Earlier quoted context omitted.
And wokeism.
Lord…three comments. Three comments in before “don’t be a jerk to people different than you” is called a cult.
I don't think that's what anyone actually means when they say that.
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#22I'll be shot down for this, but Musk and his followers seem to fit the bill here. A supreme leader with otherwordly powers, who can't be criticized (as when people cheered him on after the Unsworth trial), who can cause harm to people with impunity because he can do no wrong, and so on.
It's all about him, and he is the only path to breakthrough technology. The Muskovites seem significantly cult-like in this way.
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#23Cults are generally classified by those outside the organisation. (_points_ "That is a cult!"). But this very classification helps to reinforce any us/them ingroup/outgroup behaviours which we see actual cults doing ("Don't trust those outside, only trust the ingroup"). Real cults isolate and the isolation increases with attack from outside. A cultish group that is not attacked may not actually radicalise.
This is also a way to determine whether a group of people that has been labelled a cult isn't actually one: Look at how the group defines itself with regards to those outside. How does the group see itself in the world.
We see today many groups labelled as cults which in reality are not so. The label has become a kind of strategy for attack based on an intolerant difference ("they are different") rather than an accurate descriptive label ("they isolate themselves from us"). Tolerance in a society is tolerance towards difference.
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#24Earlier quoted context omitted.
And wokeism.
Lord…three comments. Three comments in before “don’t be a jerk to people different than you” is called a cult.
Welcome to HN.
And if instead of just a throwaway two-word dig it would be a longer comment with big words and superficially logical-sounding lazy argumentation that has been debunked countless times, it would likely be upvoted.
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#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
Lord…three comments. Three comments in before “don’t be a jerk to people different than you” is called a cult.
It always astonishes me the degree to which “don’t be an asshole” is considered a radical position. oh, zarzavat, of course, you are obviously correct: it’s the people who sell “F#%K your feelings” t-shirts at rallies and wave nazi flags at “legitimate political discourse” who really care about others. Trump: truly an empathetic person, deeply caring about others. Assholes never like being told they are assholes. It’…
> It always astonishes me the degree to which “don’t be an asshole” is considered a radical position.
That is not what wokeism means.
Wokeism is about
- making boys and men feel shameful for being boys and men
- making white people feel shameful for being white
- and other such things.
What you talk about is not something that any reasonable HNer would call wokeism.
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#26The second half of the questions looks accurate, especially around emotional manipulation, but the first half is dubious.
A lot of benign organizations would score some points, from firefighters (wearing an uniform) to a bunch of friends playing D&D, to taking beginner painting class (the teacher is not there to be questioned on their painting sytle).
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#27Earlier quoted context omitted.
It always astonishes me the degree to which “don’t be an asshole” is considered a radical position. oh, zarzavat, of course, you are obviously correct: it’s the people who sell “F#%K your feelings” t-shirts at rallies and wave nazi flags at “legitimate political discourse” who really care about others. Trump: truly an empathetic person, deeply caring about others. Assholes never like being told they are assholes. It’…
> It always astonishes me the degree to which “don’t be an asshole” is considered a radical position. That is not what wokeism means. Wokeism is about - making boys and men feel shameful for being boys and men - making white people feel shameful for being white - and other such things. What you talk about is not something that any reasonable HNer would call wokeism.
If you think this type of "wokeism" exists in this society in any powerful form, you are delusional. You're upset at a few people making hot takes on the internet, while the worlds powerful institutions are built upon white male supremacy.
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#28No post body was provided.
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#29I believe that Steven Hassan's BITE model is the gold-standard diagnostic here. The guy is an ex-moonie and has authored books that have helped people escape cults. Survivor communities like /r/exjw on Reddit speak highly of his stuff: https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model/
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#30Hot(ish) take is to note how many of these apply to corporate work situations and also to various flavours of nationalism.
Spot on!
People usually think "we are not cultish because this is not a religion".
Such denial is the most cultish aspect around coporate workship and nationalism.