Fredericton — Research coming out of the University of New Brunswick reveals that a mistake during the “Reveen” show may be the root cause of a recent increase in conspiracy theories.
Reveen the Impossiblist toured North America, and particularly Atlantic Canada, since the 1960s. His show involved hypnotizing volunteers, getting them to perform ridiculous acts through the power of suggestion, then snapping his fingers to return the individuals back to their regular state of consciousness.
Susan Therawood, a sociology professor at UNB, conducted the research and explains her recently published paper: Tinfoil Hats and Reveen the Impossibilist: The Rise of Conspiracy Theories in Atlantic Canada.
“In my research, I came across ‘the man they call Reveen,’ whose shows were concentrated heavily in the East Coast of Canada,” stated Therawood.
“It seems that Peter J. Reveen, who passed the business along to his son Tyrone, suffered from dementia at the end of his career and would often forget to snap his fingers to jolt hypnotized individuals back to reality. That left the individuals in a permanent state of mesmerization: forever open to the power of suggestion, believing everything they read or hear. It would seem that this state of consciousness was also passed on to the children of the affected and sometimes even to friends.”
We spoke to one Atlantic Canadian who had participated in a Reveen show prior to his passing in 2013.
“Yes, I was there. They say I went up on stage and got hypnotized, although I don’t really remember it,” stated John Baker of Halifax, who sported a “Flat Earth Society” patch on his jacket and spoke in a monotone voice.
“What I do know is that the show changed my life. Ever since then, I’ve been able to see the world for how it really is — a scary and dangerous place. I can completely understand how COVID was created in a Chinese lab to be used as a biological weapon — even when others can’t. I understand very clearly how Bill Gates is behind the spread of the virus through 5G; I threw away my cellphone just to be safe when I learned that. I read all of this on the internet so I know it’s true.”
John’s Baker’s wife, who had a vacant look in her eyes, spoke to us as well.
“Yes, I was in the audience at that show and the last thing I remember is getting very, very sleepy. The next day I was on a Facebook and read about the increased risk of autism from vaccines. I Immediately called our child’s doctor and cancelled his upcoming vaccination appointment.
“I also read about how Big Pharma is operating for sinister purposes against the public good. If it’s posted online I know it’s true, so now I treat all of our family’s health problems with dandelion root, mint and unpasteurized honey.”
At press time, Ricky from the Trailer Park Boys was trying harder than ever to distance himself from the Reveen image.