The idea that "anybody could fall into a cult" is insulting and wrong, amirite?

I think anyone can fall into a cult mindset but maybe not all the time. If your life is doing okay and you're naturally skeptical it's way less likely. But once life starts kicking you in the dick and you become desperate (which can happen to anyone) you more vulnerable to being manipulated.

by Designer_Reality 3 days ago

It's absolutely this^ It isnt saying that a happily married man with 2 kids and a nice car will fall for cult manipulation... but that all it takes is a car crash for that man to be desperate enough to fall for the allure of a cult.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Exactly, I'm a pretty reasonable guy with a decent enough support structure, but looking back, when my depression was at its worst I would have been a pretty easy mark. Anyone can find themselves desperate for answers, structure, or community, and when you're in that place it can be pretty tempting to follow the friendly face that's offering it

by Anonymous 3 days ago

And at the same time, depending what cult you hit, he may find it particularly attractive for him and his family. Cult is not so strictly defined as some religious community in the woods. It's convincing you of a like mindset and that they have your best interest at heart. It's religion. It's money. It's politics. It's popularity. It's fashion. It can be so many things. You just have to fall in that right circle. You don't even have to be down. They just need to find that sweet spot of what you want.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

They also usually get you in with something that's not very extreme. Then after you're in a group you trust, your perception of what's normal just slowly shifts as it gets more and more weird. People don't tend to fall directly into full blown sex or doomsday cults.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

No the statement anyone can fall into a cult is pretty accurate it's just that people have a personal definition of a cult and don't understand that lots of things can be cults for example capitalism is often a cult. People have a venerated idea of capitalism they Revere it they worship it in some places. But they don't call CEOs high shaman or priestess they call them CEOs that person is still in a cult they worship A system that is toxic to them and most people around them that prevents them from seeing reality as it actually is and forces them to view it through a very narrow perspective so that their colts or their beliefs can be upheld. Like maga is a cult for Trump because many of them actively worship this dude think he is some kind of divine being and blah blah blah. Some people that play video games are in a Cult for that game or for video games. It's just that people wouldn't like to acknowledge these things as cults because the idea is icky to them and they might like a video game or they might like capitalism and don't want to risk being associated as a cult member

by Anonymous 3 days ago

I would even argue that having OPs mindset could lead to overconfidence that would eventually lead to falling into cult like beliefs.

by CanPuzzleheaded884 3 days ago

Depends on what you consider a "cult"...

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Some would consider all organized religion, the military, marathon clubs, etc to be cults. I wouldn't but if you do, almost anyone could be part of a cult.

by powlowskiadella 3 days ago

despite the word colloquially being used to describe everything, actual cults have some pretty specific parameters

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Yep, pyramid schemes and even abusive relationships have psychological aspects of cults. Broadly speaking, it's when some leader figure uses manipulative tactics to gain influence over others in order to serve their own benefits.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Yeah, there are literally billions of religious people and personally, I don't see any difference between a religion and a cult, other than size. Convince enough people to join your cult and suddenly it's respectable enough to get tax breaks.

by Pitiful-Recording558 3 days ago

I think it's only a matter of circumstance. This is basically no different than saying few people could get addicted to drugs.

by Kind-Aardvark-9548 3 days ago

I believe we all like to think we'd be immune to such conversion but if you get isolated from your family and friends and repeat the words over and over, you'd probably break quicker than you'd think.

by Anonymous 3 days ago

Under the right circumstances, few humans can avoid being brainwashed.

by Specific_Ganache_171 3 days ago

The fact that you think you're absolutely above it makes you a prime candidate for ending up in a cult. Like I hope that you don't, but a key component to not ending up in a cult if you happen to be approached is being able to look at the situation you're in and go "huh. I may have misjudged this, this is a controlling and abusive situation that I have been slowly frog-boiled into." If you're assuming that you're too smart to end up in that kind of situation, you're more likely to end up in it if the conditions are right.

by Lopsided-Plankton633 3 days ago

And that their susceptibility can fluctuate depending on their circumstances.

by Time-Distribution160 3 days ago

Or to paraphrase a line from Ratatouille: not everyone can be a cult member, but a cult member can come from anywhere

by harbernella 2 days ago

Yeah, and people never think they'll wind up in an abusive relationship. Your opinion isn't unpopular - it's inherently wrong.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think it also depends what the cult consists of. A murderous sex cult where sons are marrying their sisters and eating the hearts out of their own mother's chests? Probably pretty hard to fall for unless you're raised entirely in said cult. But a cult wherein someone touts eerily good communication (manipulation) skills, claims to be close to god, rewrites narratives how they see fit, and tries to sell you either physical or hyperbolic promises? Much easier. Also, if we're going organized religion (which we absolutely should) the vast majority of people are already indoctrinated there so what's one more, lol

by Anonymous 2 days ago

They never start out as a murderous sex cult. They lure people in by preying off of their fears and desires, then isolate them from their personal lives. They begin testing the waters to get people comfortable with increasingly strange things and quickly get in too deep. If these people ever realize they want to leave they're threatened and have already been cut off from their family. They're taught to fear and hate everyone outside of the cult and also understand that if they leave, they might be targeted by the cult itself.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

That's plainly not true though. If you've ever been gaslit, then you're capable of ending up in a cult. They dont usually, on the one hand, start out as "plainly dangerous" they groom you until you have no semblance of agency left. Also not all of them are small, nor are they THAT peripheral.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

If they find you at a bad spot in life you could fall into it also How often are you in contact with cult recruiters to know how susceptible you are?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

In my city they hang out at train stations so... Pretty much everyone knows how to spot them. They come in pairs, act all friendly, complement your clothes and try to get your details as friends. Then, they'll try and pull you in over the course of a couple months How to spot and avoid: noone makes friends at train stations. Noone talks to strangers unless they have a reason, and definitely not a whole conversation to get your details. Iirc they mostly go after international students. They may not know the local norms yet so it's easier to miss the huge red flag

by Anonymous 2 days ago

If you fall for advertising, you can fall for a cult. Wanna guess how many people fall for advertising?

by Ona47 2 days ago

idk I can be fooled into buying a sandwhich a lot easier then I can signed into giving my life away

by Ondrickachristi 2 days ago

they don't convince you to sign your life away as the first step. they start by convincing you to buy a sandwich. then a meal. then a week of groceries. and on and on and on until you are too far deep, too psychologically worn down, and too brainwashed to object to giving your life away.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Cults don't always appear obvious and they also prey on the vulnerable who otherwise would have sound judgement if they weren't compromised mentally, emotionally, or physically. To look at it in good faith I think what people mean when they say "anyone can fall into a cult" is that "anyone can find comfort in the wrong thing" this could mean addiction as well.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think the point is to be vigilant no matter how much you may think you're immune because every person who falls for scams and cults thinks of themselves as too smart to fall for it, and thus lets their guard down

by Obvious_Barnacle4282 2 days ago

Given that a large portion of the world follows some sort of organized religion, I'm going to say you're wrong

by Odie29 2 days ago

I consider all religion to be cults so I'd have to disagree that 99% of people avoid them. All you really need is a great tragedy and feel like you need a void filled.

by Emotional_Anxiety_98 2 days ago

There is a reason that cults target ‘broken homes.' It's how I became a Mormon for a few years lol

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Are you saying you just want to use a different word for larger groups that have been under the sway of charismatic but dangerous and destructive leaders throughout history?

by Kovaceksandra 2 days ago

I think it is fair to say anyone can fall prey to manipulation, but not everyone is going to succumb to a cult. Cults often prey on vulnerable people and then glomp onto them so it is impossible to leave.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Cults are not defined by their size or popularity but by their methods of maintaining control

by Ok-Cold-8296 2 days ago

If you believe you're immune you're less likely to take steps to protect yourself, no?

by Cruickshankmaia 2 days ago

When someone says "anybody could fall into a cult" they don't mean anybody at any time. They mean anyone's life can take a sharp turn into desperation and suffering, which then makes falling into a cult much more likely. Drowning people all reach for what is offered.

by justicegottlieb 2 days ago

I said this too, and then I accidentally joined a cult. Some folks are more succeptible to manipulation than others, I'll grant you that. But it's real easy to get involved with a cult.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Really? Because looking at the current political scene, I'm starting to think it's true.

by julianneankundi 2 days ago

Cults are not always small, just look at scientology.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

It's not that everybody can fall into a cult, it's that anyone if put in the right situation could find themselves manipulated by a cult leader. Using percentages as evidence is missing the point. For example, the statement anyone could be hit by lightning is factually true. Saying "but only 0.001% of people have been hit by lightning" doesn't disprove this statement. It's random, it's inconsistent, and it doesn't discriminate. The idea is that everybody thinks they're too smart and would see right through a cult when in reality people are easily manipulated.

by Turbulent-Channel372 2 days ago

This isn't unpopular, I think this is actually a very popular viewpoint, but the point is that it's literally wrong lol. There is no profile for a cult member and you'd be shocked at how easily it is to manipulate people, and that includes pretty much anyone. If you have a solid support group and life is okay, you probably won't get sucked into it, but all it takes is a few bad circumstances and your life can change drastically and put you in a situation where you could be susceptible. It's hard to imagine myself turning cult, OBVIOUSLY, but the point is that basically everyone feels that way, yet they end up in cults.

by Wendyarmstrong 2 days ago

I mean. Have you seen the current state of some countries?

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I would argue that there is a cult in the US with tens of millions of members

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think you're fundamentally misunderstanding what a cult is. You're thinking of extreme fringe examples and the reality is that a lot of cults aren't always so easy to recognize. A lot of Christian organizations for instance fall under the definition of a cult. I would also argue that the hardcore MAGA Trump supporters/QANON crowd have reached cult status, and that's a somewhat large part of the country. I think that under the right circumstances, most people absolutely could fall into a cult, particularly given all the mis and disinformation online at the moment.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I think I'll listen to the scholar consensus on this one. Sure, I would love to think I wouldn't fall for that, but knowing anyone, regardless of intelligence could potentially be roped in at certain junctures of their life, given the right circumstances, has made me far more cautious and critical of how I process groups and information.

by Low_Art_5194 2 days ago

I think it's somewhere in between. Lots of people could be susceptible to cult tactics. Maybe even most people. But I think there's a pretty sizable portion of people that just would never fall for it without logistically impossible amounts of manipulation.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I disagree with you

by Prohaskaila 2 days ago

Every cult documentary I've seen they spend 15 minutes talking about how anyone could fall into a cult, even very smart people, and then the girl tells you how she fell into a cult and it's a series of unfathomably stupid decisions and credulous acceptance of the most obvious lies and manipulation that anyone with 3 brain cells would see a mile away.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Would a snake oil salesman trying to sell you curing all diseases and access to an afterlife make you join his cause? Probably not. How about someone who has been going through a really bad time? They might. People are capable of being susceptible to lies and coercion at any time. A lot of people have turned to some really odd things because they hear something that gives them hope by a persuasive person telling them exactly what they want to hear at least once. A cult is just the next step.

by Budget_Eggplant 2 days ago

well if America is anything to go by you might be wrong given sufficient enticement and effective enough propaganda and bam you are in a person cult and propaganda does work on anyone just not equally effective

by Anonymous 2 days ago

This is less an unpopular opinion than it is a lack of empathy and/ or basic understanding of how these things work.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I'm starting a cult, wanna join? We have tacos

by jalyn50 2 days ago

If you think you could never fall into a cult, you're the exact kind of person who could fall into a cult

by Louisawill 2 days ago

You can't fool all people all of the time but you can fool all people some of the time. Everyone has an area they can be manipulated in. You might be completely immune to one thing's propaganda, but another thing could get its hooks into you without you realizing what it is doing

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Depends on what's considered a cult. These days it's not really all that surprising to see how people en masse can stick their heads in the sand, ignore all reality, and give absolute blind devotion to an individual and their cause. It's not all surprising that the deeper they get into it, they just continue to become more and more intense with their loyalty to the cause (and become further jaded and oblivious what they're involved with and have become). And do so in all the classic manners, they do so financially, they do it when it direct hurts their lives and their family/friends lives, they do it without care to anything else - often destroying personal relationships. They give up their previously held moral compass or logic in the name of their cause, and in extreme but frequent cases - they were/are willing to die for their cause.

by Janet50 2 days ago

I'm reminded of the line from "Ratatouille": "Anyone can cook." It's not saying that a majority of people could or would fall into a cult. It's saying that no person is immune from falling into a cult simply on the basis of their background or station in life. Rich or poor, smart or dumb, highly educated or not, successful in career or not; they can still fall into a cult.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

it's very circumstantial. right now, you could be in a happy relationship, with strong family ties, a good job, a hopeful future etc. in a couple years time all of that could be destroyed and you could be lured by someone offering something that you desperately need. there's been people of all backgrounds, religions, careers, genders, sexualities etc. brought into cults. i listened to a podcast of a guy, who was a very typically strong looking man, in a happy relationship and good family etc. and he was taken into a cult. cults aren't always in some remote village, especially now in the digital age. so many are taking place online. look at MAGA, that's a mostly digital cult

by Anonymous 2 days ago

Oh, you're fully in a cult, aren't you?

by yasminwelch 2 days ago

You... you realize that all religions are cults, right?

by Mindless-Driver 2 days ago

The churches on every other street corner in most american towns imply otherwise.

by Anonymous 2 days ago

I'm way too skeptical and atheistic to fall into that nonsense

by Anonymous 2 days ago