There’s a lot of accusations that Americans on both the political right and left are now members of “Cults.” What exactly is a cult? After doing a bit of research, I found these helpful descriptions / definitions / traits of Cult Leaders and their followers from the Cult Education Institute.
The following material is from the CEI webpage titled “Warning Signs”:
Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.
- Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
- No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
- No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
- Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
- There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
- Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
- There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
- Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.
- The group/leader is always right.
- The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.
- Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
- Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower’s mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused–as that person’s involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
- Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as “persecution”.
- Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.
- Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
- Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.
- A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.
- Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
- Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
- Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.
Michael Shermer shared these characteristics of cults in a 2020.11.23 Tweet – https://twitter.com/michaelshermer/status/1331008759175507970 . This is from his book: “Why People Believe Weird Things”
Allow me, please, to disagree a bit with the experts. What, you were expecting something else?
The descriptions would all miss cargo cults, the most important cults to understand. I suspect that the group is obsessed with the leader, which may or may not involve veneration. And, inerrancy and omniscience can be replaced by refusal to acknowledge facts inconvenient to the desired narrative.
That would yield two Trump cults, the remnants of the GOP, the remnants of the liberal Democrats, and the crazies of any flavor. Under my interpretation, it’s easy to understand how Joe Biden was elected while down-ballot races reflected a rejection of the party’s woke principles. Joe Biden, the Great Unknown, won, and instead of trembling fearfully in their echo chambers, Democrats have interpreted that as a sweep and a win for the Party.
The truth is that the only thing that resonated with actual voters was “We Hate Trump.” Other than that, Democrats lost the broader election, losing at least a dozen House seats, one governorship, one state legislature and gained a net of only one Senate seat. The blue wave turned into a gurgle in the drainpiipe.
I want the Democrats to remain viable, which will be difficult to accomplish with virtue signaling and throwing rocks at anyone who dares challenge any part of Woke Orthodoxy. I miss the party where I was a member for 49 years. It stood for something. Maybe it can, again.
MAKE DEMOCRATS RELEVANT AGAIN. Nice sound to the slogan. Maybe with a teal-colored hat and people marching while holding MDRA signs.