Are Women Easier to Brainwash?
December 8, 1969: It was the day the 60s died and the “peace and love” hippie mantra was literally stabbed to death. Members of the Manson Family are indicted for the Tate and LaBianca murders that occurred only 4 months earlier. One striking feature of the Manson Family cult is its large number of female members. They were mesmerized by Manson’s charm; as leader, he controlled them, altering their minds with drugs and sex. Like all his zealot followers, these women were convinced he was Jesus — their savior; he knew everything and he would save them. They would kill whoever he wanted for salvation when Helter Skelter occurred.
November 18, 1978: Members of Jim Jones’ cult, the People’s Temple, commit mass suicide-murder in the commune of Jonestown in Guyana. While members of both genders followed through with what Jones deemed “revolutionary suicide,” one suicide sticks out especially. Linda Sharon Amos was in Guyana’s capital city, Georgetown, at the time of the mass suicide-murder. She was located in the People’s Temple Headquarters when she received a message instructing her to commit “revolutionary suicide.” No one would have known if she’d actually executed the plan. She could have lived, and — more importantly — two innocent children could have lived. Amos was in the headquarters with her three children, Martin (10), Christa (11), and Liane, the oldest (21). Amos was so brainwashed, she murdered her two youngest, and Liane — just as brainwashed as her mother — assisted Sharon in committing suicide. Afterwards, Liane killed herself.
1974–1987: The Family International is a cult, which still exists today, that has a warped vision of religion, mixing there religious adoration with sexual gratification. One prominent method of spreading their religion is called “flirty fishing.” Female members of the cult use sex to “show God’s love and mercy” and to convert others. It was in practice between these years as a form of religious prostitution. Of course, some women who were not entirely indoctrinated into the movement’s beliefs objected, but were quickly persuaded into performing the practice by being told their bodies weren’t theirs, but rather God’s.
What do all these cults have in common? Female membership. Now, this is not a part of every cult, but in some of the most prominent cults, like those mentioned above, it tends to be a significant aspect of their dynamic. Why? Women are easier to control. In each of the examples above, women blindly followed the plans and teachings of the groups they belonged to.
The idea that more women are involved in cults is one that has fascinated me for quite some time. In fact, statistics suggest that about 70% of cult members worldwide are female. The worst part is I’m not shocked by these statistics.
The following is all based on speculation and my knowledge of women involved in cults. What I see as a recurring theme in female members involved in these wackadoo movements is their blind following. They believe this movement will inherently save them and that through obedience of the cult’s teachings salvation is earned. This leads me to believe that more women are scared of what the future holds; pseudo-stability and temporary happiness are preached in these movements. What more could a woman filled with paranoia and fear want? Of course, people want to hold onto something that offers them a sense of security, but are women willing to go farther — in fact, sacrifice their sanity — to have a false sense of safety?
Dependency is a big part of many women as well. The clinginess, the need to have a partner or support group, the need to feel appreciated. Much of this stems from insecurity, and it is understandable. Low self-esteem is an issue in and of itself, but if women’s self-image is drastically affecting them (and it is!) then surely any charmer aware of this will take advantage of this. The market on women’s insecurities is large, flexible, and seemingly never-ending. Any movement pretending to provide someone with validation is sure to attract women who are in their lowest point. Essentially, cults are like predators, they are looking for easy victims and their prey is a weak mind. After all, it’s easier to mold someone when they have nowhere else to go.
When taking women’s need for security, their dependency, and their insecurity into consideration we get the mix for the perfect mind to brainwash. It’s why women don’t know they’re in abusive relationships or simply stay in them, it’s why women flock to feminism, and it’s definitely why women join cults. Women’s minds are malleable, they seek order and constant confirmation that everything is alright. This works against the female mind, making manipulation so much easier on women, especially those who exhibit all three needs listed above. The susceptibility of women’s minds to ideas makes it perfect for them to take both a sugar-coated reality on one end and a fear filled, paranoid reality on the other. Women think emotionally. This is our gender’s greatest downfall. Emotion overwhelms the female mind and fogs the logical side of the brain. Through emotion, women passionately give themselves to the movements they join, indoctrinating themselves into the movement’s beliefs, and unfortunately, doing so without questioning. Once they do, it is too late and they have already fallen thousands of feet down the rabbit hole. Any attempt to escape will be met with inner doubt and the same charm that once coaxed the woman into joining in the first place. Women in cults become slaves to their minds: the ultimate danger of a weak victim mentality.
