Let it be said that the truth (sadly) is relative and given enough force, repetition and manufactured evidence fiction will be accepted as truth. Done skillfully enough and this new "thrush" will not be questioned.
Granted making-fiction-truth is difficult and rare but it can be done
So lets us find a fiction and labor it into fact.
What would this fiction be?
What fiction do you hold so dear to make it, by passion and effort, real and true?
What better fiction to make real than the story of your life?
Your fiction doesn't matter anymore than your truth. That you labor to say it's true will make it true enough, so labor hard and well and new life will emerge.
All one has to look at is the latest fiction-make-truth of the "DaVinci Code" and you'll see that by skillfully mixing enough existing facts with the desire for it to be true and new "truths", like the Da Vinci Code are turned into believable facts.
This is quite different from the "big lie" theory. Instead it's the "multiple devious fictions" and like any great project must be preceded by thorough planning to weave a seamless web of fact and fiction.
To complete this recipe create a "romance" with this new truth in which many people would want it to be true.
In thorough planning one need to consider how each piece of information is present and the order of it's presentation.
A New Massiah is Born Unto Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Born unto Brangelina, a Sign!
We all know the gods have a plan, so there is no such thing as coincidence.
Which is why we need to examine the weekend debut of the Jolie-Pitt baby girl, Shiloh Nouvel, and realize this isn't just another case of the wrong people breeding -- we're witnessing the dawn of a new religion.
The signs were all there. It's no accident that the debut of the much-anticipated Da Vinci Code blockbuster -- challenging the Jesus mythology -- coincided with the debut of Brangelina's equally-anticipated Bump, and both are premiering in spring, the season of birth and rebirth.
Taken together, these events smack of a Second Coming. Or the Messiah. Or the Chosen One.
Pick the title that suits your faith, but there was never any doubt that it was a Holy Bump.
The first clue was that the Bump's existence was foreshadowed by a star, or rather Star, the tabloid that broke the story.
Note that Shiloh Nouvel was born in Africa, the cradle of civilization and the continent where humans originated. That has to be a sign.
Then there's the name. Shiloh is a unisex Hebrew name that means "peace." The French "nouvel" is the masculine form of "new." This baby's arrival means New Peace, and that androgynous name for a girl suggests she is an Everyperson, who will usher in a new equality. It appears the boy-centred desert religions are almost over.
And don't forget the events leading up to the birth, including the so-called Cult of Celebrity -- religions in their early stages are always referred to as "cults."
It's a given among trend-watchers that celeb scuttlebutt functions exactly as the Greek, Celtic or Christian myths do, showing people how the world works and how to live their lives. Like gossip, myths set community standards.
From that perspective, newspapers and magazines full of Hollywood tittle-tattle are like those early drafts of gospels that eventually became the Bible, or the supernatural stories that comprised ancient religions.
All Greek to me
Certainly, the Jen-Brad-Angie love triangle is the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot legend for the reality TV generation.
This story has inspired new followers and even new signs of devotion, such as the Team Aniston and Team Jolie t-shirts. One uniformed member of Team Aniston even took a swing at the silicon-lipped actress, thus elevating Jolie to the status of the persecuted.
I have little interest in scandals of the stars, but for anyone who stands in grocery store line-ups there was no escaping this story as the heralds of the gods -- better known as the news media -- trumpeted every juicy detail. (Ever wonder why so many newspapers are called "Herald?" It's a sign.)
The battle of the Jen and Angie archetypes is reminiscent of the way immortals kicked-off the Trojan war with a bickerfest of powerful goddesses. Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite were squaring off in an early version of the Miss Universe Pageant and let a mortal, Paris, be the judge. Then they rigged the voting. Hera, wife of almighty Zeus, offered Paris a chance to be the most powerful man. Athene, goddess of warriors and wisdom, offered him the opportunity to be the wisest man. While Aphrodite, goddess of love, offered him the chance to be adored by the world's most beautiful woman.
Paris, a founding member of the Men are Pigs Club, handed the golden apple over to Aphrodite.
In return, she cast a love spell over Helen, who had the face that launched a thousand ships.
Unfortunately, Helen was already married to a king but, well, at least Homer got a couple of swell epics out of it. And Brad got the lead in Troy. (Playing the son of a god: it's a sign.)
Interpreting Brangelina
In this image-conscious era, the Brad-and-Jen story was captivating because it suggested the triumph of a woman's personality over her looks -- a myth in which many of us wish to believe. Brad may have won the world's sexiest man title, but he married an average looking girl-next-door type who toiled in TV's lowly trenches. He could have had any glamour icon he wanted but he chose sweet over stunning.
It was just as our mothers told us: every woman could aspire to catching a man in the 99th percentile of fabulous if she was just nice enough and got the right haircut.
Alas, it was our fathers who turned out to be right: men are after only one thing.
When Brad dumped his virtuous wife for a sexy siren with a notorious reputation, he became the latest in a long line of celebrity presidents for the Men are Pigs Club. From Angelina's tattoos and the pendant with Billy-Bob's blood, to the speculation that she and her brother are a little too close (recall that icky Oscar speech) and her creepy orphan-collecting habit, the living Lara Croft is a legendary flake. Gorgeous she may be, but she also has the face that launched a thousand quips.
But wait: didn't Brad leave Jen because she chose her career over children? That makes Angelina the Madonna: after all she is risking that perfect physique with a pregnancy.
And didn't she say she would never get pregnant, she would always adopt? And didn't Brad insist they were just friends?
There are the seeds here of an Immaculate Bump: it's a sign.
Shiloh's early good works
Christian myth likes to split the virgin and the whore into two Marys, but Angelina embodies both, which makes perfect sense: what we're witnessing is the dawning of a new religion in which goddesses are just as powerful as gods.
The inexplicable popularity of the badly written Da Vinci Code was a sign of the story's true, spiritual nature. It was written to pave the way for New Peace by teaching us that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child -- which I, for one, don't doubt.
But now we need to take the next leap of faith and recognize that the holy bloodline obviously went on to spawn those charismatic figures known as celebrities. Why else would we instinctively revere the tiny shining ones with over-sized heads?
Clearly, celebrity-devotion isn't a passing fad, it's the next evolution in the world of worship.
That the Holy Bump would be a girl was inevitable. She will be the ultimate It-Girl to rival Paris Hilton for cash, Brangelina for beauty, and the whole lot of them as an icon. Or as that insightful uber-celebrity John Lennon once put it, she'll be "more popular than Jesus."
That Shiloh Nouvel will be a force for good is undeniable. She's already responsible for an act of charity: first photo rights to the golden babe were bought by Us magazine and the $5 million earned will be donated to the needy tots of Unicef.
Without SIN?
All this makes sense only if you believe in a Higher Power. Let's face it: some magical thinking is the one thing that could explain the print media's bizarre devotion to celeb stories in the face of mockery and declining readership.
Clearly these heralds are compelled to relay mystical truths, even if it prompts the unenlightened to cancel their subscriptions.
As for the naysayers who despise Hollywood buzz as not-news because it doesn't meet the formal definition of Significant, Interesting, or New – or SIN for short -- that used to be me.
But now I understand this brave New Age. When the dawn of New Peace was broadcast I embraced the good news. I didn't see it as a sin, or demand it be a SIN. Now I know it's just another sign.
Shannon Rupp is a contributing editor to The Tyee.
We all know the gods have a plan, so there is no such thing as coincidence.
Which is why we need to examine the weekend debut of the Jolie-Pitt baby girl, Shiloh Nouvel, and realize this isn't just another case of the wrong people breeding -- we're witnessing the dawn of a new religion.
The signs were all there. It's no accident that the debut of the much-anticipated Da Vinci Code blockbuster -- challenging the Jesus mythology -- coincided with the debut of Brangelina's equally-anticipated Bump, and both are premiering in spring, the season of birth and rebirth.
Taken together, these events smack of a Second Coming. Or the Messiah. Or the Chosen One.
Pick the title that suits your faith, but there was never any doubt that it was a Holy Bump.
The first clue was that the Bump's existence was foreshadowed by a star, or rather Star, the tabloid that broke the story.
Note that Shiloh Nouvel was born in Africa, the cradle of civilization and the continent where humans originated. That has to be a sign.
Then there's the name. Shiloh is a unisex Hebrew name that means "peace." The French "nouvel" is the masculine form of "new." This baby's arrival means New Peace, and that androgynous name for a girl suggests she is an Everyperson, who will usher in a new equality. It appears the boy-centred desert religions are almost over.
And don't forget the events leading up to the birth, including the so-called Cult of Celebrity -- religions in their early stages are always referred to as "cults."
It's a given among trend-watchers that celeb scuttlebutt functions exactly as the Greek, Celtic or Christian myths do, showing people how the world works and how to live their lives. Like gossip, myths set community standards.
From that perspective, newspapers and magazines full of Hollywood tittle-tattle are like those early drafts of gospels that eventually became the Bible, or the supernatural stories that comprised ancient religions.
All Greek to me
Certainly, the Jen-Brad-Angie love triangle is the Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot legend for the reality TV generation.
This story has inspired new followers and even new signs of devotion, such as the Team Aniston and Team Jolie t-shirts. One uniformed member of Team Aniston even took a swing at the silicon-lipped actress, thus elevating Jolie to the status of the persecuted.
I have little interest in scandals of the stars, but for anyone who stands in grocery store line-ups there was no escaping this story as the heralds of the gods -- better known as the news media -- trumpeted every juicy detail. (Ever wonder why so many newspapers are called "Herald?" It's a sign.)
The battle of the Jen and Angie archetypes is reminiscent of the way immortals kicked-off the Trojan war with a bickerfest of powerful goddesses. Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite were squaring off in an early version of the Miss Universe Pageant and let a mortal, Paris, be the judge. Then they rigged the voting. Hera, wife of almighty Zeus, offered Paris a chance to be the most powerful man. Athene, goddess of warriors and wisdom, offered him the opportunity to be the wisest man. While Aphrodite, goddess of love, offered him the chance to be adored by the world's most beautiful woman.
Paris, a founding member of the Men are Pigs Club, handed the golden apple over to Aphrodite.
In return, she cast a love spell over Helen, who had the face that launched a thousand ships.
Unfortunately, Helen was already married to a king but, well, at least Homer got a couple of swell epics out of it. And Brad got the lead in Troy. (Playing the son of a god: it's a sign.)
Interpreting Brangelina
In this image-conscious era, the Brad-and-Jen story was captivating because it suggested the triumph of a woman's personality over her looks -- a myth in which many of us wish to believe. Brad may have won the world's sexiest man title, but he married an average looking girl-next-door type who toiled in TV's lowly trenches. He could have had any glamour icon he wanted but he chose sweet over stunning.
It was just as our mothers told us: every woman could aspire to catching a man in the 99th percentile of fabulous if she was just nice enough and got the right haircut.
Alas, it was our fathers who turned out to be right: men are after only one thing.
When Brad dumped his virtuous wife for a sexy siren with a notorious reputation, he became the latest in a long line of celebrity presidents for the Men are Pigs Club. From Angelina's tattoos and the pendant with Billy-Bob's blood, to the speculation that she and her brother are a little too close (recall that icky Oscar speech) and her creepy orphan-collecting habit, the living Lara Croft is a legendary flake. Gorgeous she may be, but she also has the face that launched a thousand quips.
But wait: didn't Brad leave Jen because she chose her career over children? That makes Angelina the Madonna: after all she is risking that perfect physique with a pregnancy.
And didn't she say she would never get pregnant, she would always adopt? And didn't Brad insist they were just friends?
There are the seeds here of an Immaculate Bump: it's a sign.
Shiloh's early good works
Christian myth likes to split the virgin and the whore into two Marys, but Angelina embodies both, which makes perfect sense: what we're witnessing is the dawning of a new religion in which goddesses are just as powerful as gods.
The inexplicable popularity of the badly written Da Vinci Code was a sign of the story's true, spiritual nature. It was written to pave the way for New Peace by teaching us that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had a child -- which I, for one, don't doubt.
But now we need to take the next leap of faith and recognize that the holy bloodline obviously went on to spawn those charismatic figures known as celebrities. Why else would we instinctively revere the tiny shining ones with over-sized heads?
Clearly, celebrity-devotion isn't a passing fad, it's the next evolution in the world of worship.
That the Holy Bump would be a girl was inevitable. She will be the ultimate It-Girl to rival Paris Hilton for cash, Brangelina for beauty, and the whole lot of them as an icon. Or as that insightful uber-celebrity John Lennon once put it, she'll be "more popular than Jesus."
That Shiloh Nouvel will be a force for good is undeniable. She's already responsible for an act of charity: first photo rights to the golden babe were bought by Us magazine and the $5 million earned will be donated to the needy tots of Unicef.
Without SIN?
All this makes sense only if you believe in a Higher Power. Let's face it: some magical thinking is the one thing that could explain the print media's bizarre devotion to celeb stories in the face of mockery and declining readership.
Clearly these heralds are compelled to relay mystical truths, even if it prompts the unenlightened to cancel their subscriptions.
As for the naysayers who despise Hollywood buzz as not-news because it doesn't meet the formal definition of Significant, Interesting, or New – or SIN for short -- that used to be me.
But now I understand this brave New Age. When the dawn of New Peace was broadcast I embraced the good news. I didn't see it as a sin, or demand it be a SIN. Now I know it's just another sign.
Shannon Rupp is a contributing editor to The Tyee.
UK Singer Robbie Williams Invited To Join UFO Cult
The Church of the SubGenius has invited UK pop singer Robbie Williams to join its ranks.
[ClickPress, Wed May 17 2006] In May of 1996, pop singer Robbie Williams announced his intention to start his own mystical religion dedicated to extraterrestrials.In response to this statement, the Church of the SubGenius has made an offer for Williams to join their ranks. Church member Reverend Modemac stated, "If Mr. Williams wants to join a UFO cult, then have we got one for him!"
The Church of the SubGenius is a popular organization often seen as a "parody" of religious cults, including Scientology, the Raelians, and the Unification Church. It was founded in 1953 by a mysterious figure named J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, whose smiling, pipe-smoking image has been seen worldwide in chip art, graffiti, tattoos, and rock albums from performers ranging from Devo and George Clinton to Sublime. A number of celebrities are SubGenius ministers, including former Talking Heads singer David Byrne, Penn Jillette, Robert Anton Wilson, and Pee-Wee Herman.
The Church has issued a prediction that invading aliens from outer space will arrive on Earth on July 5th, 2006 (or "X-Day"), and that only the ordained members of the Church of the SubGenius will survive the oncoming cataclysm. Membership in the Church costs $30 USA, and Robbie Williams will be required to pay this membership fee in order to join.
However, the Church promises all members they will get their money's worth. The Church has a standing offer: "Eternal Salvation Or Triple Your Money Back."
In an interview with CNN, Church business manager Reverend Ivan Stang said, "We're probably the only cult that admits we're ripping them off every day, and teaching them to enjoy it."
Official Web site of the Church of the SubGenius:
http://www.subgenius.com
Wikipedia article on the Church:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_SubGenius
X-Day and the invading extraterrestrial aliens:
http://www.modemac.com/x-day
For the Love of Loopholes
Nobody likes a cheater. But figure out a clever method for exploiting a loophole, and you’ll become the stuff of legend. Even when the perpetrator is doing something reprehensible (like Nobody likes a cheater. But figure out a clever method for exploiting a loophole, and you’ll become the stuff of legend. Even when the perpetrator is doing something reprehensible (like trying to dodge a DUI charge), you can’t help but marvel at a loophole-monger’s ability to think both inside and outside the box, to adhere to the rules while simultaneously sidestepping them. My prosecutor friend was clearly annoyed with the defense attorney, but there was a twinge of admiration in her voice as she described his machinations.
While the desire to avoid incarceration has spawned its fair share of lateral thinking, perhaps nothing has led to the discovery of more loopholes than the promise of cold, hard cash.
While the desire to avoid incarceration has spawned its fair share of lateral thinking, perhaps nothing has led to the discovery of more loopholes than the promise of cold, hard cash.
In 1983, for instance, unemployed ice cream vendor Michael Larsen discovered a secret about a popular game show of the time, Press Your Luck. The show featured a big electronic board that functioned as a roulette wheel. The player would set it in motion, let it spin for a few moments, and then press a big “stop” plunger. If it stopped on a money space, the contestant’s total would go up; if it stopped on a “Whammie” he’d lose his accumulated savings. Because the board was random, lucky players would risk maybe half a dozen spins, amass a couple grand, and then quit before they busted and lost everything.
But when Larsen appeared on the show, he pressed his luck no fewer than 45 times, without ever hitting a Whammie. The show’s producers were incredulous that anyone could be so ballsy (and fortunate), and they had every right to be. Larsen later revealed something that even the host of Press Your Luck didn’t know: the so-called Big Board was not random. He had taped countless Press Your Luck episodes on his VCR, and watched them until he could distinguish the six distinct patterns the Big Board would use. He’d even gone so far as to memorize all six patterns, training himself to always stop a spin where the money lay (and the Whammies didn’t). By the time he concluded his run, he’d racked up a total of $110,237—about 20 times a typical winning contestant’s haul.
Or take David Phillips, a.k.a. “Pudding Guy.” When he learned that the Healthy Foods company was offering its customers 1,000 frequent flier miles for every 10 Healthy Foods products purchased, he began searching for the cheapest item they sold; when he learned that Healthy Foods sold individual pudding cups for a quarter apiece, he purchased every one he could find within a 60-mile radius of his home, and even had his local stores order more from their distributors. (If this sounds familiar, it’s because Phillips’s astounding feat of loopholery was incorporated into the film Punch Drunk Love.)
In the end, Phillips wound up with more than 12,000 cups of pudding and 12 million frequent flier miles. He then gave the pudding to his local Salvation Army and wrote off its cost as a charitable donation.
Read more about the love of loopholes here:
The Morning News - In Praise of Loopholes, by Matthew Baldwin
While the desire to avoid incarceration has spawned its fair share of lateral thinking, perhaps nothing has led to the discovery of more loopholes than the promise of cold, hard cash.
While the desire to avoid incarceration has spawned its fair share of lateral thinking, perhaps nothing has led to the discovery of more loopholes than the promise of cold, hard cash.
In 1983, for instance, unemployed ice cream vendor Michael Larsen discovered a secret about a popular game show of the time, Press Your Luck. The show featured a big electronic board that functioned as a roulette wheel. The player would set it in motion, let it spin for a few moments, and then press a big “stop” plunger. If it stopped on a money space, the contestant’s total would go up; if it stopped on a “Whammie” he’d lose his accumulated savings. Because the board was random, lucky players would risk maybe half a dozen spins, amass a couple grand, and then quit before they busted and lost everything.
But when Larsen appeared on the show, he pressed his luck no fewer than 45 times, without ever hitting a Whammie. The show’s producers were incredulous that anyone could be so ballsy (and fortunate), and they had every right to be. Larsen later revealed something that even the host of Press Your Luck didn’t know: the so-called Big Board was not random. He had taped countless Press Your Luck episodes on his VCR, and watched them until he could distinguish the six distinct patterns the Big Board would use. He’d even gone so far as to memorize all six patterns, training himself to always stop a spin where the money lay (and the Whammies didn’t). By the time he concluded his run, he’d racked up a total of $110,237—about 20 times a typical winning contestant’s haul.
Or take David Phillips, a.k.a. “Pudding Guy.” When he learned that the Healthy Foods company was offering its customers 1,000 frequent flier miles for every 10 Healthy Foods products purchased, he began searching for the cheapest item they sold; when he learned that Healthy Foods sold individual pudding cups for a quarter apiece, he purchased every one he could find within a 60-mile radius of his home, and even had his local stores order more from their distributors. (If this sounds familiar, it’s because Phillips’s astounding feat of loopholery was incorporated into the film Punch Drunk Love.)
In the end, Phillips wound up with more than 12,000 cups of pudding and 12 million frequent flier miles. He then gave the pudding to his local Salvation Army and wrote off its cost as a charitable donation.
Read more about the love of loopholes here:
The Morning News - In Praise of Loopholes, by Matthew Baldwin
Students find unexpected awards from mysterious new organization
Secret society has its eye on you
Students find unexpected awards from mysterious new organization
By Jeremy Tam
May 11, 2006
They’re watching you — waiting for Shuttle-UM, walking down Fraternity Row or buying a burrito from Chipotle, they can see your every move.
Junior Burke Miller, vice president of external affairs for the Interfraternity Council, opened his door one day to find a plain manila envelope. Not knowing who gave it to him, he took the envelope inside and opened it, only to find a wooden plaque with a weird symbol and the word “passion” on it.
“I have no idea how or why I got it,” said Miller, an English and government and politics major, referring to the mysterious wooden plaque. “But I’ve seen this symbol before in front of a lot of frat houses.”
The symbol, a teardrop shape with the number seven attached to a cane hooking from left to right below it, is the symbol of Arete, a secret society recently founded at the university.
Senior biochemistry major Nicole Patton also received a strange offering from the society — a letter asking her to read a poem at the candlelight vigil she held dedicated to members of the Greek community who have died.
Wanting to investigate further, a reporter decided to contact Arete. However, the secret society responded to an e-mail by saying its members cannot meet in person for an interview. The group was only available for contact by providing a time and phone number for them.
After getting in touch with a spokesman from the secret society, it was discovered the society was giving out awards and symbols to students, faculty and staff who exemplify the group’s founding virtues: kindness, sincerity, passion, justice, courage, perseverance and growth.
The awards and symbols are meant as an encouragement indicating the individual has met the virtues of the group and should continue to do good deeds, said an anonymous Arete spokesman, who declined to give his name in order to maintain secrecy.
During a second interview, a spokeswoman said the society decides as a whole who will be recognized by voting. Students cannot approach the group and simply ask to join. There are no rush events, the spokeswoman said.
But many students are wondering why the society is remaining so secluded.
“I don’t know if it’s just someone on campus trying to get people to do good things,” Miller said. “There are rumors going around that they’ve been around for quite a long time and have only recently surfaced to reward people.”
Freshman finance major Adam Blechman found it odd that the secret society exposed itself at the candlelight vigil.
“It was really weird that the society suddenly spoke out,” Blechman said. “But I’ve seen many secret societies becoming evident lately at many colleges and universities.”
A spokesman said the society exists only to praise others and that it maintains secrecy in order to assure it does not take the focus off those it recognizes for their good deeds.
These societies, often traditionally thought of as cryptic cults with ritualized initiations and secret handshakes, are changing how they operate.
The Arete secret society “actually asked permission to do things like put their symbol and flags on the [Fraternity] Row,” said Michael Hayes, director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. “The society has given us a flower arrangement as well with their symbol on it,” he said.
It still remains a mystery why these secret societies are helping out in the community. At the University of Virginia, the “Seven Society” donates money every year in denominations of seven to the incoming freshman classes. After various student leaders speak at the convocation, the seventh seat of the seventh row is asked to read a letter found under their chair that indicates the sum donated.
“These secret societies have been philanthropic and promote efforts of community service,” said Tim Monaghan, a member of the University Guide Service at UVA. “They contribute to the university and give a lot back.”
Some students have found it interesting that Arete has shrouded itself from the Greek community.
“It’s cool because everyone is asking questions about the secret society,” said Nick Verderame, a sophomore journalism major. “But it’s also important that the society doesn’t reveal themselves or else everyone will want to be recognized for good deeds.”
Jim Osteen, vice president for student affairs, said this is the first time a secret society has shown up at the university to do positive deeds for the community.
“If their purpose is to do good things, I think it’s probably OK for them to be here,” Osteen said. “They seem to be very involved with the Greek community.”
However, the secret society is not recognized by the university as a student organization, according to Hayes. In order to use resources and reserve space for events, student groups must register with the university, something Arete has not yet done.
Although not much is known about Arete, Hayes believes the group is making a positive effort to help the community.
“Even if they are not recognized by the university, they are making an outreach effort for the sororities and fraternities on campus,” Hayes said.
Contact reporter Jeremy Tam at newsdesk@dbk.umd.edu.
In Support of Cults! ... Finally someone who can speak for me!
Stan Grimes
May 5, 2006
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=9098
What is mind control? According to FACTNet, "mind control" refers to all coercive psychological systems, such as brainwashing, thought reform, and coercive persuasion.” In other words, changing a person’s beliefs, attitudes, ethics, and other thought processes without the person realizing it. FACTNet describes a cult as: “a destructive group which uses mind control to deceivingly influence its members.”
From these definitions, a cult is not necessarily judged on its belief system, but on the techniques used to instill its belief system. Mind control conjures pictures of naked, half-starved prisoners roped to a wooden chair sitting beneath a single light bulb and being fed drugs to induce psychedelic hallucinations. That occurs only in movies in today’s world. Mind control has become much more sophisticated.
Cults today understand the needs of their recruits and do everything possible to fill the gap that has been previously void (the bait). For example, they will appeal to the insecurities of the single parent by offering friendship for their children and perhaps a singles activity for the parent. They will appeal to the loneliness of the elderly by offering activities for seniors. In other words, cults seek to gain the trust of their members. Once trust is established, the ideas, philosophies, ethics, and beliefs held by the cult are slowly spoon-fed to its members (the hook). You never feed a newborn a steak. You start with soft foods and work your way up to more solid nutrition.
What seems to be innocuous acceptance by an organization becomes the hook. The line is developed through guilt. If a cult can make its members feel guilty for not accepting certain beliefs or performing certain tasks, the hook is set and the line slowly pulls the new recruit into the organization. The continued use of bait and hook develops a doubting recruit into a solid member. The recruit has been duped without knowing it.
The interesting thing with this entire process is that most members of the cult have been brainwashed similarly and become the fishermen/women for new recruits. Without knowing it, they are captured fish trying to capture other fish. It is circular and sometimes deadly. One need only remember Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, and Guyana to understand just how deadly brainwashing and cultism can be. Remember David Koresh and the Branch Davidians? How about the Hale Bopp followers? All of these groups were extremist groups, which practiced some type of mind control. Cults do not have to be of a religious nature. There are UFO cults, cults for social change, mysticism cults, and many others.
Cultism is everywhere. If you belong to one and it is harmless to society, and it makes you happy, go for it. Some observers might consider extreme religious groups as cults, but most such groups do little harm. In fact, they offer solace to those in need of love and acceptance. An individual seeks comfort and security through many social outlets. The underlying goal of such outlets needs to be examined. Before joining a cult, search for former members, research its history, or listen to your mind. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
May 5, 2006
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=9098
What is mind control? According to FACTNet, "mind control" refers to all coercive psychological systems, such as brainwashing, thought reform, and coercive persuasion.” In other words, changing a person’s beliefs, attitudes, ethics, and other thought processes without the person realizing it. FACTNet describes a cult as: “a destructive group which uses mind control to deceivingly influence its members.”
From these definitions, a cult is not necessarily judged on its belief system, but on the techniques used to instill its belief system. Mind control conjures pictures of naked, half-starved prisoners roped to a wooden chair sitting beneath a single light bulb and being fed drugs to induce psychedelic hallucinations. That occurs only in movies in today’s world. Mind control has become much more sophisticated.
Cults today understand the needs of their recruits and do everything possible to fill the gap that has been previously void (the bait). For example, they will appeal to the insecurities of the single parent by offering friendship for their children and perhaps a singles activity for the parent. They will appeal to the loneliness of the elderly by offering activities for seniors. In other words, cults seek to gain the trust of their members. Once trust is established, the ideas, philosophies, ethics, and beliefs held by the cult are slowly spoon-fed to its members (the hook). You never feed a newborn a steak. You start with soft foods and work your way up to more solid nutrition.
What seems to be innocuous acceptance by an organization becomes the hook. The line is developed through guilt. If a cult can make its members feel guilty for not accepting certain beliefs or performing certain tasks, the hook is set and the line slowly pulls the new recruit into the organization. The continued use of bait and hook develops a doubting recruit into a solid member. The recruit has been duped without knowing it.
The interesting thing with this entire process is that most members of the cult have been brainwashed similarly and become the fishermen/women for new recruits. Without knowing it, they are captured fish trying to capture other fish. It is circular and sometimes deadly. One need only remember Jim Jones and the People’s Temple, and Guyana to understand just how deadly brainwashing and cultism can be. Remember David Koresh and the Branch Davidians? How about the Hale Bopp followers? All of these groups were extremist groups, which practiced some type of mind control. Cults do not have to be of a religious nature. There are UFO cults, cults for social change, mysticism cults, and many others.
Cultism is everywhere. If you belong to one and it is harmless to society, and it makes you happy, go for it. Some observers might consider extreme religious groups as cults, but most such groups do little harm. In fact, they offer solace to those in need of love and acceptance. An individual seeks comfort and security through many social outlets. The underlying goal of such outlets needs to be examined. Before joining a cult, search for former members, research its history, or listen to your mind. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
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