A friend-of-a-friend invites you to a free vegan brunch.
Your mother-in-law wants to share a life-changing home business opportunity with you.
No one wants that kind of life for you.
If you want to get literal about it, any group of like-minded people could be considered a cult.
The Democratic and Republican parties are cults, explained cult expertPaul Morantz.
Im in a cult where everyone wears the same color and we meet for rituals every Saturday.
Its called the USC Alumni Association.
Morantz is an expert in distinguishing between innocent book clubs and apocalyptic death cults.
According to Morantz and other cult experts, control-freak cult leaders are nearly interchangeable.
Narcissistic personalityDangerous cult leaders usually hold grandiose notions of their place in the world.
It just seems to be in his personality, Morantz said.
Cult leaders have the ability to size you up, and realize your weaknesses and get to your buttons.
This mercurial presentation keeps members off balance.
This is why many cults are based around communal living.
(And why cult members are so boring.)
Some groups keep elaborate files of their members pasts for blackmail.
Sleep Deprivation:Simplykeeping people from sleep or rest is amazingly effective at controlling their thoughts.
Threats of Expulsion: Totalitarian groups often use the threat of expulsion to keep members in line.
Dangerous cults rarely, if ever, allow members to raise questions about the group or the groups beliefs.
Even if youre just asking yourself.
Back in the 60s, I was getting a lot peer pressure to take acid, Morantz said.
So I went to see Timothy Leary speak, expecting a scientific explanation of what LSD does….
Instead it was a bunch of slogans and everyone screaming and clapping.
but I knew that if I did that, the mob would have attacked me.
So I quietly exited, thinking Id just seen the most dangerous man alive.
If you get past five, get the fuck out.
Mr. Morantz has never battled est in court as far as we are aware.
