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People In This Online Group Name 30 Brands And Organizations That Not Everyone Recognizes Are A Cult
There are some people who love to give their all when they are into something. It’s great when it’s for their personal gain and growth, but these people can become a target of cults. Cambridge Dictionary defines a cult as “a system of religious belief, esp. one not recognized as an established religion, or the people who worship according to such a system of belief.”
There are certain traits that signify a group of people to be a cult. These signs include pressure to join, having a leader, being a closed group, brainwashing, using other members for financial gain, and intimidation with the thought that one cannot leave the cult.
One user from Reddit asked people “What feels like a cult, and is in fact a cult?” and received almost 30k replies. It included various people, brands, and groups that showed traits of a cult.
What do you find to be a cult? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments down below!
More Info: Reddit
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Trump
Watching 4 years ago
The most un-American people in our country. An entire party of "me me me." They don't want to help anyone and they also don't want anyone else to help anyone either. They claim welfare but they don't want it for anyone else. And they can't keep their noses out of our GD private parts! The Trump Trash are truly the embarrassment of our entire country.
RELATED:
#3
Qanon.
Watching 4 years ago
Now these people should be committed to a mental institution and we all know it.
Raven Sheridan 4 years ago
It's like the KKK and the Tin Foil Hat people had a baby and it was raised by the Antivaxxer, essential oils crowd.
Miguel justino C 4 years ago
I love how tough they thought they were. Had every quote such as “death before dishonor” and “die on your feet instead of being a slave on your knees”. And then they got arrested, s**t got real and they all denounced the Cheeto king and said they were wrong.
Don't Look 4 years ago
Yeah. Sad thing is, even if trump was gone forever, they'd keep pushing him or one of his idiots.
Dodo 4 years ago
"a far-right conspiracy movement centered on false claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals, known by the name "Q", that a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles operate a global child sex trafficking ring and conspired against former President Donald Trump during his term in office."
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timothy green 4 years ago
They are the dumbest of the dumb. I know it for a fact. I work with a couple of them
Lotus Flower 4 years ago
I lost my mother to this as she has gone all in yrs ago and now I’m afraid she’ll kill me if I visit (because I’m lost), so i don’t. . Reddit has a support group for the many families shattered by some guy’s prank if you need help or want to talk/vent. https://www.reddit.com/r/QAnonCasualties
H.L.Lewis 4 years ago
Nice to read that someone else think this is " some guys prank" my theory is that it was started by a very precocious 13 yo. Since most of the conspiracies posted are so juvenile. And he still hasn't grown up.
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Steffen Rehm 4 years ago
In Germany also known as "Querdenker" (lateral thinker). Highly aggressiv people, don´t know what's wrong in there lives.
F. H. 4 years ago
Querdenker and QAnon are not the same at all. The Querdenker started out as a protest movement against pandemic restrictions containing many political and ideological streams, getting more and more extreme, until certain members radicalized themselves into stochastic terrorism. QAnon started out as a strictly extreme right-wing conspiracy theory movement based on Trumpism and recycled antisemitic blood libel stories with no further steps in radicalization needed. There's no question that there are many QAnon sympathizers among the Querdenker, but in general, they are not the same.
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Leodavinci 4 years ago
They are such morons, they don't realize their slogan (seen on the flag) is socialistic.
Roxanne Brown 4 years ago
Agreed!! crazy as hell they got too much damn free time on their hands a bunch of people acting a damn fool
Vorknkx 4 years ago (edited)
Its origins lie in the centuries-old "blood libel", which is an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Mix this up with some modern conspiracies, anti-vaxxer propaganda, Trump's cult of personality, and far-right/neo-Nazi extremism, and you get QAnon. It's a recipe for disaster...
Riley Quinn 4 years ago
A bunch of white baby-men who are terrified about losing control. Not that any of them were ever in control, but god forbid if a BIPOC person climbs the ladder to a higher rung.
Richard Courtney 4 years ago
Another Example of what happens when we do not make mental Health a priority and close the Federal Mental Institutions (Reagan in the 80's)
Vorknkx 4 years ago
A conspiracy theory/LARP that got out of hand and turned into a cult that has torn many families apart. They believe in some sort of "evil cabal that rules the world and eats little children" nonsense, and also that Trump was somehow "chosen by god" to fight the bad guys. QAnon followers are usually very aggressive and hostile - trying to argue with them is futile. They are hopelessly brainwashed.
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Leah Helbig 4 years ago
Yes thank you Tom it gives me encouragement to see post like yours. I keep hoping too that both sides will wake up and see what is really going on. But honestly I think most people can't handle the truth so they would rather live in a delusion.
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Gin Marie 4 years ago
Trump is evil, but YOU'RE never going to need an abortion, so YOU get to lecture people to whom hateful vicious deluded white men are no danger. Gee, I wonder why.
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#5
Whatever the Duggers are. Creepiest bunch I’ve ever seen.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
"Quiverfull" is their group ----- Christianizing (?!?!) the world by having a billion children who live by the Bible unless it's inconvenient.
#6
Within the cancer community there’s a political group who have all read (probably) Chris Beat Cancer and it’s a b******t book telling you you can cure cancer by changing your diet. Sugar is the main villain. You can fight me all you want but SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER. Listen to your oncology approved dietician and get the f**k off Facebook.
Just this past weekend I had lunch with my friend’s dad who is also terminal and his wife has banned him from sugar because of this b******t. The dude is dying and he’s not even allowed to enjoy himself in moderation. Because she heard about it on Facebook. chemo brain often forgets the huge difference between nutritionist and dietitian. Sorry, my bad.
Please listen to the cancer patient in your life and what they want. Do they want to change their diet? Absolutely go for it but make sure they’re getting the right nutrition from a qualified professional. Do what they want. You actually have no idea. We really need to shift our current state of cancer care to a more palliative (NOT hospice, big distinction) model. A cancer patient that is as relatively happy as can be has the potential to increase their outcome. And finally DONATE BLOOD and sign up for bethematch.org WE NEED YOU!!
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
That bullshit kills people. "I'll change my diet and positive-think my way out of cancer/multiple sclerosis/etc.".... NO YOU WILL NOT.
#7
People who are way too invested in the college they attended.
#10
Workplaces that tout "we are a family"
i seen too many people fall into that and get ostracized by the "family"
sturmwesen 4 years ago
This is a red flag for me... often it means additional pressure and/or a lot of private networks and rumors/feuds.
#11
Mom run community Facebook pages. Some of these moms gotta be stopped on the real.
#12
All of these "nutrition" places with their loaded teas, are just a front for Herbalife.
#13
MLMs but especially Mary Kay. I went to a convention once as the guest of a consultant because she was trying to get me to join. It was very stepford. Also, she didn't tell me you were expected to dress up so I showed up in jeans and a hoodie.
#14
Brand loyalist... Iproduct people are scary.
Mina 4 years ago
Let's just name it: Apple. They'll come up with something "innovative" but people who only buy that brand don't realize how this "innovation" has already been done by others. You put it right in front, show them proof, and they'll tell you straight to your face that Apple was the first to do it. Read the fine print friends, you'll find a disclaimer pretty much saying this is a first for Apple, not for the world.
#17
I don't quite know how to explain in, but once a fandom reaches a certain point, it's almost embarrassing to admit that you like the show/movie/book/etc because you automatically get lumped in with the super cringe and toxic portion.
#18
The “Entrepreneur” Lifestyle. Many people are encouraged to put aside pleasures of life in the tiniest hope that if they just “grind” hard enough they’ll be billionaires.
Oh also, while caring a lot about your money and how you spend it, buy my $500 plan to help you make money faster.
#19
Genuine love of a single politician. Yes, maybe this person is legitimately good, or is doing positive things in certain areas and perhaps negative things in other areas. It’s largely subjective. If it weren’t, most countries’ citizens would just be happy.
But listen, if “this” person is the best and we’re going to harp on about it forever, and in the reverse harping on hating said person forever, then you’ve got yourself a cult.
If you love a politician, you’re an embarrassment. They’re certainly not as perfect as you think. We can acknowledge those imperfections and vote based on policy, but making a single one of them out to be perfect (or imperfect) means you’ve just chosen a side and you’re likely not even going to try to open yourself up to altering opinions.
#20
Working at In-N-Out was a bizarre experience I would liken unto a cult.
They damn near worship the owner Lynsi too, when I went to the company picnics she would perform on stage dancing, once she did this weird sexy aerial dance in a floating cube. And the associates go CRAZY for her. Like, nuts. One of my coworkers and I were sitting there so uncomfortable while everyone screamed and grabbed at her like she was the damn Messiah, literally snot crying over not getting a t-shirt signed by her. Like… that is the billionaire heiress who employs you, not f*****g Beyoncé.
Then of course all the in-n-out culture, like the specific language you have to use (not just with customers, with each other too), the extreme Christian standards… it was nuts and after working elsewhere (it was my first restaurant job when I was in HS until last year) I realized exactly how culty the whole company is
#21
Crossfit
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I've heard four different physical therapists extol Crossfit.... b/c it means they always have people coming in for physical therapy (hips, backs, knees especially).
#22
Silicon Valley tech companies are not a cult.
However, there is a subculture within Silicon Valley tech companies that is a cult.
Here are some things to watch out for:
Sleep deprivation. If your team wants you to do overnight oncall, and overnight pages happen more often than once every seven oncall shifts, your team is a cult.
Training vs. guilt. If your team assumes that you already know all the details of the tech you work with, and dumps weird guilt on you when you don't know an obscure fact, your team is a cult.
Rich lifestyle vs. actual returns. If your team encourage you to pick up expensive hobbies (sports cars, piloting, ski trips), but the company doesn't actually pay enough to afford them without skimping on your regular expenses, your team is a cult
#24
YOU can find my dads skull and bones Yale picture on my submission somewhere. He is so secretive about it. Feels like a cult. He was one of the few black men.
Olesia Kovalenko 4 years ago
Your dad getting into Yale is a success story, you getting into Yale is called nepotism. So many children get into ivy league schools through nepotism while kids who deserve those places can't because the class is already full. I hate nepotism. That doesn't mean the author didn't deserve to study there, I don't know them, it's how 70% of students get to attend.
#25
Primerica. Worst cult vibes ever.
#28
Boarding schools for “troubled teens”.
#29
Those Shen Yun performances that are overly advertised every year. Turns out they're directly tied to Falun Gong.
Truth Monster 4 years ago
So I took a look at Falun Gong on Wikipedia, and it seems to be a pretty tame religion. What makes Falun Gong a cult?
#30
Chief's Mess in the US Navy, which comes complete with "initiation", something no other branch (enlisted or officer) has and that this somehow forms an eternal bond of "blood by family", that includes eating food out of trash cans and sabotaging uniforms for the "greater lesson".
Then "private" meetings that have grey areas/secrets of what happens in those meetings. Specifically anything related to punishments or review boards.
The fact that it takes two chiefs talking behind closed doors to get anything accomplished is also proof. People notice, though it's implied that it's not noticed.
Bobby 4 years ago
In my experience it taking "two chiefs talking" to make something happen is because chiefs are concidered the subject matter experts in their related fields. Repair needs done on a steam powered generator? the chief in charge of the electrical division and the mechanical division need to hash out the logistics. Big command wide celebration? Supply chief and Mess hall chief get together for that. Officers are actually meant largely for administration, not the actual work. I would say chiefs are more like a club than a cult
#31
A few things come to mind, but I think people can get religious about concepts as we sometimes need to believe in something. Not sure I would say that the below examples are cults but they are cult like aspects to it.
Mobile games with daily rewards springs to my mind way too easily. Games with loot boxes are extra evil.
Sometimes some corporate training produces people who lean a little too hard into the concept. And then they go and spread the ideas further to recruit more.
#34
Fashion Nova
#35
Theater in high school
Alice By Heart 4 years ago
how dare anyone appreciate and participate in the arts (insert sarcasm here)
#36
Owning an air fryer.
Alice By Heart 4 years ago
darn air fryers and their secret satanic meetings, and dont get me started on the blood sacrifices
What do you think ?
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I say this as a sports fan.... Sports. Nobody should be so attached to a sports team that they're willing to fight someone about it.
Sergio Bicerra 4 years ago
This one. In my country there are weekly riots made by fans of certain football teams. No only opposite teams but also from the same teams arguing "we are the real number 1 fans" idiotic rant.
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Don't Look 4 years ago
I think people are confusing cults with interests, groups and other nonsense. A cult lures people in, fixates and then often tries to recruit. QAnon and Trump absolutely try to do this. The duggars? They just need money so they agreed to be on tv (which ultimately did them in, partially due to them now thinking that they can buy freedom against criminal acts) ... and honestly a lot of the rest of this crap I don't really know about.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
The Duggars are part of a religious splinter group known as "Quiverfull". Read up.
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Ranax 4 years ago
That's one half. The other half is: that actual cult looks like a cult.
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Don't Look 4 years ago
I want to agree with this. Then I think of scientology and that scares the absolute hell out of me.
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Don't Look 4 years ago
The mormon sect is so... screwed up that it's basically THE cult.
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ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
There are 2-3 things that won't ever be mentioned on bp because of their agenda
Teuta Franjkovic Valich 4 years ago
Marie Condo fans, Vegans, Mom groups on the internet, cheerleader squats, Tony Robbins fans, Ellen and Oprah fans....
Jarrod Nichols 4 years ago
Notice not a mention of BLM or Antifa. BP is nothing but a political tool. You are all sheep.
jk nbt 4 years ago
There are some interesting articles out there on this subject. This is not the first time this has been discussed. Take a look at: 1) https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/... 2) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/27/cults-definition-religion... 3) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cult-5078234
Sarah Rose 4 years ago
I recommend ICSA, International Cult Studies Association, there's no group that does more that hasn't been sued out of existence
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Robyn Denton 4 years ago
Quite a lot of these seem to be US-centred, so have no relevance to the rest of the world.
Nikki Hilton 4 years ago
I'm just throwing this out there: Amway. It's a total cult. And they suck their people dry.
Viviane 4 years ago
I know a Mason, but that's his first name. Second name is Carpenter. He's a an architect - no, this is not a joke.
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Kathy 3 years ago (edited)
Anything can become a cult, if people allow themselves to be deluded to the point where they give up control over their lives to those who do not have their best interests at heart, and who will use and abuse them for their own nefarious goals. It is almost impossible to identify that a group dynamic that you are actlively part of is in fact a cult; most people only realize that they are trapped inside a cult when they begin to push the boundaries, start asking uncomfortable questions, upset the powers-that-be, break the rules - or when they try to leave...
Kathy 3 years ago
I only got to read this thread now, 7 months late, but it seems to me that only a few of the groups/individuals mentioned here can truthfully be called actual, bonafide 'Cults'. Some would be better described as 'Over-Enthusiastic Fan Clubs', 'Over-The-Top Hate Groups', 'Religion on Steroids', or 'Brand Marketing in Overdrive'. They may be quite alarming, utterly incomprehensible and as annoying as all hell, but they still don't fall under the category of Cults, which is an entirely different animal! Sorry.
Eglė Bukauskaitė 3 years ago
Weird that Elon musc and Beyonce aren't on the list. Their fans are toxic AF
Kimberly Brown 4 years ago
This is a judgmental, opinionated story. Anyone who subscribes to this crap also belongs to a cult.
Cuervo 4 years ago
They left out the Socialists Left... throughout history have killed millions of people. Stalin, Mao...
Random Anon 4 years ago
I'm being very strict here being a "non-believer" unless you can prove or disprove things empirically. So anything that isn't logical and people still believed them via a (gigantic) leap of faith is a cult. This includes all mainstream religion.
Kathy 3 years ago
Cults are all about control over others, about increasing the numbers of cult 'followers' in order to gain more and more power, while ensuring that anyone who is already trapped 'inside' doesn't manage to get 'out'. As such, while some religions may actually and factually operate as Cults, the fact that some people freely choose to believe certain things which, at least at this point in time, cannot be proved or disproved empirically, and that like-minded folks get together in faith-based groups, does not make their belief groups into 'Cults'!
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lemsip 4 years ago
Drop in centres for people with mental health problems can be cults. There is one in Cardiff, UK, that is definitely a cult as the manager is very controlling and possessive. She demands that users attend at the centre more and more and is very dismissive of their outside interests and activities.
William Teach 4 years ago
Anthropogenic climate change. It's basically a cult at this point. Full of people from the top to the bottom who are hypocrites. They want to force Other People to change their lives while refusing to do it on their own. Now, let the down votes commence by people who Believe we're doomed from a tiny increase in the globe's average temperature, just like has happened multiple times during the Holocene alone, while refusing to change their own lives to match their beliefs.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Pyramid and Ponzi schemes. If you join one of them, good luck getting out. Especially without spending and losing a load of money.
Michael Beswick 4 years ago
Why don't people understand that by definition, all religions are cults!?
D-m Keilman 4 years ago
Essential oils. Former coworker has decided she's going to cure her breast cancer with them.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I say this as a sports fan.... Sports. Nobody should be so attached to a sports team that they're willing to fight someone about it.
Sergio Bicerra 4 years ago
This one. In my country there are weekly riots made by fans of certain football teams. No only opposite teams but also from the same teams arguing "we are the real number 1 fans" idiotic rant.
Load More Replies... Don't Look 4 years ago
I think people are confusing cults with interests, groups and other nonsense. A cult lures people in, fixates and then often tries to recruit. QAnon and Trump absolutely try to do this. The duggars? They just need money so they agreed to be on tv (which ultimately did them in, partially due to them now thinking that they can buy freedom against criminal acts) ... and honestly a lot of the rest of this crap I don't really know about.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
The Duggars are part of a religious splinter group known as "Quiverfull". Read up.
Load More Replies... Ranax 4 years ago
That's one half. The other half is: that actual cult looks like a cult.
Load More Replies... Don't Look 4 years ago
I want to agree with this. Then I think of scientology and that scares the absolute hell out of me.
Load More Replies... Don't Look 4 years ago
The mormon sect is so... screwed up that it's basically THE cult.
Load More Replies... ivan bolitekurac 4 years ago
There are 2-3 things that won't ever be mentioned on bp because of their agenda
Teuta Franjkovic Valich 4 years ago
Marie Condo fans, Vegans, Mom groups on the internet, cheerleader squats, Tony Robbins fans, Ellen and Oprah fans....
Jarrod Nichols 4 years ago
Notice not a mention of BLM or Antifa. BP is nothing but a political tool. You are all sheep.
jk nbt 4 years ago
There are some interesting articles out there on this subject. This is not the first time this has been discussed. Take a look at: 1) https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/06/the-seven-signs-youre-in-a-cult/361400/... 2) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/27/cults-definition-religion... 3) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cult-5078234
Sarah Rose 4 years ago
I recommend ICSA, International Cult Studies Association, there's no group that does more that hasn't been sued out of existence
Load More Replies... Robyn Denton 4 years ago
Quite a lot of these seem to be US-centred, so have no relevance to the rest of the world.
Nikki Hilton 4 years ago
I'm just throwing this out there: Amway. It's a total cult. And they suck their people dry.
Viviane 4 years ago
I know a Mason, but that's his first name. Second name is Carpenter. He's a an architect - no, this is not a joke.
Load More Replies... Kathy 3 years ago (edited)
Anything can become a cult, if people allow themselves to be deluded to the point where they give up control over their lives to those who do not have their best interests at heart, and who will use and abuse them for their own nefarious goals. It is almost impossible to identify that a group dynamic that you are actlively part of is in fact a cult; most people only realize that they are trapped inside a cult when they begin to push the boundaries, start asking uncomfortable questions, upset the powers-that-be, break the rules - or when they try to leave...
Kathy 3 years ago
I only got to read this thread now, 7 months late, but it seems to me that only a few of the groups/individuals mentioned here can truthfully be called actual, bonafide 'Cults'. Some would be better described as 'Over-Enthusiastic Fan Clubs', 'Over-The-Top Hate Groups', 'Religion on Steroids', or 'Brand Marketing in Overdrive'. They may be quite alarming, utterly incomprehensible and as annoying as all hell, but they still don't fall under the category of Cults, which is an entirely different animal! Sorry.
Eglė Bukauskaitė 3 years ago
Weird that Elon musc and Beyonce aren't on the list. Their fans are toxic AF
Kimberly Brown 4 years ago
This is a judgmental, opinionated story. Anyone who subscribes to this crap also belongs to a cult.
Cuervo 4 years ago
They left out the Socialists Left... throughout history have killed millions of people. Stalin, Mao...
Random Anon 4 years ago
I'm being very strict here being a "non-believer" unless you can prove or disprove things empirically. So anything that isn't logical and people still believed them via a (gigantic) leap of faith is a cult. This includes all mainstream religion.
Kathy 3 years ago
Cults are all about control over others, about increasing the numbers of cult 'followers' in order to gain more and more power, while ensuring that anyone who is already trapped 'inside' doesn't manage to get 'out'. As such, while some religions may actually and factually operate as Cults, the fact that some people freely choose to believe certain things which, at least at this point in time, cannot be proved or disproved empirically, and that like-minded folks get together in faith-based groups, does not make their belief groups into 'Cults'!
Load More Replies... lemsip 4 years ago
Drop in centres for people with mental health problems can be cults. There is one in Cardiff, UK, that is definitely a cult as the manager is very controlling and possessive. She demands that users attend at the centre more and more and is very dismissive of their outside interests and activities.
William Teach 4 years ago
Anthropogenic climate change. It's basically a cult at this point. Full of people from the top to the bottom who are hypocrites. They want to force Other People to change their lives while refusing to do it on their own. Now, let the down votes commence by people who Believe we're doomed from a tiny increase in the globe's average temperature, just like has happened multiple times during the Holocene alone, while refusing to change their own lives to match their beliefs.
IlovemydogShilo 4 years ago
Pyramid and Ponzi schemes. If you join one of them, good luck getting out. Especially without spending and losing a load of money.
Michael Beswick 4 years ago
Why don't people understand that by definition, all religions are cults!?
D-m Keilman 4 years ago
Essential oils. Former coworker has decided she's going to cure her breast cancer with them.
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