Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
What makes "cults" so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson do...show more
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Community Reviews
This is such a smart, poignant take on the language of persuasion and cults. From Jim Jones to QAnon to SoulCycle, it was as eye-opening as it was validating. We've all been influenced, in some way, at some point, by this type of language. Learning to recognize it and how it impacts me will stay with me.
Definitely both interesting and entertaining. Montell examines language of a wide range of "cults" from the homicidal to the relatively mundane exercise and diet groups.
November 2022 edit:
I dropped it a star because I was recently trying to independently decide how to determine if something is a cult or religion and found that my knowledge from this book proved functionally worthless. I think the defining characteristic of a cult is the degree to...read more
November 2022 edit:
I dropped it a star because I was recently trying to independently decide how to determine if something is a cult or religion and found that my knowledge from this book proved functionally worthless. I think the defining characteristic of a cult is the degree to...read more
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