#cultish

[blwoodhub]

[peoplemask]

In the book Cultish by Amanda Montell, I was introduced to the "thought-ending cliché" - it's commonly used by abusive groups but is not limited to them. This is a phrase that just kills discussion as everyone nods sagely because, yes, obviously. What's pernicious about them is most of the time people don't realize this is what they're doing.

One thought-ending cliché that I am absolutely tired of is when I point out how absolutely cruel a policy or law is and someone pops in with "the cruelty is the point". I don't think it's meant to be a thought-ending cliché, although at best it's still cliché.

The thing is, I don't care if the GOP is being cruel just to be cruel or if they're secretly unaware or if they are intentionally or unintentionally hypocrites or if they even care about such things. I'm by and large not talking to people who are hostile or indifferent to me on my socials.

What I do care about is the notion that we're just allowing ourselves to shrug and move on because *of course* it's cruel, *obviously* that's the point. There is value *to me* in still pointing out exactly what and why the policies are cruel and logically unsound.

Even if being terrible is the point, why give up and say, Well. There's no reason to outline why it's cruel because we all know that's all they're interested in?

I still find value in groping toward a less grim baseline by saying, No. This is cruel. This is wrong. It is cruel for these reasons.

I find value in saying, here is why this cruel policy can't even have the effect they're lying about it having.

Because for everyone who already knows that "cruelty is the point" there is another who didn't know HOW cruel it is.

It's a reminder, too, that it isn't just something to just ignore. The cruelty isn't something that we have to accept as our normal.

[plummy-squish]

I just finished the book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell. It’s about the language that cults will use to essentially brain wash their members (not in the typical brainwash way that you think about). It’s “the technical terms, the redefined words, the shorthand, the clichés, the euphemisms, logical distortions, and so on set members apart from and above their pedestrian neighbors, families, and coworkers". Montell does not necessarily view "cultish" – the "language" she identifies as the set of linguistic tricks cult leaders use to coerce and manipulate members – negatively, but she believes that people should at least be able to recognize it.”

Anyways fucked me up! In the past two days I’m seeing it everywhere, in marketing, in the slogans in my job, in popular work out groups, cliche phrases we all say…… and then i watched the latest episode of severance! I don’t think I’ll watch this show, and more specifically Mr Milchick and other unsevered employees the same.

In this last episode i wanna talk about that acronym ORTBO that they introduced because it’s the most obvious tactic that they used.

“Thought terminating clichés squash independent thinking” -Amanda montell

Episode 4 Spoilers ahead:

O- outdoor

R-retreat

T- team

B- building

O- occurrence

Wtf when have you ever heard this weirdly stated acronym? Well the innies do all the time! So this is normal for them to hear, i mean they are from the MDR department! Macrodata refinement, even with that longer version of the word it still doesn’t feel like a full explanation as to what their job does. But to them because they are introduced to it and taught to not question their bosses for fear of punishment and so they just go with it. Which now mdr has become part of their everyday vocabulary they don’t even question the meaning.

Cut to this episode, our innies are unconesntionally ripped out of their regular office space and put into this isolating harsh environment phrased as a reward. They are told they have been good enough to earn this trip and give it a title, the ORTBO, and they are very lucky to be experiencing this.

Later when they have been walking for a lot time, feeling lost and hungry are a considering eating a literal frozen dead seal because this “reward” isn’t feeling like a reward. Dylan reminds them, they are on an ORTBO and he repeats its vague meaning trying to convince them not to doubt the company. Almost trying to convince himself as well. This is the same Dylan that’s been getting fed incentives of seeing his family on the side and have been told he’s extra special. He has more to loose than anyone else right now and by repeating it is trying to stop everyone from doubting. Aka the orbto is working.

“Creating special language to influence people’s behavior and beliefs is so effective in part simply because speech is the first thing we’re willing to change about ourselves . . . and also the last thing we let go” -Amanda montell

Cults will make up words and introduce them in this way to make a group of people feel connected. Like they have been let into this new group of special workers allowed out side and given a term phrased as a reward to squash any train of thought leading to doubt or questioning. The further they go on this team building occurrence they will understand the reward.

They also use this new group language to make the group feel superior and anyone on the outside intrigued into what people are talking about. Making learning the language feel connecting with others and like you are understanding the deeper meaning. They feel superior and anyone on the outside feels like they are missing something.

Cross fit does this well! They have new work out terms like dms (delayed muscle soreness) so if a CrossFit gym bro is talking to a regular gym bro and uses the term DMS, the regular gym bro feels dumb for not knowing what this is and not keeping track of it. And is now curious as to what CrossFit has that he is missing before he knows it he’s sucked in. (I bet you they will bring back this term later if they can to alienate other employees in other departments)

Um hello even in the way they advertised this episode is using this tactic! They didn’t give us the meaning or context they gave us the word and now we wanna know what this new acronym is in the next episode.

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Severance universe has literally created a whole new language to keep certain people in the know and others confused. Watch for it!

It’s not always in acronym form; Sometimes it’s a saying, sometimes it’s just a common word given a double meaning to those in the group and out of the group.

Another day another dollar- something we hear all the time to make us just go to work and endure shit we shouldn’t

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith- something we would hear all the time growing up as Mormon to stop people from questioning and like it’s bad to have critical thought

Endowment- to people out side Mormonism it means gift people inside it’s a whole secret ritual that you are sworn to secrecy or off yourself before telling another soul

lol my work calls its self a village

Its everywhere! It’s in our marketing! It’s in our gyms! It’s at work! We don’t even notice because it’s working.

“Words are the medium through which belief systems are manufactured, nurtured, and reinforced, their fanaticism fundamentally could not exist without them.”-Amanda Montell

Anyways this book has fucked me up and has made severance even better for me

[oftwodarkmoons]

In a sense, we can’t even claim to be growing “less religious” when social media's job is explicitly to generate ideological sects, to pack people's feeds with suggested content that only exaggerates what they already believe. As each of us posts, curating our individual online identities, the apps capture those personas via metadata and reinforce them through irresistible targeted ads and custom feeds. No “cult leader” takes advantage of our psychological drives quite like The Algorithm, which thrives on sending us down rabbit holes, so we never even come across rhetoric we don’t agree with unless we actively search for it. The way we make choices – from our clothes all the way to our spiritual and political beliefs – is a direct consequence of these uncanny digital versions of ourselves. In her book “Strange Rites” Tara Isabella Burton wrote, “America is not secular but simply spiritually self-focused.” In a social-media centered society, we've all been rendered at once cult leader and follower.

Amanda Montell, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

[rotnik]

You guys remember when I was building a cult. You still wanna do that. Wanna live in the woods in a cathedral made of branches and looted scrap materials. Wanna worship freaky space deities around a bonfire. Wanna collect tithes from anyone who'll give some. Wanna be exempt from taxes. Wanna wear elk skull masks with the antlers poking through our hoods. Wanna paint weird sigils on banners around our camp. Wanna throw spices and chemicals into the bonfire until it turns weird colors. Wanna chant gibberish and dance in a circle.

Wanna play cult with me?

[idontwannabenamed]

What is even the point of having a friend group if we aren't all in love with eachother and plan to buy\Inherit a big pretty house were we will live together in our own little cult- I mean, our own little world.

[culttlover]

Im not sure if tumblr cares about OC art

But this is my little guy!!!!’ He’s a French, medieval knight who is mean to himself if you couldn’t tell

the 3rd and 4th picture are for aesthetics just cause I CAN so I WILL yes thank you

[nerimaemae]

shhh.. they are communicating