Aaron Sagers is an expert in the field of paranormal-themed entertainment, and most recently published an article examining the myths behind Jordan Peele's upcoming horror movie Us. He joined guest host Ian Punnett (Twitter) to dive into the research he did for the article which explores doppelgangers (a look-alike or double of a living person) in folklore and paranormal pop culture. Irish and Scandinavian folklore speak of a doppelganger as something presenting itself as another person for nefarious purposes, Sagers explained, adding it could also be a version of oneself. "It is ourselves; it's the one who goes twice, it is ourselves trying to break away," he said.
Sagers covered doppelgangers in popular culture, including "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," where the newly created double eliminates the original, and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," which ponders the duality of good and evil and the fractured self. He recounted the strange case of Emilie Sagee, whose doppelganger plagued her for 16 years and caused Sagee to move from one job to another. Sagers posited a more materialist explanation for doppelgangers — limited genetic diversity. "You reach a point where things just do start popping up again," he said. Sagers also suggested the recent popularity of doppelganger-related topics (twinning, celebrity look-alikes) may in part be due to social media which has allowed participants to present a different digital version of themselves to the public.
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The Federation & Nerdy Podcasts
In the first hour, Russ Haslage talked about working with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry to launch The Federation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization. "Our, shall we say, prime directive is to go places and help people," Haslage said, noting his organization is laying the groundwork for a possible Federation 300 years from now. Membership is free and those interested should visit The Federation website. Haslage also spoke about his geek radio ODYSY platform. Joshua Tracey joined later to discuss his podcast, We Just Nerd Here, which is featured on ODYSY. "The whole thing started as a joke," Tracey revealed about the origin of his podcast.