Cultish

The Language of Fanaticism

De: Amanda Montell

Narrado por: Ann Marie Gideon

Duración: 8 h y 21 m

Resumen del Editor

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 documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join - and more importantly, stay in - extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has....

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing”. But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear - and are influenced by - every single day.

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish”, revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.

©2021 Amanda Montell (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Mind opening and Engaging

The breakdown of the term “cultish” is very well done. I like the structure of the book. It makes you think about yourself and how to think of groups that could/could not be classified as “cultish”

It is very engaging! I finished in 3 days.

Reader does a fantastic job. Seems like she captured the tone of the author perfectly.

worth the listen

Good book with interesting information. Definitly makes sense and the author shows the insidious side of how language is used to pull in people who are susceptible. I feel the naysayers in the reviews maybe don't like what they see in themselves if they've been pulled in by a certain high profile public figure.

Excellent survey of cults

A little cynical but we’ll researched, compiled and deeply interesting, I would highly recommend for anyone exploring spirituality and community

Very enlightening

Really enjoyed this look into how sceptical we should be. An eye opener about things we take for granted.

Brilliant

I loved her dissection on the appeal of cultish language among al humans. I wish she had talked about radical mainstream religions a bit more but appreciate how she touched on the extreme cults and the Instagram influencer culture. Well done!

Really informative and inspiring!

I am so grateful for Amanda Montell’s ability and commitment to clearing articulating and parsing out the Cultish entanglement in our culture. I will def recommend this book to anyone looking to have a more informed and empowered relationship with social media, spirituality, cults and language.

Great read!

Highly recommend! I liked that this book captures an array of types of religious/cult groups. This book was informative about language of cultish groups.

Excellent Conversation

I love the way this author (and the performance) talks about the way we use language to group ourselves. I feel like she over simplified some topics, like the siege on Waco, and the dangers of Insta cults, and that she missed some of the self help seminars that lead to groups like NXVM. I understand that she didn’t though, or her book would have been massive in scope.

Definitely worth a listen

I really enjoyed it. Recorded lots of clips to go back and reference. I enjoyed and appreciated her research. The one complaint I was going to have was that she almost makes it seem like it is not healthy to belong to any kind of group, BUT she clarifies a few times during and then very clearly at the end that groups are healthy, and that we just need to be in the lookout for leaders with mal intentions.

Enlightening

This in-depth look at language and how it works to create reality is outstanding. It will help you listen better. Those who complain that it is political are missing the point. Cultish language is cultish language, even if it's used by a group or person you like. The author specifically mentions 12-step programs, for example. They have their place and help many people; it doesn't mean their language and policies are not cultish. It's important to be aware of the methods used to persuade you so you can think independently.