I never would have picked this book up except that my university alumni association (shout out to my fellow Illini) is hosting a webinar with Amanda Montell to discuss the book. It sounded interesting and I was not disappointed.
Montell is a linguist and language scholar who has written a lot about language and culture. In Cultish, she talks about the language that cults and cult-like organizations use to ingratiate, manipulate, and build commitment by members. The most dangerous organizations are cults like Heaven's Gate and People's Temple (think Jonestown Massacre). Language is one of the tools they use to convince people to join, stay and even cut themselves off from family & friends. For example, these cults create their own jargon and coded words so that their members feel like they are part of a special group.
Language is also tool used by multi-level marketing companies (Amway, Herbalife, LuLaRoe and Arbonne are a few) to recruit clients and salespeople. Have you ever wondered why your Facebook friend keeps posting about her weight loss on this AMAZING meal plan but never uses the company’s name? Montell explains why. Some online influencers use their social media in similar ways. Montell is clear that these types of organizations/businesses are not cults (among other reasons, people have autonomy to leave), hence the book title Cultish.
You might think this sounds like a nerdy book on language, but Montell is a brilliant writer and communicator. She fills the book with stories from former cult members and MLM salespeople which are fascinating. And her sense of humor, which can be dark, lightens to the serious tone at times. I look forward to the webinar.
This is not a book that explains each cult or organization in detail. So, after reading Cultish, I went down a bit of a cult streaming rabbit hole to learn more. Netflix, HBO, and other streaming services have documentaries on Scientology, Rajneeshpuram, NXIVM and others. If you are looking for a book on Scientology, I read Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief and watched the HBO documentary based on the book.
Happy Reading!
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