Okay, time to do the BITE model rundown
You can see a copy of the BITE model breakdown here. You’ll want to scroll down to the second page, but the first page is also worth reading.
I’m only going to post the parts that I think Simon does do, because I don’t want to make this post too long.
1 - 8. Several of these things Simon is not actively doing, but it’s likely he’s influencing through in & out-group dynamics. Especially things like control of clothing and hairstyles, and regulation of food and diet. He may not intend to, but it’s likely his followers are attempting to be more like him and make choices they think he’d approve of.
9. Major time spent with group indoctrination and rituals and/or self indoctrination including the Internet
While Simon cannot enforce how long anyone spends on his blog or in the discord (he doesn’t seem to have many twitter followers and I haven’t checked his instagram) many of his followers seem to spend an inordinate amount of time there.
10. Permission required for major decisions
Simon does not attempt to force his followers to ask for permission to make major life decisions. That doesn’t change the fact that many of his followers feel the need to seek his opinion or permission before making decisions.
It’s worth noting that the important part of being in a cult is not so much what the leaders do, but the general atmosphere and behaviours you adopt. Humans are very sensitive to social situations, and we know how to adapt to fit in, even if we haven’t explicitly been told what to do or not do.
11. Thoughts, feelings, and activities (of self and others) reported to superiors
Simon’s is the only blog where I have seen so many people reporting their feelings and activities to the blogger unprompted. I know many people report to him on my activities as well.
12. Rewards and punishments used to modify behaviours, both positive and negative
Competitions, games and prizes. Accusations & threats. The IP tracker, “bullshit bingo”, accusing others of being me.
I’ve also had asks - you can check - tell me that although they know Simon isn’t a real monster, they are irrationally afraid he will hunt them down for being disloyal.
13. Discourage individualism, encourage group-think
This one may be a little confusing for some, and maybe it should be phrased the opposite way.
I think it’s fairly obvious Simon encourages group-think. Because of this, it follows that he discourages individualism. However, he does encourage superficial individualism.
So Simon encourages individualism in things like hair, clothing, makeup, even gender identity. And you can even think of this as the influence over reality that I described at the top. What he doesn’t encourage at all, is individual thought. That gets punished.
14. Impose rigid rules and regulations
The FAQ anyone? Also, whether you’ve followed Simon’s rules is always subject to his personal interpretation of you, so no matter how hard you try to follow the rules, you can never be good enough.
18. Instil dependency and obedience
Several of Simon’s followers seem to be psychologically dependant on, and obedient to him.