Context:

Speaker 1 references Joan Didion's book while discussing how people cope with overwhelming amounts of information and the appeal of conspiracy theories. The speaker uses Didion's insights about people choosing between understanding complex information or believing they know 'a little thing that no one else knows' to explain phenomena like the 'dog star' alien theory.

Context:

Steve Rinella references this Joan Didion work (or possibly 'The White Album' - he's uncertain which) when discussing Didion's ideas about how people rebel against information by clinging to myths and conspiracies. He mentions this is written 'pre-Internet' and discusses her thesis about people wanting to feel special by knowing 'truths' others don't see.

Context:

Steve mentions this book in the context of discussing people who live in an 'intellectual fantasy land.' He notes it was written in the pre-Internet age and discusses Didion's observations about information overload and how people retreat from the effort of truly informing themselves about issues.

Context:

Speaker discusses Joan Didion's observations about how increased information availability in the 1960s made people hungry for 'secret stories' and inside scoops. This was mentioned in the context of discussing conspiracy theories about wolf reintroduction. The speaker was uncertain whether this content was in 'Slouching Towards Bethlehem' or 'The White Album'.