The Cult You're In | Study Guide

University:
City Colleges of Chicago
Course:
PSYCH 201 | General Psychology
Academic year:

2019
Views:

213

Pages:

1
Author:

ilikemyicons0y5

The Cult You’re In A LONG TIME AGO, WITHout even realizing it, you were recruited into a cult. At some indeterminate moment, maybe when you were feeling particularly adrift or vulnerable, a cult member showed up and made a beautiful presentation. “I believe we have something to ease your pain.” She made you feel welcome. You understood she was offering something to give your life meaning. She was wearing Nikes and a Planet Hollywood cap. W hat does it mean when a whole culture dreams the same dream? Funnily enough, most cult members—yes, they got me too—don’t feel like they’re in a cult. We’re free to roam and recreate. No one seems to be forcing us to do anything we C ults promise a kind of boundless contentment— punctuated by moments of bliss—but they never quite deliver. They always fill the void, but only with a different kind of void. Disillusionment eventually sets in. Hence the first commandment of a cult: thou shalt not think. don’t want to do. In fact, we feel privileged to be here. The rules don’t feel oppressive. But make no mistake, there are rules. By consensus, cult members speak a kind of corporate esperanto: words and ideas hoovered up from TV and advertising. We wear uniforms—not white robes but, say, Tommy Hilfiger jackets or Air Walk sneakers. It depends on the particular subsect we’re in. We have been recruited into roles and behavior patterns we did not consciously choose. Cult members aren’t really citizens. The notions of citizenship and nationhood make little sense in this paradigm. We’re not fathers and mothers and brothers. We’re consumers. We don’t care about civics; we care about music, sneakers and jeans. The only Life, Freedom, Wonder and Joy in our lives are the brands on our supermarket shelves. Are we happy? Not really. Cults promise a kind of boundless contentment—punctuated by moments of bliss—but they never quite deliver. They always fill the void, but only with a different kind of void. Disillusionment eventually sets in. Hence the first commandment of a cult: thou shalt not think. Free thinking breaks the trance. It introduces new perspectives, which leads to doubt. The bulk of the population is dreaming the same dream: wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex and exciting recreational opportunities. Dreams, almost by definition, are supposed to be individualistic and imaginative. But what does it mean when a whole culture dreams the same dream? ■