You're In A Cult But Don't Know It | Amanda Montell Ep. 628

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Amanda Montell is a language scholar and author of critically acclaimed Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. Her latest book is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, which explores how cults co-opt the words we use in order to control us and affect our behavior.

Full show notes can be found here: https://jordanharbinger.com/628

What We Discuss with Amanda:
0:00 - Intro
0:38 - Why people are so fascinated by cults
5:13 - Being in a cult is to be human
11:34 - Why the US has an abnormally high amount of cultish behavior
25:16 - Cults don’t target desperate people, they target everyone
28:38 - Breaking down how cults use code switching to manipulate you
36:57 - How cults use euphemisms to manipulate you
40:49 - Breaking down the infamous Jonestown cult
44:34 - Thought terminating clichés: How you shut down free thinking
55:22 - Breaking down the cult of MLMs
59:28 - How to spot cultish language in yourself and others

How do so many people who seem otherwise rational and resistant to obvious manipulation tactics get regularly suckered into cults and cult-like organizations? Does our collective need for social connection and solace during these trying times make us easy to pick off — like fish in a barrel — for the predators who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities? And if we accept that we’re as susceptible as anyone else to the influence of these bad actors, what can we do to defend ourselves against them?

On this episode, we’re joined by language scholar and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism author Amanda Montell to discuss how cults — and organizations that use cult tactics, like MLM companies — co-opt the words we use in order to control us and affect our behavior. Listen, learn, and enjoy!

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