Amanda Montel

You've got problems with the health care system.

You know, you're rejecting the church that you maybe grew up in here.

Like, join my group.

I have the answers.

And again, some of those groups are net positive for sure.

But there are signs that you can look for.

And I would say that on the language side of things, because that's really my lens.

Some, you know, cult linguistic red flags to listen for would be the extreme use of thought terminating cliches so that any cognitive dissonance that a follower might feel will be quelled such that the person in power can remain so.

for, you know, an indefinite period.

A thought terminating cliche might come in the form of a phrase like, don't let yourself be ruled by fear to like squash concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Or you just need to do your research when someone expresses pushback.

And by research, that doesn't necessarily mean like,

Logging on to JSTOR and reading some peer-reviewed studies.

Rather, it might mean, you know, falling down a rabbit hole on 4chan or Reddit or something like that.

That's laden with confirmation bias and conspiracy theories.

But thought-terminating cliches also show up in our everyday lives in the form of phrases like, oh, it is what it is or boys will be boys, you know.

So they're really aimed at getting people not to think.

Now, in terms of red flags or signs that you've maybe crossed into territory that's too cultish for comfort that don't specifically have to do with language, I would say when a group does not create room to have one foot out the door, if there are extreme exit costs, there's no dignified way to only participate casually or to leave, lest you fear for your life or...

your community, you'll lose all of your friends, your connections, or even more, you know, extreme consequences.

That's a sign that this group may not be so healthy and is trying to control you in ways that, yeah, are just over the line of cultishness.