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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.
Trump
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.
Scientology.
Whatever the Duggers are. Creepiest bunch I’ve ever seen.
"Quiverfull" is their group ----- Christianizing (?!?!) the world by having a billion children who live by the Bible unless it's inconvenient.
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!!
That bullshit kills people. "I'll change my diet and positive-think my way out of cancer/multiple sclerosis/etc.".... NO YOU WILL NOT.
People who are way too invested in the college they attended.
Workplaces that tout "we are a family"
i seen too many people fall into that and get ostracized by the "family"
This is a red flag for me... often it means additional pressure and/or a lot of private networks and rumors/feuds.
Mom run community Facebook pages. Some of these moms gotta be stopped on the real.
All of these "nutrition" places with their loaded teas, are just a front for Herbalife.
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.
Brand loyalist... Iproduct people are scary.
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.
Agreed.so many are like a cult that seem to feel they are more Pure than windows or android users...Get over it.its just a different brand of OS...
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Okay, Apple Fanboys are scary. But Apple haters are just as scary
That's fair, there are people out there who will not buy an Apple product under any circumstances and always trash it. The point here is, as other people have noted, to not be blinded by a brand or a company, to use one's own judgement based on your needs/preferences, not based on the company/brand telling you they are the ONLY ones that are worth one's hard-earned money, the ONLY ones that are innovative and cool, etc.
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Hate to say it, but I’ve had Apple products since the iPhone 4—BUT it wasn’t my choice. Each and every one was a gift from my husband, so I couldn’t really look the gift horse in the mouth. However, this year his company did away with their company phones (iPhones), and now gives employees a credit each month for their cellphone bill, so he had to buy, and now pays for, his own phone. The iPhone was way too expensive, so he went with a Galaxy. And he LOVES it! Prefers it to the iPhone, tbh, because it has way more features, and a longer-lasting battery to boot. So maybe, finally, my next phone won’t be an Apple product.
It's one thing to have some loyalty to a brand, because they've always been good and you can trust them. It's another to be a fanboy or worshiper
LOL Cracks me up when people get bent out of shape over what phone someone else chooses to use.
This isn't about what someone chooses to use, this is about those people who refuse to use anything but Apple products and act like apple is a freaking God to never be questioned
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I really just stay with Apple because all of my products are connected and all my pictures on on the iCloud. Just convenience I guess. Never bought a new one, always got the phone Walmart was about to phase out.
I'm all about convenience too and I guess this is one of the things Apple counts on, that if they make it easy for people to continue using their products, they will be loyal. But the moment you want to try something else, Apple will not make it easy for you one bit! A bit too close to being a monopoly if you ask me...
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I agree. My Laptop is Dell, Tablet is Asus, Phone is a Moto, mobile plan is Verizon but home internet is Spectrum, etc. I always buy the best value for what I need at the time I am buying. Only with clothing do I stay with the same brand, mostly because I know how the pants and shirts fit me, I like how they fit and look, and are a good value for price. But that is out of laziness to not do real cloths shopping.
I have all Apple stuff, not because I am some kind of loyalist, but mostly because I feel a bit trapped at this point. I mean- will my apps, photos, ring tones, music, movies, etc. transfer? The answer to the majority of that is no. I buy my phones outright when on sale, buy older iPads and have an older MacBook Pro. I get by.
Yep, as I noted to another person on this thread, this is how Apple does trap you so that even if you do want to look into other products, they make it so hard that people just would rather not!
Load More Replies... Apple is the best example - their products are the same thing as the non-Apple alternative (and sometimes even worse than it!) but at a much higher price because of the brand and logo.
I had a boss who was all about Apple, and whenever I pulled out my Android phone, he would be sad his couldn't do some of the stuff mine could. I would tell him at least his had a pretty apple logo, to which I always got a dirty look haha
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Meh. I like my iPhone because it's easy to use and easy to stay connected with my kids (who also have iPhones)
I've always found apple not very user friendly, at least not if you're used to android like me. My kid has an iphone and it is so frustrating to use.
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I work with a few Apply fans, and what I find interesting is how far they go when there is a problem to blame everything else but the Apple product. When their computer reboots for no reason, must have been a power surge that effected only one plug in the power bar. Must be a bad power bar and problem with the power company. Windows users, we know who to blame when s**t goes sideways.
Why be loyal to a brand that doesn't even know you exist? Shouldn't loyalty be a two-way relationship? I guess if you're into masochism, brand loyalty is right up your alley.
they sell a thing that if you want use at full, you will continue to spend money, until they make the next model that will change connection systems or OS, and you'll have to start over with a brand new model. it' called "planned obsolescence", common on market, but with Apple at it's most!
Brand loyalty where it's not backed up by a truly superior product and even then it probably should be a preference. I mean when was the last time you got into an argument over which brand of petrol was better. Oh but I do hate Apple with a seething passion.
I wouldn’t say all brand brand loyalists are a problem. I think it’s the people who believe others are below them because of it, that are the problem.
I use an iPad and an Android phone. Apple makes nice stuff, but there is a degree of cultism and even elitism among their userbase.
Iproducts are stupid. i have one or two friends with iphones and none of them can properly send pictures or work with group chats on non-iphones. this is the only frickin brand that i know of with this problem, im almost convinced apple does it on purpose
As somebody who lives in Florida, people obsessed with Disney.
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.
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.
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.
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
Crossfit
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).
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
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.
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.
Alabama fans.
Those Shen Yun performances that are overly advertised every year. Turns out they're directly tied to Falun Gong.
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?
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.
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
Note: this post originally had 36 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
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.
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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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.
The Duggars are part of a religious splinter group known as "Quiverfull". Read up.
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That's one half. The other half is: that actual cult looks like a cult.
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I want to agree with this. Then I think of scientology and that scares the absolute hell out of me.
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The mormon sect is so... screwed up that it's basically THE cult.
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There are 2-3 things that won't ever be mentioned on bp because of their agenda
Marie Condo fans, Vegans, Mom groups on the internet, cheerleader squats, Tony Robbins fans, Ellen and Oprah fans....
Notice not a mention of BLM or Antifa. BP is nothing but a political tool. You are all sheep.
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
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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Quite a lot of these seem to be US-centred, so have no relevance to the rest of the world.
I'm just throwing this out there: Amway. It's a total cult. And they suck their people dry.
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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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...
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.
Weird that Elon musc and Beyonce aren't on the list. Their fans are toxic AF
This is a judgmental, opinionated story. Anyone who subscribes to this crap also belongs to a cult.
They left out the Socialists Left... throughout history have killed millions of people. Stalin, Mao...
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.
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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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.
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.
Pyramid and Ponzi schemes. If you join one of them, good luck getting out. Especially without spending and losing a load of money.
Why don't people understand that by definition, all religions are cults!?
Essential oils. Former coworker has decided she's going to cure her breast cancer with them.
ANYTHING ABOUT RELIGION! Every religion is a CULT! Christianity is a cult, Islam is a cult, Judaism is a cult!
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.
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... 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.
The Duggars are part of a religious splinter group known as "Quiverfull". Read up.
Load More Replies... That's one half. The other half is: that actual cult looks like a cult.
Load More Replies... I want to agree with this. Then I think of scientology and that scares the absolute hell out of me.
Load More Replies... The mormon sect is so... screwed up that it's basically THE cult.
Load More Replies... There are 2-3 things that won't ever be mentioned on bp because of their agenda
Marie Condo fans, Vegans, Mom groups on the internet, cheerleader squats, Tony Robbins fans, Ellen and Oprah fans....
Notice not a mention of BLM or Antifa. BP is nothing but a political tool. You are all sheep.
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
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... Quite a lot of these seem to be US-centred, so have no relevance to the rest of the world.
I'm just throwing this out there: Amway. It's a total cult. And they suck their people dry.
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... 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...
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.
Weird that Elon musc and Beyonce aren't on the list. Their fans are toxic AF
This is a judgmental, opinionated story. Anyone who subscribes to this crap also belongs to a cult.
They left out the Socialists Left... throughout history have killed millions of people. Stalin, Mao...
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.
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... 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.
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.
Pyramid and Ponzi schemes. If you join one of them, good luck getting out. Especially without spending and losing a load of money.
Why don't people understand that by definition, all religions are cults!?
Essential oils. Former coworker has decided she's going to cure her breast cancer with them.
ANYTHING ABOUT RELIGION! Every religion is a CULT! Christianity is a cult, Islam is a cult, Judaism is a cult!
