1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: All the media. 2 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 2: Welcome to it could happen here. I'm Andrew of the 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,480 Speaker 2: YouTube channel Andrewism and I'm here. 4 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 3: With Garrison Davis is also here. Hello, Welcome, Welcome. You 5 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 3: don't want to think about recently? 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 2: Cults? 7 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,480 Speaker 3: Oh, one of one of my favorite topics culture, culture, fun. 8 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I mean the term cult is in some 9 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 2: ways just another pejorative for, you know, a group that 10 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 2: you don't like. Sure, you know, culture personality. Could we 11 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 2: use to describe a very passionate fan base. We use 12 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,840 Speaker 2: cult classic to talk about, you know, really well known 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 2: and renowned pieces of media. You know, cults could also 14 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,640 Speaker 2: actually ReFood high control groups that ruin people's lives, you know, 15 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:04,880 Speaker 2: So that's something to consider. Yes, I know that there's 16 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:07,800 Speaker 2: some debate within sociology but or should we use it, 17 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: should we not use it? But I don't think the 18 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,680 Speaker 2: occasional misapplications of the term should distract us from the 19 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 2: very real cults that have existed or do exist out there. 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: Cults not just in the context of religion, but also 21 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 2: in the context of politics. 22 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 3: Absolutely, there's a I can I can think of many 23 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 3: many a political cult that rears it ZI whenever there's 24 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 3: a Popular Uprising. 25 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 2: And plent recently recently picked up on the Edge Political 26 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 2: Cults Left and Right by Dennis Turisch and Tim Wilford. 27 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 2: And as I was going through it and going through 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 2: all the different examples and stuff, it really gave me 29 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:58,040 Speaker 2: a clearer sense of how political cults operate. And so 30 00:01:58,080 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 2: today I'd like to take some time to discuss nature 31 00:02:00,520 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 2: of photical cults, and perhaps in future episodes we can 32 00:02:04,040 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 2: dive into some specific examples and case studies, of which 33 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,519 Speaker 2: there are several, and many of them seem to be 34 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 2: of the Trotskyist variety. 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,959 Speaker 3: Let me ask my commander in chief, Bob, Actually, if 36 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,679 Speaker 3: I'm allowed to talk about this before I continue continue 37 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 3: this episode. 38 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 2: Visionists, revisionists everywhere? 39 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 3: No continue please? 40 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:34,239 Speaker 2: Yeah. So, first, I guess we need to understand what 41 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: cults are in general. Typically, culture defined as a relatively 42 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 2: small group which is typically led by a charismatic and 43 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 2: self appointed leader who excessively controls its members, requiring unwavering 44 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 2: devotion to a set of religious, spiritual, philosophical beliefs and practices, 45 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 2: or a particular person, object or goal which is considered 46 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 2: outside the norms of society. The American Family Foundation find 47 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 2: cults as a group of a group or movement exhibiting 48 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,120 Speaker 2: great or excessive devotion or dedication to some person, idea, 49 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 2: or thing, and employing unethical, manipulative, or cohesive techniques of 50 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,559 Speaker 2: persuasion and control, for example, isolation from former friends and family, debilitation, 51 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 2: use of special methods to heighten suggestibility in subservience, powerful 52 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:27,240 Speaker 2: group pressures, information management, suspension of individuality or critical judgment, 53 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:30,320 Speaker 2: promotion of total dependence in the group, and fear of 54 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 2: leaving it designed to advance the goal to the group's leaders, 55 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 2: the actual or possible detriment of members, their families, of 56 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: the community. We can also define cults as organizations that 57 00:03:43,440 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 2: remold individuality to conform to the codes and needs of 58 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: the cult, institute taboos that preclude doubt and criticism, and 59 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 2: generate an elitist mentality, whereby members see themselves as loan 60 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: evangelists struggling to bring enlightenment to the hostile forces surrounding them. 61 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 2: There is only one truth, and that is the truth 62 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 2: espoused by the cult. Competing explanations are not merely inaccurate, 63 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 2: but degenerate cults don't have opponents, They have enemies and 64 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:20,559 Speaker 2: frequently dream about their ultimate destruction. Now, cults are usually 65 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,760 Speaker 2: associated with religion, particularly of the New Age Who and 66 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 2: self help variety. Sometimes it even gets into the kind 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 2: of multi level marketing schemes of business trainer or. 68 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, absolutely, yeah. 69 00:04:34,839 --> 00:04:38,080 Speaker 2: I mean, honestly, the lines between MLMs, primitive schemes and 70 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 2: cultures quite blaard disappoint essential oils all that stuff. 71 00:04:42,360 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's very fluid, dynamic because no it in practice, 72 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 3: a lot of those if they are not cults themselves, 73 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:53,520 Speaker 3: they do pick up a lot of like cult ish tactics, behavior, 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 3: kind of loads of modes of interaction. 75 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: Honestly, could apply. That's a lot of businesses these days. 76 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 2: I mean I've seen more than a handful of medium 77 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 2: articles like this is why you should run your business 78 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 2: like a cult. Here seven cult tactics that you could 79 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,400 Speaker 2: apply to your business to generate more productivity. Kind of 80 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 2: classic LinkedIn style stuff. Yeah. So in two thousand, which 81 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 2: is when the book Political Cults Left and Right was published, 82 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:30,000 Speaker 2: it's cited that as many as four million Americans may 83 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 2: have been involved with cult groups, and they were around 84 00:05:32,560 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 2: five hundred cults active in Britain at the time, and 85 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 2: between three and five thousand in the United States, And honestly, 86 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 2: that can be an understatement. 87 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 3: Especially nowadays, even just with like how the Internet has 88 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,560 Speaker 3: changed social interactions. Yeah, Like, it's a lot of aspects 89 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 3: of American culture have either been or always have been 90 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 3: kind of cultified. Whether that includes stuff like the Marvel 91 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 3: or Star Wars, Van Base or sports teams or your 92 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:07,799 Speaker 3: little church who has this one pastor for like fifty years, 93 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 3: who controls what everyone wears and what everyone's allowed to say, 94 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 3: what everything one's allowed to watch, and who they're allowed 95 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 3: to vote for. Right, Like, it's a lot of aspects 96 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,680 Speaker 3: that have been kind of now sucked into kind of 97 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:22,800 Speaker 3: like the what like the modern nuclear family kind of 98 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 3: looks like a lot of the dynamics that make that 99 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 3: kind of churns that machine have a lot a lot 100 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 3: of cult aspects. 101 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 2: Yeah, Yeah, definitely, I don't. Honestly, that's where like, you know, 102 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 2: sociologists would contend with the tomb, right because honestly, there 103 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:41,839 Speaker 2: are some definitions of a cult that literally would just 104 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 2: apply to pretty much any religious group. Sure, And what 105 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 2: have your thoughts on that? You know, it's it's it's 106 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,920 Speaker 2: clear that although religious groups do have their issues, we're 107 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:06,120 Speaker 2: speaking about a very specific and concentrated approach to that 108 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 2: type of organization. I mean, cults could be as small 109 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 2: as two people, right where one person is controlling the 110 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 2: other through claiming a position of privilege in sight. In fact, 111 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 2: a lot of cults start with just two people the 112 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 2: leader and they face acolyte, you know. And larger cults 113 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 2: can also have smaller subcults within them, as you know, 114 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 2: certain members branch out and pursue their own little fiefdoms. 115 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 2: Cults weaponize people's emotions to bring them into the fold. 116 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:40,840 Speaker 2: I mean, you don't rationalize your way into the cults, 117 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 2: the people that Heaven's gates with like, huh, yeah, you 118 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 2: know that that really makes sense. I should probably investigate that. 119 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 2: According to all these studies and calculations, it really really 120 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 2: all lines up, you know. And similarly, most don't even 121 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 2: rationalize their way out of a cult. Cult recruitment and 122 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 2: cult dissolusion are mostly involving constantly shifting emotional states, which 123 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 2: helps the leader loss of subtlety and nu ones and 124 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 2: one's thoughts and feelings. And on top of that, cults 125 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 2: are very good at making members feel special. You know. 126 00:08:19,720 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 2: These minor insights are presented as profound revolutions. Commonly held 127 00:08:23,840 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 2: ideas are claimed as exclusive to the cult, boosting members' 128 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:32,560 Speaker 2: sense of intellectual superiority. Where apocalypse is concerned, cults operate 129 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 2: under the assumption that they are the only ones who 130 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 2: can affert imminent catastrophe, fostering a belief in their infallibility, 131 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,679 Speaker 2: and then members are isolated from their pre cult self 132 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 2: and life as their old beliefs are discarded and they're 133 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 2: consumed by cult activities, embracing a new sense of self 134 00:08:50,000 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 2: and riding high and the illusions and promises of a 135 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 2: glorious future with often destructive and violent means needed to 136 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:01,840 Speaker 2: reach that goal. That description apply to both religious cults 137 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 2: and political cults. 138 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 3: And political cults. No, I was definitely viewing that through 139 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 3: even a more so political lens, just because that's, you know, 140 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 3: a lot of what we cover on the show. Yeah, No, 141 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 3: like that can even that can even also I mean, 142 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 3: it can obviously describe, like we've kind of been alluding 143 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 3: to these big like communist kind of cult groups that 144 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 3: operate particularly in North America. But honestly, that description can 145 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:32,360 Speaker 3: also like be applied to just like a really shitty 146 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 3: like anarchist affinity group that's kind of being led by 147 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:40,599 Speaker 3: one asshole. Like, it's certainly like this. It certainly applies beyond, 148 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 3: you know, the very you know, like political systems that 149 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:48,200 Speaker 3: are more inherently authoritarian versus once that aren't. But you know, 150 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 3: if you look at like the Libertarian Party of the 151 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 3: United States, right, and all of their little local chapters, right, 152 00:09:54,960 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 3: they claimed to be anti authoritarian, but a lot of 153 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 3: a lot of their internal politics are very authoritarian. But 154 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:10,160 Speaker 3: also like the specific local chapters, whenever they get new 155 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:12,640 Speaker 3: people in and they kind of have someone new take 156 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:14,880 Speaker 3: take charge of their chapter, it does have a little 157 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,120 Speaker 3: kind of cult dynamic running. And I don't think that's 158 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:22,439 Speaker 3: restricted just to those on the right of the political spectrum. 159 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 3: I think there's definitely aspects where you even see this 160 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:30,560 Speaker 3: in like anarchist kind of compositions in at least at 161 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 3: least to the United States. 162 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 2: And in my observation, yeah, definitely, I think people here 163 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 2: cults and they immediately think like the destructive cults of 164 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 2: people of like the People's Temple of Jim Jones, right, Sure, 165 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 2: I mean those numbers through deliberate action abused, physically injured, 166 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 2: or killed other members of their own group and other people, 167 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:53,440 Speaker 2: you know, and then then of course they doomsday cults 168 00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 2: people think about like Having's skates who believe in some 169 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 2: kind of apocalypticism or millenarianism. But I want to talk 170 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 2: about political cults, right, and not just political cults on 171 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 2: the left, even though that's a very easy target to 172 00:11:12,040 --> 00:11:15,839 Speaker 2: go after, because you know, we are involved in these spaces. 173 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 2: But you know there are a lot of right wing 174 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,920 Speaker 2: political culture as well. You know that we'll get we'll 175 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 2: get their due attention in due time. In fact, the 176 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 2: first political culture I do want to talk about in 177 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 2: another episode is a cult that really ran the gamut 178 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 2: from left to right. The leader of that cult the 179 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:41,640 Speaker 2: last name rhymes with La Poach. But you know we'll 180 00:11:41,679 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 2: get to that in De. 181 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 3: Tex Okay, all right, all right, all right, I will, 182 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 3: I will, I will wait for the for the reveal. 183 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:50,360 Speaker 3: Do you know who else really loves cults? 184 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:51,160 Speaker 2: Who's that? 185 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:55,840 Speaker 3: The products and surfaces that pay both my bills and 186 00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:00,240 Speaker 3: some of your bills. So here is a perfect a 187 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 3: perfect space for an ad break. Thanks Chevron, if you're 188 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:10,720 Speaker 3: advertising pushing pushing forward the great American tradition of cultish 189 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 3: behavior in the economic system, we are back have you 190 00:12:25,920 --> 00:12:28,320 Speaker 3: ever read the book Cultish? 191 00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 2: So I classify my engagement with literature in two broad comps. 192 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 2: Books I've read in books I've skimmed. That's a book 193 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:37,560 Speaker 2: I've skimmed. 194 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,080 Speaker 3: Okay, all right, all right, it's it is it is. 195 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 3: It is definitely a fine book to skim. No, it's 196 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:47,480 Speaker 3: definitely a good a good kind of a good, central 197 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 3: central piece of literature. Kind of on on this topic, 198 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,920 Speaker 3: especially as it relates to, you know, getting out of 199 00:12:54,400 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 3: just like Heaven's Gate or scientology. Know that there's very like, 200 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 3: very obvious cults as starting to like look at the 201 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 3: general cultishness of like this entire continent and specifically the 202 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:10,840 Speaker 3: United States. It's definitely a fun read if anyone is 203 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:12,040 Speaker 3: interested in the topic. 204 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:15,440 Speaker 2: Yeah. I think it particularly focuses on cult language, right, 205 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,319 Speaker 2: how the language of cultures used to manipulate people. Yeah. 206 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 2: So political cults, right, I mean, in a world where 207 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 2: established politics has failed us again and again, many have 208 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,840 Speaker 2: to into radical politics right and left. I mean, as 209 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 2: someone who doesn't really consider myself left, but I do 210 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 2: like relate to it in some way, you know, typical anarchist. 211 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm on the same I'm in the same boat 212 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 3: as you there. 213 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't see radicalization towards left as necessarily a 214 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 2: bad thing. I mean, there a lot of rabbit holes 215 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 2: and pitfalls I think people fall into when they start 216 00:13:54,080 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 2: progressing in that tratructory. But you know, people's frustrations with 217 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 2: this feeling system are real, and it's that they seeking 218 00:14:00,760 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 2: radical alternatives. Some of those alternatives are terrible and should 219 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 2: be called out, but the premise of needing revolutionary system 220 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:11,400 Speaker 2: change is not terrible, which is where I disagree with 221 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 2: the books kind of Centrist Bent, because it puts forward 222 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,839 Speaker 2: the idea that revolution is like this dramatic thing, right, 223 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,800 Speaker 2: Like how why would you reproposing that? Unless you were 224 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 2: called kind of vibe. It also ends up drawing some 225 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 2: equivalences between the radical left and the radical right. Sure, 226 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:32,400 Speaker 2: although I will say as well, the book is primarily 227 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,400 Speaker 2: discussed in Marxist Leninists when it talks about political cults 228 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 2: on the far left, and as we'll see the way 229 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 2: that Marxis Leninists structure things, it is somewhat conducive to 230 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 2: that particular formation. Not to slander all Marxist Leninists, but 231 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 2: the ideology is, you know, in some ways compatible in 232 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:57,040 Speaker 2: many ways campatal with cult organization. Yeah, and I do 233 00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 2: agree with the book's criticisms of the way that a 234 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:03,520 Speaker 2: lot of our sis learninists specifically organize their movements and organizations. 235 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 2: But yet preamble side, the book defines political cults as 236 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 2: environments where individuals are encouraged to envision of future society 237 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 2: under their control. These members are often praised as visionary leaders, 238 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 2: referred to as cartres, who will hold significant power in 239 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:25,560 Speaker 2: the new world order. At the same time, they are 240 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 2: criticized for not fully grasping the ideals of the founders 241 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 2: in the present. The slow progress toward realizing the cult 242 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 2: schools is attributed to their perceived lack of effort. The 243 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 2: leader is credited to the cult's achievements, while any setbacks 244 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:43,080 Speaker 2: are blamed on the members perceived laziness. This combination of 245 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,840 Speaker 2: grandiose vision and in culture that suppresses dissent create an 246 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 2: environment where questioning any aspect of the group's ideology is 247 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 2: met with intense fair and punishment, and political culturally do 248 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 2: present a danger. Most of them are marginal irrelevant, but 249 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:02,760 Speaker 2: they do cause harm to the people within them and 250 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,920 Speaker 2: the people outside of them, And if they managed to 251 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 2: take state power, like in Cambodia, it really has like 252 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,520 Speaker 2: extremely disasterisk results, and I would call a full partter 253 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:16,240 Speaker 2: cult leader. I would go as far as to say 254 00:16:16,280 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 2: that political cults have been mostly far right right. There 255 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 2: are some far left cults in the mix, which in 256 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 2: my opinion is even more depressing because it's like you're 257 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 2: so close and then yeah, there you go. So like 258 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:35,840 Speaker 2: a lot of my eya is targeted towards political cults 259 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:40,040 Speaker 2: and the left because it's like, wow, you know, almost there, 260 00:16:40,120 --> 00:16:43,920 Speaker 2: and then now you're stuck planting the flag of the 261 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 2: CCP in front of a university in the US or something. 262 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, many, many such cases. 263 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:57,280 Speaker 2: Many such cases. All sorts of political cults demand to 264 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 2: their true believers be prepared to raise the group's inflexible 265 00:17:01,440 --> 00:17:05,720 Speaker 2: theology and strict organizational practices, much to the parallel society 266 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 2: and honestly the waste of the talents, energy, and commitment 267 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,159 Speaker 2: to their members. For as long as I can remember, 268 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:15,640 Speaker 2: cults have been a bad thing. You know, Cults suck, right, 269 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 2: Cults of all types really suck generally. 270 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, generally, cults have kind of a bad rap. 271 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:29,639 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I can't imagine why. But then that lent 272 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 2: itself to the question of why do people join them 273 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 2: now they're stupid? How do they recruit and keep their members? Like? 274 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 2: What's going on there is that they just didn't know? 275 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,440 Speaker 2: Is it that? Oh, cults, sign me up. I want 276 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 2: to take a very unorthodox approach and offer you, Garrison personally, 277 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:53,720 Speaker 2: a guide to start your own cult. 278 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,760 Speaker 3: Oh I I've thought a lot about this already, but 279 00:17:57,840 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 3: I am, I am. I'm very happy to, very happy 280 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 3: to take it out here. Let me make a new Google. 281 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 2: Doc and sure where drawn from the work of social 282 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:13,399 Speaker 2: psychologists Anthony Pratcanis and Elliott Aaronson. So just follow these steps, 283 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:18,560 Speaker 2: all right, all right? Step one create a distinct social reality. 284 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,160 Speaker 2: Cults is slate members from external sources of information, making 285 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 2: them interact primarily with other cult members. This leads to 286 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 2: a shift in vocabulary towards the cult's lingo, making it 287 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 2: difficult for them to communicate with non cult members, which 288 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 2: leads to the uncritical acceptance of the cult's propaganda. The 289 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 2: cult's belief system must be rigid and all encompass in 290 00:18:40,960 --> 00:18:44,240 Speaker 2: the analysis, answers everything about the world, and there is 291 00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 2: nothing beyond it. Left wing cults believe that their ideology 292 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 2: is the only valid lens through which to view the world. 293 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 2: Historic coalm zerialism. Well, right wing cults often center their 294 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:59,840 Speaker 2: beliefs around conspiracy theories, particularly related to race. And I remember, 295 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 2: group's beliefs are beyond question or falsification, No tests or 296 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 2: challenges allowed that might lead to a reevaluation of these beliefs. 297 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,560 Speaker 2: Any dissent or questioning is labeled as heresy or betrayal 298 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 2: or you know better kind of vibe. Step two, create 299 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 2: an in group and an outgroup. Cults emphasize differences between 300 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 2: there in group and perceived out groups, fostering loyalty among members. 301 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 2: It really doesn't matter who the out group is. You 302 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 2: just need to have an outgroup of some kind. So 303 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 2: for far right cults, it's like Jewish people, black people, 304 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,359 Speaker 2: gay people, those are the necessary out groups. That's like 305 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 2: the bare minimum out group for most right wing groups. Right, Yeah, 306 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 2: it's like checklist, you know, typical. I mean, of course, 307 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:49,240 Speaker 2: some go even further, and they might say something like 308 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:54,040 Speaker 2: anybody who isn't a white Anglo Saxon Protestant is excluded 309 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:57,119 Speaker 2: from their groups. But you know, sorry, became kind of irrelevant. 310 00:19:57,440 --> 00:19:59,359 Speaker 3: Sorry, Catholics, you're not. 311 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:05,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, RP Catholics, RP Irish, et cetera. And then 312 00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:07,679 Speaker 2: for far left cults, in order to I state the 313 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:11,000 Speaker 2: members for the they can't just rely on like the 314 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,640 Speaker 2: bourgeoisie as the old group, because I mean, the rest 315 00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 2: of the left already has the bourgeoisie as an opponent. 316 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 2: So these far left cults have to create other out 317 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 2: groups to talk at the and I state their numbers 318 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:23,720 Speaker 2: from as well. 319 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 3: Yeah, it becomes much more like seeped in ideology than 320 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 3: some all then, like compared to some of the right 321 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 3: wing cults, I think generally, the cults on the left 322 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,600 Speaker 3: get get way more into creating kind of ideological distinctions 323 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 3: that separate the in group in the out group, and 324 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 3: there the ideology becomes the thing that like this is 325 00:20:46,680 --> 00:20:50,000 Speaker 3: like that becomes like the unquestionable thing that answers all 326 00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 3: of the truths and all of like the problems of 327 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 3: the world, whether that's like an apocalyptic version where you're 328 00:20:56,040 --> 00:20:59,679 Speaker 3: talking about like some like collapse, or it's you know, 329 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 3: like a or even like a utopia version right where 330 00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 3: you're talking about the Marxist Leninists Party is gonna see 331 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 3: seize power through the vanguard and control swaths of territory 332 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:15,880 Speaker 3: and return power to the proletariat. 333 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:21,520 Speaker 2: Yes, and the true obstacles to that party are the revisionists, 334 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 2: the ultra leftists, et cetera, et cetera, the. 335 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 3: Post leftists, the anarchists. Yeah yeah, the social Democrats as 336 00:21:30,119 --> 00:21:34,439 Speaker 3: always the enemy to all sides, truly, the one, the 337 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 3: one that everyone everyone loves to hit. 338 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, truly, come right. Next step step three build 339 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 2: commitment through dissonance reduction, so cults manipulate cognitive discerns by 340 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 2: gradually escalating members quitment the group's beliefs and actions. These 341 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 2: for sense of consistency and eventually conversion. You don't throw 342 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 2: a newbie into the kool aid right away. You start 343 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 2: small and you build up from there. Maybe first you 344 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:08,959 Speaker 2: join a meeting, Then maybe you start voting in the meetings. 345 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: Then you hand it out flyers for the cult at 346 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 2: like a Black Lives Matter protest for example, and then 347 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:17,480 Speaker 2: you sip in the kool aid. You know, it's like 348 00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 2: baby steps. You don't throw them into the intilrating right away. 349 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:30,720 Speaker 2: Next step four, maintain a rigid internal regime. Decision making 350 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 2: power is concentrating in the hands of a select elite 351 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:39,120 Speaker 2: within the group. Formal controls and democratic processes are either 352 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 2: dismantled or ignored, even though the organization make claim to 353 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:47,640 Speaker 2: be democratic on paper, and this environment helps to foster uncertainty, 354 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:53,359 Speaker 2: fair and confusion among members, which actually helps to reinforce 355 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 2: their commitment to the group. Believe it or not. Five. 356 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 2: Step five establish the attractiveness and credibility of the leader. 357 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 2: Oh alrighty, yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, makeover. 358 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,080 Speaker 3: This is this is why it's gonna be all over. 359 00:23:11,119 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 3: As soon as they start making twink cults, it's gonna 360 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 3: be whole swathps of above the population just are gonna 361 00:23:18,720 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 3: immediately fall victim. 362 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 2: Indeed, indeed, these grand or supreme leaders are legends, extraordinary 363 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:34,439 Speaker 2: in their qualities, your twinkness. New age cults do this. Sorry, 364 00:23:35,320 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 2: new age cults do this with their sex best leaders 365 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 2: and stuff. But oh my god, I can't not mention 366 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 2: the veneration the political cults plays in their leaders, right, yeah, yeah, yeah, 367 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 2: I mean Hitler fans just obsessed with the guy. I 368 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:50,280 Speaker 2: mean that goes on saying. 369 00:23:50,720 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 3: Yeah. This applies to like to like, people who are 370 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,680 Speaker 3: really into Hitler, people who are really into Stall, and 371 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 3: people who are really into now they've become this almost 372 00:23:58,560 --> 00:23:59,840 Speaker 3: like messionic figure. 373 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, I mean even before I understood cults better, 374 00:24:04,560 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 2: I could see very clearly early on, even you know, 375 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 2: before my readers theory and everything just being exposed to 376 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 2: you know that space, that there is a veritable cult 377 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,639 Speaker 2: of Lenin, of the king family, of Mao, of Trotsky, 378 00:24:22,880 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 2: out of Stalin, and far be it from you to 379 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,720 Speaker 2: point out their flaws and mistakes. Either it's denied outright 380 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 2: as outside propaganda, or it's kept on the download as 381 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 2: much as possible. Specifically North Korea situation, right, you often 382 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,880 Speaker 2: see its supporters saying things like, yes, there are problems 383 00:24:42,880 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 2: with North Korea, and we do discuss our criticisms behind 384 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:50,120 Speaker 2: closed doors, but openly, you know, it's full throttled, full 385 00:24:50,280 --> 00:24:53,919 Speaker 2: throated support, which I find very interesting. 386 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 3: Yeah. 387 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:01,320 Speaker 2: Step six, speaking of leaders, the leader needs privileges naturally 388 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:07,359 Speaker 2: post our power, wealth accumulation, and often sexual favors as well. 389 00:25:08,560 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 2: Activities that are usually deemed unacceptable for ordinary members are 390 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:17,479 Speaker 2: tolerated when apply it to leaders. Why because step seven 391 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 2: you make sure to deify the leader. Leaders, whether historical 392 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:27,360 Speaker 2: or current, are elevated to a near defined status. They're 393 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 2: carrying on the legacy and defending it from revision. If 394 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:34,200 Speaker 2: the og is already dead, you resolve the arguments by 395 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:37,920 Speaker 2: referencing the sayings of these leaders rather than through independent analysis. 396 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 2: So it's not well, you know this is the case 397 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 2: because we examined X, Y, and Z factor. It's this 398 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 2: is the case because pus and AA said so in 399 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,119 Speaker 2: nineteenth century text number three hundred and seventy six or whatever. 400 00:25:56,400 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 3: It's it's six hundred pages long. 401 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 2: It's yeah. I mean, do you even read capital, Like, come. 402 00:26:02,480 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 3: On, all all twenty five volumes? 403 00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 2: I mean, no shares a capital. I mean it's a 404 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 2: good no. 405 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:14,600 Speaker 3: Absolutely, If you want to read about like German factory conditions, 406 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 3: it is, and it's definitely it's eighteenth century German factory politics, 407 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 3: it is. It is an unparalleled book. 408 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, definitely. Step eight you need to send members to proselytize. 409 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:35,399 Speaker 2: Members need to constantly promote the benefits of the culture 410 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 2: others because that reinforces their own beliefs, that self generated 411 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 2: persuasion strengthens their commitment. And to be fair, this applies 412 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,159 Speaker 2: even outside of cults, right like if in the habits 413 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,719 Speaker 2: of sharing your particular ideology or religion or philosophy. The 414 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,240 Speaker 2: process of sharing it often helps you to understand it 415 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 2: and also lends itself lends to you being food persuaded 416 00:26:58,760 --> 00:27:01,720 Speaker 2: by it. But in the context of everything else, in 417 00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 2: context of the cults, it really becomes a feedback loop 418 00:27:04,359 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 2: quote which is shown of all interference from the outside world, 419 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,239 Speaker 2: and in which only the liturgy of the cult has 420 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:17,400 Speaker 2: any semblance of reality. Number nine. Step nine distract members 421 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 2: from undesirable thoughts. Overworking members. Keep them busy and exhausted, 422 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,399 Speaker 2: far too busy and exhausted to question the group's direction 423 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:30,639 Speaker 2: or beliefs. Social life friendships, those all revolve around the group, 424 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,760 Speaker 2: and of course those friendships are entirely conditional on the 425 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:37,880 Speaker 2: maintenance of uncritical enthusiasm for the party line. The book 426 00:27:37,920 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 2: uses the example of the Worker's Revolutionary Party in Britain, 427 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:45,320 Speaker 2: which has a chapter in the book all to itself. 428 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:48,280 Speaker 2: Despite neving able to muster more than one percent of 429 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:53,119 Speaker 2: the vote in any elections, somehow this small organization managed 430 00:27:53,119 --> 00:27:58,639 Speaker 2: to put out a daily newspaper, keeping the members busy, busy, busy, busy, busy. 431 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:04,159 Speaker 2: Next number two fixate members on a promised land. Cults 432 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 2: create an idealized vision of the future the contrast to 433 00:28:07,560 --> 00:28:11,040 Speaker 2: the current reality that promised lands maybe an alien spaceship 434 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,159 Speaker 2: to the next dimension, a religious ethno state, or a 435 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 2: Marxist lenin as utopia. But in either case, the cult's 436 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 2: members are driven to work tirelessly to achieve this vision 437 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:25,560 Speaker 2: fair and missed opportunities. They're constantly either recruiting, in front raising, 438 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:29,120 Speaker 2: and kept in a constanst of luteness reinforcing the commitment 439 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 2: to the group's beliefs now Garrison. If you follow these steps, 440 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,640 Speaker 2: you will have a fairly effective cult. But you know what, 441 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 2: just for you, I'm going to throw in a bonus 442 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 2: package of commonly held contradictions. You could call it the 443 00:28:45,040 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 2: double think package. 444 00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:51,440 Speaker 3: Okay, all right, I'm all yours. I'm really really desperate 445 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,440 Speaker 3: at this point because I've kind of sunk cost fallacy 446 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 3: this right, We've already been I've already been learning for 447 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 3: like thirty minutes. I feel like I need to take 448 00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:03,000 Speaker 3: away more or more information at at at the end 449 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 3: because if I if I go and apply this now, 450 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,720 Speaker 3: it's I feel like I'm only gonna half asset. I need. 451 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 3: I need one final, one final thing to kind of 452 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:13,280 Speaker 3: click into place here. 453 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 2: Absolutely check this out right, love of liberty and support 454 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:20,320 Speaker 2: for totalitarianism. 455 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 3: Right, these seem like two opposite things. How can how 456 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 3: can both of these codes? 457 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:29,360 Speaker 2: You can hold them in your brains simultaneously? Right? Check this. 458 00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:33,400 Speaker 2: Right left wing cults would idealize a very democratic Soviet 459 00:29:33,400 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 2: community of the past. You know, some trotch gise groups 460 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 2: even depict an earlier period as democratic before being corrupted 461 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 2: by later leaders. And then right wing cults would claim 462 00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 2: to champ on individual liberty but seek to cletail democratic 463 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:52,400 Speaker 2: rights for those who disagree with So the democracy is upheld, 464 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 2: but it's theoretical. So it's like, yeah, democracy would also 465 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 2: come on the material conditions. You can't have democracy in 466 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,960 Speaker 2: that kind of situation. Ah, so you're loving, yes, like 467 00:30:03,040 --> 00:30:07,560 Speaker 2: I am a democracy advocate, but also like democracy gets 468 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 2: in the way sometimes we have to like get past it. 469 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:12,360 Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you have like you 470 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 3: see what I'm cooking. We have the democracy of like 471 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 3: me and like my three friends, but not like you know, everybody. 472 00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 2: Yeah yeah, yeah, it's like democracy, but it's like centered 473 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:24,160 Speaker 2: around like a group like I you call it like 474 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:27,959 Speaker 2: democratic centralism or something like that. 475 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:29,480 Speaker 3: Anyway, that's a great idea. 476 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:45,040 Speaker 2: That's a great idea, Thank you. Next, we have belief 477 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,520 Speaker 2: inequality and privilege for leaders. 478 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 3: That last one team is kind of important. 479 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, so you're going to be advocating for equality, but 480 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:58,959 Speaker 2: then your leaders are going to have a bunch of privileges. 481 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 3: Because because we're spending all the time advocating, we but 482 00:31:01,720 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 3: a little bit something. 483 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:06,680 Speaker 2: Extra exactly to the members. Well, they get to go 484 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:11,120 Speaker 2: out there and spend time fundraising and stuff, but they 485 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 2: can't have a say and how the money is spent, right, Like, 486 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 2: we need that money, you know, for our personal projects 487 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:23,280 Speaker 2: and our extremely high standard of livent. Check this out. 488 00:31:23,280 --> 00:31:26,240 Speaker 2: This is very common in religious cults, but also very 489 00:31:26,240 --> 00:31:33,160 Speaker 2: common in some political cults. Promotion of sexual morality and 490 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 2: sexual exploitation. 491 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 3: Huh well, okay, I'm not gonna I think I think 492 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 3: I'll stop the flag a long bit at this one. 493 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:48,080 Speaker 2: Actually yeah, yeah, yeah, fair enough. But yes, this is 494 00:31:48,360 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 2: it's terrible, It's really terrible. 495 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 3: This is a very common thick. 496 00:31:52,880 --> 00:31:56,360 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, you know, cultural impose very strict sexual rules, 497 00:31:56,640 --> 00:32:01,000 Speaker 2: particularly on members, but yeah, particularly young women, and the 498 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:04,360 Speaker 2: leaders will still like have a whole harem of female 499 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 2: members that they exploit. Stuff. 500 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 3: This is this is. This is even quite common with 501 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:14,440 Speaker 3: like like hardline evangelical cults in the in the States, 502 00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 3: whether that's kind of like a Quiverfull related or just 503 00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 3: other kind of smaller evangelical sex that kind of form 504 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,720 Speaker 3: their own kind of church cult dynamic. But that is 505 00:32:25,760 --> 00:32:29,440 Speaker 3: that's very specifically, very common among Christian cults because of 506 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 3: how much that like sexual authoritarianism is uh normalized in 507 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 3: a lot of and a lot of Protestant and Catholic 508 00:32:39,160 --> 00:32:43,480 Speaker 3: uh you know doctrine. 509 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly exactly. It's it's frighteningly common. 510 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,440 Speaker 3: And I've certainly heard that like, you know, like Stalinists 511 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 3: or Maoists specifically have have weird, weird sex stuff going on. 512 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,920 Speaker 3: But I've I've never I've never quite poked that bear, 513 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:06,600 Speaker 3: but I have i haven't heard that there's specifically really 514 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 3: a weird sex stuff around ballists. 515 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 2: But yeah, and also really weird sex offron Mao allegedly 516 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 2: I've heard to bought his exploits. Yeah, moving along, last 517 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:22,800 Speaker 2: one in this little bonus package. The rest will have 518 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 2: to like pay the twelve simple payments of nine hundred 519 00:33:26,280 --> 00:33:28,360 Speaker 2: and ninety nine dollars to get you know. 520 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 3: That's that's that's one payment every month, but each month 521 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:35,080 Speaker 3: I get more information about how to do it better. 522 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:37,200 Speaker 3: That sounds a good That sounds a great deal. 523 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, for sure, because I mean you'll be just 524 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 2: like swimming in cash by the time. 525 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, because now I can I can use these and 526 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,760 Speaker 3: I could pass down these steps to someone else, so 527 00:33:47,160 --> 00:33:50,720 Speaker 3: I'll I will already get that best and they could 528 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:51,480 Speaker 3: pass it down. 529 00:33:51,720 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 2: Pass it down, and then you'll get kicked backs from 530 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 2: that as well. 531 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:56,440 Speaker 3: That's great. That's that's sounds looks like. 532 00:33:56,840 --> 00:33:58,800 Speaker 2: A multi level scheme. 533 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 3: It's like there's like a triangle and there's different like 534 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 3: tiers of it, and like you're you're technically what above me, 535 00:34:05,080 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 3: but I'm still pretty close to the top if I 536 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 3: if I keep bringing it down, then it gets wider 537 00:34:09,520 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 3: and wider. That's that sounds like a pretty good like 538 00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:12,480 Speaker 3: setup and. 539 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 2: I benefit and then you benefit. 540 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 3: I mean, the triangle is actually the strongest shape structurally, 541 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 3: structure structurally, So check. 542 00:34:21,719 --> 00:34:26,640 Speaker 2: This out right, demand for free speech and suppression of 543 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 2: descent right, so culture vigorously defend their right to free 544 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,399 Speaker 2: speech even results into legal action. Are there's some very 545 00:34:35,440 --> 00:34:39,440 Speaker 2: infamous court cases involving in cults. Yes, and then they 546 00:34:39,480 --> 00:34:46,520 Speaker 2: will criticize rival organizations for you know, undemocratic practices, yet 547 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 2: within the wrongs of the group, dissent is actively suppressed. 548 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 2: You know. 549 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:55,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is like the scientology classic here. 550 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly. And members will be told like, yeah, you 551 00:34:58,600 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 2: should absolutely criticize. But then if they do criticize, you know, 552 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:05,400 Speaker 2: they're going to be humiliated. They can very easily be expelled. 553 00:35:05,440 --> 00:35:09,400 Speaker 2: It's like a bait and switch. It's like, yeah, we 554 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:12,120 Speaker 2: give you this platform to criticize, so then we know 555 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 2: who to target and to tear it down. Very very common, 556 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 2: very very useful when you want to, you know, strengthen 557 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:26,280 Speaker 2: the integrity of your cult. All right, and one last 558 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 2: quick game, let's ask ourselves. 559 00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,879 Speaker 3: Really you're just like. 560 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:39,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, yeah, only if you call right now. So 561 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 2: let's ask ourselves. Am I already in a political cult? 562 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:47,279 Speaker 3: Great? Good question. Actually, this is something people should ask 563 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 3: themselves pretty frequently. 564 00:35:49,239 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 2: Yes. Yes. And to figure that out, we have to 565 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:56,960 Speaker 2: look at the conditions that indicate the presence of ideological totalism, 566 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,520 Speaker 2: a tam coined by American psychiatrist Robert J. Lifter to 567 00:36:00,560 --> 00:36:03,600 Speaker 2: give a name to the mood of absolute convictions, which 568 00:36:03,640 --> 00:36:06,439 Speaker 2: embeds ideas so deeply in people's heads that they grow 569 00:36:06,520 --> 00:36:10,920 Speaker 2: inoculated against doubt. So what are the conditions he identifies 570 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 2: as indicating the presence of ideological totalism. Well, there's milieu control, 571 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:21,080 Speaker 2: mystical manipulation, the demand for purity, the cult of confession, 572 00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:26,560 Speaker 2: the secret science loading, the language, doctrine over person, and 573 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:30,839 Speaker 2: the dispensing of existence. What do those mean one at 574 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 2: a time? Miliu control involves techniques that dominate a person's 575 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:38,239 Speaker 2: contact with the outside world and communication with themselves. Right, 576 00:36:38,280 --> 00:36:41,560 Speaker 2: so that idea of cults isolating people prevented them from 577 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:46,680 Speaker 2: testing the groups of ideas against external alternatives. Mystical manipulation 578 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:49,920 Speaker 2: is where cults claim a sense of higher purpose and 579 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:53,040 Speaker 2: portrayali ideology as the vanguard of social development. That's all 580 00:36:53,160 --> 00:36:56,720 Speaker 2: encompass in. This is the essential ideology for the future 581 00:36:56,760 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 2: of the world. Demand for purity is of course, where 582 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,360 Speaker 2: members are like convicted of their superiority and purity in 583 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 2: their beliefs. The core ideas are essential, and anybody who 584 00:37:08,040 --> 00:37:10,000 Speaker 2: is a non member as a critic or as a 585 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:13,920 Speaker 2: critic is an accomplice in some kind of conspiracy against 586 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:18,160 Speaker 2: the cult's ideas. The cult of confession is where members 587 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,880 Speaker 2: are required to confess their inadequacies and failures in group meetings, 588 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:26,040 Speaker 2: which helps to break down individuality and intimidating and helps 589 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 2: to intimidate potential dis centers. The sacred science, through the 590 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:33,360 Speaker 2: group's ideology, is presented as a sacred moral vision, so 591 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:35,160 Speaker 2: you can't really question its basic assumption. 592 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:37,680 Speaker 3: The immortal science of mark system. 593 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:42,840 Speaker 2: The immortal science indeed loading the language is what we 594 00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 2: were talking about earlier, where cults use repetitive phrases and 595 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:49,520 Speaker 2: though terminating and cliches to prevent critical analysis and limit 596 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:53,960 Speaker 2: thinking and feeling. Doctrine over person is where historical myths 597 00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:57,200 Speaker 2: are created or altered so align with the cult's ideology. 598 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 2: And then the dispenser of existence is we have only 599 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 2: those who adhance the group's ideology a fully human or 600 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:07,320 Speaker 2: good well. All others are seen as agents of evil 601 00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:10,920 Speaker 2: or barriers to progress. How Black Will Delivery has been 602 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,040 Speaker 2: useful for you in determining whether or not you and 603 00:38:14,080 --> 00:38:17,040 Speaker 2: a cult, as well as determine how you can create 604 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:18,359 Speaker 2: your own well. 605 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:23,000 Speaker 3: Something that that my boss has told me a lot 606 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:28,520 Speaker 3: is that there's there's very little difference between a cult 607 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:35,000 Speaker 3: and a really good party. So, but the biggest difference 608 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:40,040 Speaker 3: is that a party hopefully will be over right, it's 609 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:43,680 Speaker 3: it should just be like one night. So a good 610 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,800 Speaker 3: party is a cult that lasts like twelve hours tops. 611 00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,360 Speaker 3: So you can't apply a lot of these ideas to 612 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 3: putting together a really fun house party as long as 613 00:38:55,640 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 3: that it's there's a mandatory, like a disclin ship of 614 00:39:01,239 --> 00:39:04,759 Speaker 3: the party after after you know, everyone wakes up the 615 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:05,320 Speaker 3: next morning. 616 00:39:06,080 --> 00:39:11,880 Speaker 2: So I'm imagining like uh a DJ like yes, yes, 617 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:16,719 Speaker 2: like like DJ miil you control. 618 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:23,200 Speaker 3: We are, we are putting gets back on no more, 619 00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:25,760 Speaker 3: no more, ska back to gets exactly. 620 00:39:25,840 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. The future lies right here in the. 621 00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:31,240 Speaker 3: Space exactly exactly. 622 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:41,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. But I mean, in all seriousness, physical culture really sad. 623 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 2: You know, the prayers, people's frustrations, the desire for change, 624 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 2: the prey. And what's worse is that they prey on 625 00:39:48,480 --> 00:39:52,760 Speaker 2: their desire for affiliation. Yeah. One of our most deeply 626 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:58,239 Speaker 2: rooted desires to identify with social groups, to develop an 627 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:01,960 Speaker 2: identity on a familiar your local, ethnic, or national scale. 628 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:05,880 Speaker 2: And it's really sad that people get lost in that source. 629 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:10,480 Speaker 2: You remember that, no matter what the group you choose 630 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:17,319 Speaker 2: affiliate with should be able to handle descent. I think 631 00:40:17,320 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 2: that's a very good baseline upon which to affiliate or 632 00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:26,759 Speaker 2: to determine your affiliation. Healthy groups, organizations, and movements are 633 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:31,080 Speaker 2: not weakened by descent. They need dissent, disagreement, and conflict 634 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 2: to survive. Frequent and important disagreement makes movements and organizations stronger. 635 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:39,480 Speaker 2: It allows the individuals within them to maintain a level 636 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 2: of independence and allows ideas to evolve through challenge rather 637 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:49,120 Speaker 2: than to exist purely due to the stifling atmosphere of conformity. Today, 638 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:51,200 Speaker 2: we spoke about the techniques employed by both left wing 639 00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:55,719 Speaker 2: and right wing cults to maintain higher levels of conformity, activism, 640 00:40:55,800 --> 00:41:00,480 Speaker 2: and intolerance among their members. I want to emphasize our 641 00:41:00,520 --> 00:41:03,919 Speaker 2: discussion doesn't imply that movements striving for societal change are 642 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:07,600 Speaker 2: inherently bound to become obscure cults. Those that are critical 643 00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:12,400 Speaker 2: examination of modern society is not warranted. But it's important 644 00:41:12,440 --> 00:41:16,280 Speaker 2: to remember that while our will challenges require political natsis 645 00:41:16,320 --> 00:41:19,719 Speaker 2: an action, the organizations that we form to address these 646 00:41:19,800 --> 00:41:29,319 Speaker 2: challenges must try to genuinely seek understanding and transformation while 647 00:41:29,480 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 2: preserving the freedom and individuality of its members. I still 648 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:39,600 Speaker 2: a lot to say create a real community, not a cult. 649 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:43,560 Speaker 2: That's all. Until next time, I've been Andrew of the 650 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:51,040 Speaker 2: channel Andrewism and next we will be discussing the one 651 00:41:51,080 --> 00:41:58,919 Speaker 2: and only the Loathsome Lindone Lerbs Peace. 652 00:42:04,320 --> 00:42:06,720 Speaker 1: It Could Happen Here as a production of cool Zone Media. 653 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:09,560 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 654 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:12,759 Speaker 1: Coolzonemedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 655 00:42:12,760 --> 00:42:16,120 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can 656 00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:18,839 Speaker 1: find sources for It Could Happen Here, updated monthly at 657 00:42:18,880 --> 00:42:22,120 Speaker 1: coolzonmedia dot com slash sources. Thanks for listening,