Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism: Understanding the Social Science of Cult Influence Cover
Podcast Mentions

Cultish The Language of Fanaticism: Understanding the Social Science of Cult Influence

Amanda Montell

“One of those life-changing reads that makes you see— or, in this case, hear—the whole world differently.” —Megan Angelo, author of What makes “cults” so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit h...

Podcasts 5
Quotes 23
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My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

Podcast

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

The podcast 'Sounds Like a Cult' was mentioned as well as the book 'Cultish' by Amanda Montel, which discusses the language of fanaticism and how groups can influence their members.

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Love Has Won's vocabulary is similar to that of other New Age meets QAnon conspiritualist spaces, says Amanda Montel, author of the book Cultish, The Language of Fanaticism and the co-host of the podc...

— Episode: 306 - Present Blitz

Episode: 306 - Present Blitz

The podcast 'Sounds Like a Cult' was mentioned as well as the book 'Cultish' by Amanda Montel, which discusses the language of fanaticism and how groups can influence their members.

"

Love Has Won's vocabulary is similar to that of other New Age meets QAnon conspiritualist spaces, says Amanda Montel, author of the book Cultish, The Language of Fanaticism and the co-host of the podcast Sounds Like a Cult.

Behind the Bastards

Podcast

Behind the Bastards

It was mentioned in the context of Amway and its cult-like characteristics, particularly how it gaslights individuals into believing that failure is a personal shortcoming, not a systemic issue.

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at Amway, the world's biggest MLM, anyone who works for an employer as opposed to an upline mentor is said with disdain to have a J-O-B or jackass of a boss.

— Episode: Part Two: Amway: The Gravedigger of Demo...

Episode: Part Two: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

It was mentioned in the context of Amway and its cult-like characteristics, particularly how it gaslights individuals into believing that failure is a personal shortcoming, not a systemic issue.

"

at Amway, the world's biggest MLM, anyone who works for an employer as opposed to an upline mentor is said with disdain to have a J-O-B or jackass of a boss.

When you work for someone else, you will never get paid what you're worth, Amway's recruits are all taught to say.

Episode: Part One: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

It was cited as a source for information regarding William Penn Patrick and his Holiday Magic scheme, noting how his language and messaging were used as evidence against him.

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Patrick's behavior was unhinged from all angles, but when the FTC brought him to court, their most compelling argument against him and what eventually allowed them to shut down Holiday Magic was their points about his speech.

Ultimately, the court ruled that Patrick's deceptive hyperbole, loaded buzzwords and gaslighting disguised as inspiration were what defined him as a pyramid schemer.

Episode: Part Two: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

The book was mentioned in relation to the Amway business model, particularly the way Amway recruits were taught to view those who worked for traditional employers with disdain.

"

at Amway, the world's biggest MLM, anyone who works for an employer as opposed to an upline mentor is said with disdain to have a J-O-B or jackass of a boss.

When you work for someone else, you will never get paid what you're worth, Amway's recruits are all taught to say.

Episode: Part One: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

The book was quoted to highlight that William Penn Patrick's deceptive language, buzzwords, and gaslighting techniques were used to argue that Holiday Magic was a pyramid scheme and led to its shutdown.

"

Patrick's behavior was unhinged from all angles, but when the FTC brought him to court, their most compelling argument against him and what eventually allowed them to shut down Holiday Magic was their points about his speech.

Ultimately, the court ruled that Patrick's deceptive hyperbole, loaded buzzwords, and gaslighting disguised as inspiration were what defined him as a pyramid schemer.

Episode: Part Two: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

The book was mentioned in the context of the Amway business model and how it manipulates its members into believing they're at fault if they fail, using techniques similar to those employed by cults.

"

at Amway, the world's biggest MLM, anyone who works for an employer as opposed to an upline mentor is said with disdain to have a J-O-B or jackass of a boss.

Episode: Part One: Amway: The Gravedigger of Democracy

The book 'Cultish' was referenced when discussing Holiday Magic, mentioning how the court used Patrick's deceptive language and gaslighting as evidence for his pyramid scheme.

"

Patrick's behavior was unhinged from all angles, but when the FTC brought him to court, their most compelling argument against him and what eventually allowed them to shut down Holiday Magic was their points about his speech.

Ultimately, the court ruled that Patrick's deceptive hyperbole, loaded buzzwords and gaslighting disguised as inspiration were what defined him as a pyramid schemer.

Fresh Air

Podcast

Fresh Air

The book was highlighted as Montell’s previous nonfiction work that explores how cults use language, with the host noting its relevance to topics like manifestation. Both episodes referenced her reputation as the author of this title alongside “Word Slut,” indicating the podcast regarded it as a noteworthy contribution to understanding cult influence.

Highly Recommended

Episode: Internet Brain & The Age Of Overthinking

This was Amanda Montell's previous nonfiction book, which investigated the language of cults, ranging from Scientology to Soul Cycle.

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She's also the author of two other nonfiction books including Cultish and Word Slut, a feminist guide to taking back the English language.

Oh absolutely. I talk about this in my last book Cultish but it sort of dovetails with this particular chapter about manifestation in this book.

Episode: Andrew Scott On 'Ripley,' 'Fleabag' & More

Amanda Montell, who discusses her new book in an upcoming episode, is known for this book and 'Word Slut.'

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we talk with Amanda Montell about her new book she's a linguist known for her sense of humor and for her books word slut and cultish

anything goes with emma chamberlain

Podcast

anything goes with emma chamberlain

Emma Chamberlain introduced the title during two episodes, noting that the author had written an entire book exploring cults, the language they use, and the blurry line between genuine cults and cult‑like behavior. She highlighted the author's investigation into how everyday people may participate in such dynamics without realizing it, and the author herself discussed speaking with members across a wide spectrum. The discussion presented the book as an insightful look into social influence and cultic patterns.

Episode: cultish, a talk with amanda montell (revisit) [vid...

Cultish was an entire book devoted to cults, their language, and cult-like behaviors, exploring the line between what is a cult and what is just cult-like behavior.

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She wrote a book called Cultish.

She wrote an entire book about cults, the language used in cults, cult-like behavior.

Episode: cultish, a talk with amanda montell [video]

Amanda Montell wrote a book about cults, the language used in cults, and cult-like behavior. She explores how we participate in cult-like behavior in our daily lives without realizing it, and the line between a cult and cult-like behavior.

"

she wrote a book called cultish

she wrote an entire book about cults the language used in cults cult-like behavior

she's really investigated the line between what is a cult and what is just cult-like behavior

when i when i set out to write cultish i kind of felt a little smug about myself

i would speak to members of cultish groups along this wide spectrum and i saw myself in them

Odd Lots

Podcast

Odd Lots

The book is about cults and how they started up.

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And then I just finished Cultish, which is about like cults and how they started up.

— Episode: Lots More with Kyla Scanlon on the Econo...

Episode: Lots More with Kyla Scanlon on the Economic Vibes

The book is about cults and how they started up.

"

And then I just finished Cultish, which is about like cults and how they started up.

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.