Page 560 - Demo

Fools%u2019 Journey554ways. Like repeating falsehoods such as, it was only a peaceful protest, the rioting was the Democrats%u2019 fault, or it was necessary to save the country from a stolen election.Cult leaders often instill fear in their followers. Trump did this when talking about Mexican immigrants: %u201cThey%u2019re bringing drugs. They%u2019re bringing crime. They%u2019re rapists.%u201d In fact, he saw enemies everywhere: Muslims, the deep state, radical left-wing Democrats, the liberal media, all of whom were out to destroy America. To him, gray areas didn%u2019t exist, it was %u201cus verses them,%u201d %u201cgood versus evil,%u201d and he relied on clich%u00e9d phrases such as, %u201cLock her up,%u201d %u201cBuild the wall,%u201d and %u201cfake news%u201d to transform complicated subjects into blackand-white, right-or-wrong issues. He also used derogatory names as put-downs to transform complex individuals into single-dimensional beings: Crooked Hillary Clinton, Little Marco Rubio, Sleepy Joe Biden, Lying Ted Cruz. By creating dissonance, and using other well-documented techniques, cult leaders recruit and maintain followers through a form of mind control that disrupts a person%u2019s ability to make rational, independent decisions %u2014 and it all occurs on a subconscious level. Followers lose their unique sense of self, and identify with the cult. Instead of compassion, conscience, and critical thinking, they learn to exhibit hatred, fear, and dependence on the group. There are no alternative ways of seeing a situation, only the method espoused by the leader %u2014 who demands loyalty, rewards those who support him with high praise, and condemns and insults everyone else.One of the things the book discussed that resonated with both Lynn and me was that cults can range in size from millions of people to as few as two individuals. In the case of spousal abuse, an abuser often exhibits the same traits as the leader of a large cult, and uses the same techniques to keep his victim in line. As we read, we both realized that as children, we had reacted in ways that members of cults typically behaved. For example, Lynn has always had a strong sense of right and wrong, yet her father would often criticize her when she insisted on doing the right thing, by calling her a Pollyanna in a very demeaning tone. She always got excellent grades in school, but he called her stupid. Her sister was taking birth-control pills in high school, yet she called