[review] Book Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism: Cults, MLMs, and Network Marketing
After researching manipulation techniques (and marketing inspired by manipulation), Reddit generously recommended the book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism.
This book is an attempt by a linguist to explain how cults (and MLMs/Ponzi schemes) manage to attract so many people.
The book is only available in English, so here’s a quick summary for non-English speakers.
According to the author, cult victims are not victims of brainwashing. There is no “brainwashing”: they are victims of manipulation, conditioning, coercion… but in reality, you can’t make someone believe something fundamentally different from what they want to believe. For example, the victims of Heaven’s Gate truly believed in the existence of UFOs and aliens.
This is “good” news because it means there’s a good chance victims will realize that “something is wrong” and leave the cult before it’s too late.
Who are the victims of cults?
They are not all stupid or desperate.
The recruiters interviewed by the author target individuals who are more optimistic, extroverted, driven, and genuinely want to make an impact.
They have a sense of community and enjoy living in a community.
What techniques do cults use?
The cults’ secret weapon is language, the WORDS.
They have an exclusive language understood only by members. This creates cohesion, a “US vs. THEM” mentality.
When leaving the group, you lose the exclusive language, the group, the “chosen family,” and that’s why they are so attached to this group.
It’s as if they have to start their lives over, from relearning normal language to finding new friends…
Note that some influencers adopt the same exclusive language, calling their followers by a sweet nickname.
Some create pins so fans can recognize each other better in the street. By imposing specific rules and vocabulary in their private groups: “in this group, we don’t use the word XYZ” etc. As soon as you force someone to use or not use a certain word, you dangerously approach the loss of freedom of expression.
In the book, she calls this exclusive cult language “loaded language.”
To prevent criticism, there is the “terminating thought,” which we even use in our everyday language: “Everything happens for a reason,” “Boys will be boys,” “It is what it is!” and any discussion stops when the “terminating thought” arrives, because there’s no room for debate. To prevent victims from criticizing or rebelling, other punitive methods are also put in place. Many victims struggle to leave the group because they think (rightly or wrongly) that there will be serious consequences afterward.
The author then discusses the techniques used by MLMs or network marketing. This is, in my opinion, the one that concerns you the most.
In recent years, a scam has been circulating among travelers and those who want to become digital nomads: you’re promised a promising career where you can work from anywhere, without constraints, without special skills. It’s simply a form of Ponzi scheme. But it’s not yet considered illegal for obvious political reasons.
In reality, you’ll help sell a product or service (not necessarily of quality). You earn a commission for each sale. But the person who recruited you also earns a lifetime commission on your commissions. 99% of people earn nothing but have to pay registration fees to try to sell, plus overpriced seminars abroad.
What techniques do cults and network marketing companies use to attract their followers?
Once again, we’re dealing with an exclusive language, which creates the impression of being part of a superior group, endowed with a deeper meaning in life. The person who recruits the follower also acts as a permanent coach, integrating them into a group composed only of positive and enthusiastic people. However, this positivity is often artificial, based on criticism of any negative attitude, labeled as “bad mindset.”
Initially, cults and network marketing companies attract their followers through perfectly normal activities, such as coaching sessions to improve communication, free personality tests, roundtable discussions, or yoga/meditation sessions. This was notably the case for Tupperware in the 1950s, which achieved immense success through “Tupperware parties,” a form of get-togethers organized by housewives, just to sell Tupperware. They are even quite happy about it because they feel they have a job while being independent.
With the advent of the Internet, it is no longer necessary to be a charismatic guru to create your own “cult” or community. The barriers to entry have been lowered, and serious activities take place in private, allowing negative comments to be filtered. Thus, people no longer know if they feel uneasy because of their own personality or their intuition.
Anyway, the bottom line is:
If something is too good to be true, it’s definitely shady.
Be very, very careful with Instagram coaches, naturopaths, and influencers. Sometimes, all it takes is a “follow” click to end up at a €5,000 seminar on the other side of the world or worse… harm your health. They’ll post things that aren’t that ridiculous, but half the truth isn’t the whole truth. Since you don’t have time to sort through fake news and real info, as you’re increasingly exposed to fake news and alternative truths, you might end up becoming a flat-earther, raw foodist, anti-science, or only drinking sauerkraut juice… who knows.
In summary, this book offers a rigorous and detailed analysis of the manipulation mechanisms used by cults and MLMs, highlighting the crucial role language plays in these groups. It’s aimed at people interested in the psychological and social aspects of these phenomena and wanting to better understand the mechanisms that lead people to allow themselves to be manipulated.
