Wondering how intelligent people become brainwashed members of a violent cult?

[Amaryllis]

I see many references to Trump followers being stupid. They are not all stupid. I know two people who are very intelligent but buy everything they hear on Fox and support Trump. This interview from Jan. 12 provides a lot of insight into the workings of those minds.

This is well worth the listen. Hassan was in the Moonies and understands cults from the inside out, having been there himself and knowing what it takes to deprogram.

"This week, Katie Couric spoke to Dr. Steven Hassan, who is an expert on Undue Influence, brainwashing, and cults. He writes and speaks out about the importance of viewing terrorist groups as destructive cults, and has authored numerous books on the subject, including one called "The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control." They discussed the events of the Capitol insurrection, and how the mob of violent Trump supporters displayed cult-like behavior."

[yardwork]

1. Bookmark for later

[leighbythesea2]

2. Been thinking about this a lot

Lately. I worked for a company that had a culture that was kind of cult like. Think silicone valley tech, but it wasnt tech. If i described it you would find it odd, but in my description possibly understand the positives as well as the negatives. It's as close as i have to relating. And these people were not stupid. The opposite.

I read a fiction book about tech employee caught up in a no boundaries firm. It was based on some facts, and it seemed similar.

Look forward to watching this.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Also recommended: The Brainwashing of My Dad by Jen Senko

https://www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com/

[Bradshaw3]

4. I would also recommend The Vow on HBO

About the NXIVM cult, which was mostly made up of smart, educated and successful people. That included tv actors and the daughter of another actor and member of a royal house. I have to admit the con man at the top was good at it - partly I think because he like drumpf is a sociopath. But several of them ended up asking themselves how they could have fallen for it.

[Amaryllis]

5. THanks. Will check it out.

[Initech]

11. Bill Maher has a great comparison between Trump and the NXIVM cult leader:

[Celerity]

6. K & R for visibility

[Mariana]

7. I don't think susceptibility to propaganda is correlated with IQ. nt.

[Amaryllis]

9. I dont either. THat's my point. I keep seeing people on DU referring to Trump supporters as

stupid and my point is that many of them are not stupid but are still susceptible to brainwashing; that you cannot simply call them all stupid. Look at the DU posts about them and how many refer to them as stupid. it's important to look at what makes someone susceptible to brainwashing.

[Mariana]

12. With the Trump supporters, there is a huge religious element

that many people don't seem to be taking very seriously. These people believe Trump is God's own hand-picked president. They believe Biden and Harris are agents of Satan. They believe everyone who doesn't love Trump is in opposition to God. Thousands of churches and ministries are preaching that loyalty to Trump is a tenet of the Christian faith. That is where most of this insane fervor is coming from. It's a form of religious mania, and it has to be acknowledged for what it is and taken seriously.

[Amaryllis]

13. That is discussed in the interview.

[lettucebe]

8. If you only hear propaganda you'll eventually believe it

Everyone I know that is brainwashed about what's going on refuses to watch/listen to any non pro tRump media. That explains a lot.

[Amaryllis]

10. Right. A fox news watcher who is not a stupid person once told me that she only watched Fox because

they were the only ones that told the truth. That was very sobering for me. That an intelligent person could believe that.