The Odds You Might Be in a News Cult

Generally, there are supposed to be only religious cults.  Over the past decade, some folks have come to the general idea that philosophical cults can also exist.  So I've come to the point of suggesting that 'news' cults may exist as well.  They require seven conditions:

1.  Opposition to any critical thinking or reasoning capability.

2.  A preference exists to isolate people from beliefs or core groups.....then penalize them or throw fear into their heart for disbelief.

3.  Often seeking to gain 'pure' loyalty to an idea, a focus group, or political agenda.

4.  Continual use of references, data, or news to disconnect you from your family, social atmosphere, or political beliefs.  This often means using polling data to convince of a overwhelming loss, or a overwhelming victory.

5.  Challenging your mind on factual data.  This generally means creating alternate timelines which aren't factual, or laying out some fake story which seems true but lacks facts.

6.   The extreme cult members will never see the paycheck-problem arriving until it's too late.  They wake up....go into work, and then get told that no one is watching their product, and 15-percent of the 'team' have to go.  These people dismissed.....go out and find that a unrecognizable 'path' lays ahead, and their whole life was dependent on them selling cult-news, which oddly doesn't sell anymore.

7.  Finally, the cult-news team wants you so desperately to see them without regard to their behavior or audacity.  When you hint that that you are 'normal' and get corrected....the automatic reaction is to correct the person suggesting this, and let them know that they are just plain 'stupid'.  Even after a dozen events where behavior or audacity are noted....the cult-guy/gal still believes in their cult message.

The question to ask now....is there a deprogramming for this?  Maybe, but you'd have to go and spend a full year in Wyoming or some small Georgia town.....talking to regular people, and I just have some doubts that cult folks would be that eager to accomplish that.