“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see— or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers
The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .
Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.
Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.
© 2021 HarperAudio (Luisterboek): 9780063097919
Publicatiedatum
Luisterboek: 15 juni 2021
“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see— or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of Followers
The author of the widely praised Wordslut analyzes the social science of cult influence: how cultish groups from Jonestown and Scientology to SoulCycle and social media gurus use language as the ultimate form of power.
What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .
Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.” But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.
Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,” revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish” everywhere.
© 2021 HarperAudio (Luisterboek): 9780063097919
Publicatiedatum
Luisterboek: 15 juni 2021
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Keizerin
27 jul 2023
Oppervlakkig boek van een zelfingenomen auteur die vanuit haar ivoren toren beschrijft hoe al die domme mensen toch in die schemes trappen. Een vleugje sensatie en psychologie van de koude grond. Geen systematische benadering van het linguistische stuk. Jammer!
Nina
13 sep 2022
Interessant overzicht van groepen en bewegingen die je een cult of sekte kunt noemen en wat voor taal en woorden ze gebruiken, maar niet meer dan dat.
Victoria
3 feb 2024
Interesting!
Iris
6 sep 2023
Interesting book that runs through some of history’s most popular cults and the language their leaders tended to employ. I was hoping for more deep dives into etymology, specific types of rhetoric and a bit more of a overall message. In the end, it felt more like “Cults 101”, still worth a listen.
Vera
20 mrt 2024
Heel interessant. Montell heeft een fijne schrijfstijl en heeft duidelijk respect voor de mensen waar ze over schrijft. Leuk om te bedenken welke cultachtige invloeden je eigen leven heeft naar aanleiding van dit boek.
Brenda & Martijn
5 jun 2022
It was interesting. I just wish the author went deeper in psychology.
Febe
15 aug 2023
Ik heb echt veel geleerd.
E
26 okt 2021
amazing! very interesting and easily enjoyable writing.
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