The Secret Language of Cults: Crash Course Lecture

Words hold tremendous power. Cult leaders know that all too well — but so do fitness instructors, celebrities, and corporate leaders. In our world today, we are increasingly exposed to, and influenced by, complicated mazes of buzzwords, mantras, euphemisms, clichés, and redefinitions: in short, language that’s just a little bit cultish. Social commentator and author Amanda Montell presents this Crash Course lecture about linguistics, culture, and belonging. What’s a Crash Course Lecture? While traditional Crash Courses on our channel break open an entire school subject, a Crash Course lecture tackles a single topic in-depth. Each lecture shares the perspective of a scholar, journalist, or thinker. Introduction: A Story of Words 00:00 Cult-ish 1:22 Children of Synanon 3:33 The Cultish Past 7:22 The Cultish Present 12:55 Incantations 19:00 Eyes Wide Open 26:10 Under the Illusion 32:19 Exit Strategy 37:14 The Prestige 41:11 Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xym1NqBi3DhRNwag0kmvtz3Cry4pMpRe8mAOJLSFY8M/edit?tab=t.0 *** Support us for $5/month on Patreon to keep Crash Course free for everyone forever! https://www.patreon.com/crashcourse Or support us directly: https://complexly.com/support Join our Crash Course email list to get the latest news and highlights: https://mailchi.mp/crashcourse/email Get our special Crash Course Educators newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iBgMhY Thanks to the following patrons for their generous monthly contributions that help keep Crash Course free for everyone forever: EllenBryn, Johnathan Williams, Brandon Thomas, Jennifer Wiggins-Lyndall, Barbara Pettersen, Emily Beazley, Rie Ohta, Evan Nelson, Elizabeth LaBelle, Dalton Williams, Chelsea S, Allison Wood, UwU, oranjeez, Leah H., David Fanska, SpaceRangerWes, Katie Hoban, Roger Harms, Andrew Woods, Gina Mancuso, Michael Maher, Jason Terpstra, AThirstyPhilosopher ., Mitch Gresko, Reed Spilmann, Quinn Harden, Shruti S, DexcilaDou, Thomas Sully, Matthew Fredericksen, Jack Hart, Kevin Knupp, Katrix , Toni Miles, Thomas, Kyle & Katherine Callahan, Siobhán, Alan Bridgeman, team dorsey, Emily T, Triad Terrace, Jason Buster, Jennifer Killen, Wai Jack Sin, Les Aker, John Lee, Joseph Ruf, Laurel Stevens, Katie Dean, Nathan Taylor, Steve Segreto, Stephen McCandless, Alex Hackman, Ken Penttinen, Matt Curls, Sarah & Nathan Catchings, Krystle Young, Constance Urist, Eric Koslow, Scott Harrison, ClareG, Samantha, Ian Dundore, Kristina D Knight, Ken Davidian, Perry Joyce, Jason Rostoker, Bernardo Garza, Indija-ka Siriwardena, Trevin Beattie, Liz Wdow, Pietro Gagliardi, Barrett Nuzum, Rizwan Kassim, Stephen Akuffo, Duncan W Moore IV, Breanna Bosso, Tanner Hedrick, Caleb Weeks, Evol Hong, Tandy Ratliff, Erminio Di Lodovico, Luke Sluder __ Want to find Crash Course elsewhere on the internet? Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thecrashcourse/ Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/YouTubeCrashCourse Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/thecrashcourse.bsky.social CC Kids: http://www.youtube.com/crashcoursekids