<story><title>We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult</title><url>https://labskausleben.bearblog.dev/youre-in-a-cult/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>drewbug01</author><text>It’s an interesting piece, and I think it’s intended to be satirical (and done rather well).&lt;p&gt;But, I grew up in an &lt;i&gt;actual&lt;/i&gt; cult. The comments here to the effect of “everything’s a cult” and “startups are cults” and “HN is a cult” - oh gosh. Nothing could be further from the truth. HN is not a cult, folks.&lt;p&gt;I’m glad people can make those jokes though, because I immediately know they didn’t experience what I did. They have never experienced the ongoing heartbreak of losing your entire &lt;i&gt;world&lt;/i&gt; when you leave - your family, your friends, your job, your social life, your religion, your &lt;i&gt;everything&lt;/i&gt;. People who get out don’t tend to make light of it.&lt;p&gt;In any case: know that there are actual cults in operation, and they do tremendous harm. The “everything’s a cult” stuff allows them to operate more freely these days.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cainxinth</author><text>Cults have common and shared warning signs:&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;medium.com&amp;#x2F;@zelphontheshelf&amp;#x2F;10-signs-youre-probably-in-a-cult-1921eb5a3857&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;medium.com&amp;#x2F;@zelphontheshelf&amp;#x2F;10-signs-youre-probably-...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;1. The leader is the ultimate authority&lt;p&gt;2. The group suppresses skepticism&lt;p&gt;3. The group delegitimizes former members&lt;p&gt;4. The group is paranoid about the outside world&lt;p&gt;5. The group relies on shame cycles&lt;p&gt;6. The leader is above the law&lt;p&gt;7. The group uses “thought reform” methods&lt;p&gt;8. The group is elitist&lt;p&gt;9. There is no financial transparency&lt;p&gt;10. The group performs secret rites&lt;p&gt;Also, not all cults are religious. Some are tied to economic activity (MLMs are very culty, for example), and dysfunctional families often take on a cult-like atmosphere, with a charismatic and controlling parent backed by enablers as they abuse a scapegoat and dominate the family.</text></comment>
<story><title>We are sorry to inform you that you are in a cult</title><url>https://labskausleben.bearblog.dev/youre-in-a-cult/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>drewbug01</author><text>It’s an interesting piece, and I think it’s intended to be satirical (and done rather well).&lt;p&gt;But, I grew up in an &lt;i&gt;actual&lt;/i&gt; cult. The comments here to the effect of “everything’s a cult” and “startups are cults” and “HN is a cult” - oh gosh. Nothing could be further from the truth. HN is not a cult, folks.&lt;p&gt;I’m glad people can make those jokes though, because I immediately know they didn’t experience what I did. They have never experienced the ongoing heartbreak of losing your entire &lt;i&gt;world&lt;/i&gt; when you leave - your family, your friends, your job, your social life, your religion, your &lt;i&gt;everything&lt;/i&gt;. People who get out don’t tend to make light of it.&lt;p&gt;In any case: know that there are actual cults in operation, and they do tremendous harm. The “everything’s a cult” stuff allows them to operate more freely these days.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>sirsinsalot</author><text>I think this is a really important point. We use lots of terms these days in ever more generic ways: cult, gaslighting, abuse, &amp;quot;I&amp;#x27;m a bit OCD&amp;quot; ... each broader use of the language weakens the contexts where the language is more pointed.&lt;p&gt;Of course, context is everything and language is fluid, but think pieces that inadvertently soften words can also downgrade important intentions as a side-effect.</text></comment>