#but guess what
> “Your characters look so grumpy and mean all the time”
> Continues to make grumpy, edgy characters to this day anyway
Some of the notes in that one post about gen z and cults going around: “I would start a cult but I don’t have money ” “lol new heavens gate here we come” “aren‘t fandoms cults already lol”
Me, a tired cult survivor: you have no idea what you’re talking about. shut tf up.
seriously.
everytime i ssee a “join thhe ___ cult uwu” i have a fuckijg stroke
stop. please.
also the posts about Gen Z having a cult boom are 100% true
and its partially bc no one litsens to cult survivors
no one takes us seriously when we say stop normalizing this shit
and now no one knows the actual signs
we think we’re safe from cults. we think its a thing of the past
when you hear cult you think of blood rituals and shit on tv right? well the one I was in was on a fucking google classroom
so learn the fucking signs and stay aware for goodness sake holy shit
yeah and churches that appeal to younger people and are “hip” and “inclusive”. churches, on their own, can turn into cults, especially if they advocate that they’re not affiliated with any other church, actively talk shit about the other churches etc.
that was my experience, i’m a millennial who was forced into it at a very young age and got out at 16 - but some of these people joined up on their own as young adults and it troubles me so damn much! like! oh they don’t care about sexuality? well guess what they still think that a war is coming and you need to move to the hills and have as many children as possible to sustain a population of survivors, janet
People need to know about the BITE Model.
Also pro-tip: Many, perhaps even most, cults aren’t religious, but ALL religions are cults, by definition. Don’t be fooled by the fact that the big religions tend to call the little ones cults; the big ones are cults, too. Allof them. That said, a cult is not necessarily “bad.” For instance, many substance abuse recovery programs hit some, even many, BITE Model points because behavior modification is necessary to overcome substance abuse, but in that case, the intentions and the mind control techniques applied are (one hopes!) for the person’s benefit, not their exploitation. So, it’s a matter of the amount of control applied and, more importantly, the intention behind and the effects of that control.
As an example of “bad,” the independent fundamentalist church that I used to belong to hit many of the points in all four quadrants of the BITE model, and while the leadership of the church thought they were doing good, they actually did harm. Great harm. Meanwhile, the more mainstream Christian churches hit fewer points on the BITE model…but they all hit some of them and they, too, can do damage, intentionally or otherwise. It is up to individuals to evaluate their situation and to keep the leaders of their group(s) accountable so that the group doesn’t become a harmful cult…which unfortunately can be hard/impossible to do if one is already in deep and the group is more authoritarian than not. Awareness and critical thought is key, so that you don’t fall into a trap in the first place. Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Because it can.
