, we unpack how "the monster" is used to enforce social boundaries, uphold hierarchies, and distract from systemic rot.

We dive into:

• Why power needs monsters

• The psychology of disgust, projection, and containment

• The “gendered monster” (hello, feminazi, hysteric, witch)

• The monstering of trans people in today’s culture wars

• Immigration panic as moral drama

• Why it’s not AI we should fear, but who’s controlling it

• Monster narratives in Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Beauty & the Beast, and more

This is a funny, furious, psychologically rich dive into how systems displace blame, turn people into problems, and manufacture fear to maintain control.

In the final episode of our alt-right pipeline series, we explore what happens after the soft aesthetics and curated control stop working. Kristin and Laura dig into the messy, often shame-filled reality of trying to leave a system that promised empowerment and control, but in reality, delivers performance, exhaustion, obedience, and even harm.

We unpack:

• Why leaving can feel like an identity collapse

• The shame, grief, and cognitive dissonance that keep people stuck

• How privilege, power, and proximity to safety work in subtle ways

• The psychological withdrawal of leaving a “safe” space

• Why wellness aesthetics, obedience, and beauty are never neutral

• How to rebuild after complicity, and what real empowerment looks like

This episode is about the exit phase and the fear, backlash, and even shame that comes with it. Because leaving is hard, but staying silent costs more.