Nasanya Brown Conversation 4

Create a cult. Perhaps start with something you’re interested in, and think of ways your knowledge about this topic could benefit others. Select a leader (you?). Establish the rules of the cult. Where will this cult live? How will you recruit followers? Why should we join?

If I was to create a cult It would be about self-development. I would use in this day and age, everyone is using social media so I would use it to reach out to individuals who would like to join. This would help me reach a wider audience and get new members. Thus, growing my organization.

I would not be the leader I would appoint someone to that position while I give them directions from the shadows. We would live in a small area to have more space and fewer outsiders.

My rules would include self-help courses at different prices.

Non-Disclosure Agreements are signed before and after fully completing the program.

Donation is mandatory.

This organization would be very beneficial. We would be helping individuals find themselves in this day and age where it seems like there is no individualism. I would create a safe space where people are allowed to freely express themselves.

I would convince these individuals to make large donations that I would then use to fund other projects. I would

2. Find a story about a cult (news article, memoir, short film, interview, anything) and summarize it. Next, describe the steps you could take to avoid being enlisted in this cult.

• I was watching a documentary about NXIVM. This cult disguised itself as being a personality and professional development cult. This cult was very disturbing because Keith Raniere, the group leader was found guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking, etc. He presented himself as a visionary.
• He would ask the women to provide collateral, for example, explicit photos of themselves, or something that could destroy their whole life.
• Steps I would take to avoid a cult like this are 1. Do your research cults like NXIVM present themselves as a self-help organization. Watch out for any organization that claims to be able to provide you with clear answers but can’t.
• Always Ask for proof.
• Recognize your own risks and vulnerability.
• Trust your intuition. 9 out of 10 times these individuals aren’t aware that they are being manipulated however after reading and watching documentaries as well as several short films about cults there were cult members who knew that something was wrong, but they ignore it until it was too late.
• Look for dangerous signs such as members being urged to use only those practices, methods, and techniques. There is no investigation, alteration, or comparison with other systems, either similar or dissimilar.
• Investigate- Cults like to present themselves as something positive that people will like or agree with.
• Be aware of any kind of pressure.  

3. Select one article from Cult Recovery 101, summarize it, and let us know what you learned.

This one article I am summarizing is a checklist of cult characteristics. This article states that cults tend to be elitist and claim a unique, elevated status for themselves, their leader(s), and members (for instance, the leader is regarded as the Messiah or an avatar; the group and/or the leader has a unique mission to save humanity). The leaders are usually very controlling, prescribing what types of clothes to wear, where to live, how to live, how to discipline children, etc. Sometimes, the leadership gives very specific instructions on how members are to think, act, and feel. For instance, members must obtain permission from the leadership before dating, switching jobs, or getting married. Members lose contact with friends and family as a result of their subservience to the group, and they also give up personal goals and interests that they had prior to join. Living and/or socializing exclusively with other group members is encouraged or mandated for members.

While the members appear to be excessively zealous and unwaveringly committed to a living leader who is the center of attention.

Questioning, disagreement, and skepticism are frowned upon or even punished. If members had Doubts about the group and its leader are suppressed using mind-numbing practices (such as meditation, chanting, speaking in tongues, denunciation sessions, and taxing work routines).

Because of their polarized us-versus-them mentality, the group has problems with the rest of society.

There are no authorities to which the group’s leader must answer (as are, for example, military commanders and ministers, priests, monks, and rabbis of mainstream denominations).

The group preaches or suggests that its purported lofty goals justify actions that members would have deemed immoral prior to joining the group (for example: collecting money for bogus charities). The leader also uses guilt to keep members under control.

I learned that cult leaders often seek out and take advantage of individuals who are vulnerable. They are constantly seeking new members to indoctrinate to control their lives. Individuals who are involved are usually unaware that they are joining a cult until it’s too late. These are individuals who are seeking some form of attention, safety or just to feel loved or feel like they matter to someone and are usually taken advantage of through manipulation.