Cultish — Book Review
In the United States of America, we have been experiencing the rise of the cult of Trump for years. Trump is a typical cult leader with exceptional communication skills. Trump is frequently compared to Adolph Hitler, the cult leader of the German Nazis. Trump has admitted that he is an admirer of Hitler’s ability to use propaganda and language. What was once the Republican Party has now become the Trump cult. Other writers use the term “cult of personality” to describe Trump’s followers. However, Trump is quite obviously a reprehensible personality, a serial rapist, an organized crime boss, and a pathological liar who is incapable of caring about anyone other than himself. Trump is a malignant narcissistic megalomaniac. So was Hitler.
Amanda Montell’s book is not about Trump or Hitler. We chose to read Amanda Montell’s book Cultish to gain insight into the reasons so many otherwise sane people have decided to become active participants in the Trump cult. Amanda’s in-depth analysis of the language of fanaticism sheds light on the many ways cults use language and rhetoric to persuade (or brainwash) followers. The six most essential ideas of her book are:
- How words, images, and surroundings shape beliefs. This is a fundamental principle of propaganda and persuasion.
- The potential lethal language of cult leaders. Cults rely on “us versus them” language and scapegoating to encourage followers to choose the cult leader.
- Recruitment tactics in cults. If recruits cannot convince their friends and family to join the cult, they must dissociate from them. Cult leaders intentionally separate their followers from their former friends and family.
- Why and how cults offer followers community and belonging. They do it to gain control over people. If they want to continue to belong to the community and cannot recruit their friends and family to join the cult, they need to distance themselves from them.
- How social media has provided fertile ground for cult leaders. The most prominent social media platforms operate with a business model that profits by dividing us, not connecting us.
Amanda Montell is a linguist. Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Its focus is the systematic investigation of particular languages’ properties and the general characteristics of language. To understand Trump, we must study how he uses repetitive, simple phrases. During Trump’s first presidential campaign, liberals criticized his speeches as rambling and incoherent. He is not a classic orator. Unlike most career politicians, his campaign speeches are unscripted. He does not finish his sentences. His grammar is the equivalent of a middle school education. He uses gestures, posture, gazes, and repetition. He rambles. Yet, his crowd loves his style because it is conversational.
Some of Trump’s most frequently used phrases are intentionally repeated. For example, Trump frequently uses “many people are saying” or “believe me” (as he is lying). As for content, his speeches are filled with subjects that fuel people’s fear: fears of joblessness caused by immigrants, concerns about foreign terrorists, fears that liberals will take away people’s guns, and worries that the United States will lose its status as the most powerful nation. People walk away from his rally, feeling he was casually talking to them, allowing them to finish his thoughts. He validates their insecurities and justifies their anger. After the rally, his followers continue his conversations, repeating many of his exact phrases.
Cultish describes a wide variety of cultish movements and their use of “insidery” language to form and control the community. The book investigates cultish communities, including yoga and fitness movements, twelve-step groups, multi-level marketing companies, social media groups, and religious communities.
We are very susceptible to cults. Some are primarily innocuous, and others, like “The Peoples Temple” led by Jim Jones, can be deadly.
Cultish thoroughly examines how words can be manipulated to build a sense of community, enforce collective values, shut down debate, or even coerce damaging behavior in the name of ideology.
After reading the book, we understand how “cultishness” contributes to our sense of division. Ironically, cults attempt to offer us a sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves. Of course, human beings need to belong. We are interdependent. Yet, we are continually victims of forces that want to separate or divide us.
We recommend the book “Cultish” to others who are struggling to understand how the Trump cult, QAnon, and a segment of White Nationalist Christian churches have fueled our extreme divisions and rising “us versus them” violence.
We also recommend that you read our book, We: Declare Our Interdependence. The chapters of the book are available on the medium publication by that name.
The book is also for sale on Amazon, in paperback or ebook.
We welcome articles with information, reflections, or ideas related to our interdependence or the forces that work to divide us into “us versus them.”
We are most interested in essays or articles written in the 4th person perspective.
