When a religious group posted a message on social media saying a new pair of Reeboks were inspired by a Satanic symbol, it got the Something Offbeat team thinking about moral panics and conspiracy theories.

On the second week of our spooky season-inspired episodes, we talk to Dr. Joseph Uscinksi, a political science professor at the University of Miami and one of the nation's foremost experts on conspiracy theories, about what draws people to them, the real-world consequences they have, and if it's possible to bring someone back to reality.