Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Elder of Ziyon
Not just the trappings.
* Isolating members and penalizing them for leaving (e.g. BDS)
* Seeking inappropriate loyalty to their leaders
* Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
* No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
* No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statements.
* Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies, and persecutions.
* There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
* The group/leader is always right.
* The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing "truth" or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.
* Designation of another religion or race as the Enemy of the World
* Grooming and active recruitment, using lies
* Active and conscious brainwashing activity, chanting, thought-stopping, etc.
* Active and conscious intimidation of opponents (in this case with extreme violence)
While it might not fit the textbook definition of a cult (cults usually have a single charismatic leader, for example) anti-Israelism has any things in common with cults.
I could add to Zvi's list a couple of other things, like demanding that members sign "pledges" to keep them psychologically under the thumb of their philosophy.
The repetitive chanting, call-and-response, heard at their demonstrations and even their meetings is a form of brainwashing. When people not only hear lies but are prompted to repeat them, they become the truth to them.
Even when the groups disagree with each other - which is inevitable, because socialism and Islamism do not mix very well - they are careful not to air their differences in public. The impression of unity is a hugely important component of their messaging - they are on the "right side of history" and theymust avoid the scrutiny that proves that, for example, they are supporting the worst violators of human rights in the name of human rights.
All of these explain how these cult-like groups keep therie members. But how do they attract them to begin with?
This short Ted-Ed video about cults includes part of the answer:
A typical cult requires a high level of commitment from its members and maintains a strict hierarchy, separating unsuspecting supporters and recruits from the inner workings.
It claims to provide answers to life's biggest questions through its doctrine, along with the required recipe for change that shapes a new member into a true believer.
And most importantly, it uses both formal and informal systems of influence and control to keep members obedient,with little tolerance for internal disagreement or external scrutiny.
...Cults are skilled at knowing whom to target, often focusing on those new to an area, or who have recently undergone some personal or professional loss.
Loneliness and a desire for meaning make one susceptible to friendly people offering community. In fact, more than two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a friend, family member, or co-worker whose invitations are harder to refuse.
Once in the cult, members are subjected to multiple forms of indoctrination. Some play on our natural inclination to mimic social behaviors or follow orders. Other methods may be more intense, using techniques of coercive persuasion involving guilt, shame, and fear. And in many cases, members may willingly submit out of desire to belong and to attain the promised rewards.
The cult environment discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts when everyone around you is modeling absolute faith. The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps you trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit you've been deceived.
People going away from home to college for the first time are ripe for picking by the anti-Israelism cult. They are thrust into an unfamiliar environment, with few friends, and new pressures. Those who do not have a strong spiritual life already find themselves seeking something to make their lives meaningful. (People with deep faith tend to be well adjusted.)
As Stephen Hawking once said, humanity "is just a chemical scum on a moderate-size planet, orbiting around a very average star in the outer suburb of one among a hundred billion galaxies". When faith is out of the picture, many people yearn to find a substitute where they feel that their lives matter.
Hating Israel is a perfect solution for those who need the benefits of belonging to a faith group without the faith. Calling it "human rights" the same moral force as religion, and allows members to feel morally superior to others, especially the sinners/Jews. People who join feel instant acceptance and love in their new family, which eventually demands more and more of a commitment to help "free Palestine." It is a powerful lure to make people think that they are not selfish but trying to make the world better. As long as they don't think too hard on exactly how their chants of "Intifada Revolution" helps anyone.
The call and response method of the chanting seems to come directly from African American spirituals and gospel music. It is another substitute for religion that uses the methodology of faith groups to keep people involved. Because without faith, real or pseudo, life is meaningless.
There are other factors, of course. If the media would report the news fairly then more people would be equipped to resist the lure of the cult. The progressive mindset that everyone is either an oppressor or oppressed, and that Jews cannot be oppressed, is a big part of this as well/. But there is a reason the vast majority of the protesters are college-age students - they are the ones who are most attracted to the idea of joining a cause that makes them feel morally superior without serious consequences for their behavior, at least not while on campus.
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