My hypothesis is that in like 10 years gen z is gonna have a big cult boom the way the boomers did in the 70s
It’s already happening on tik tok. There’s a fun new thing going round that’s citing common symptoms of depression and anxiety as signs you’re about to have your awakening and that you are actually an alien and the reason you don’t feel right is because you’re home sick for your own galaxy. So that’s fun.
agreed, and i don’t mean this in a “haha gen z is so dumb they’re gonna join a tiktok cult lmao” i mean that conditions are perfect for the formation of cults right now.
high unemployment and a lot of underpaying, pointless jobs = people are looking for things to do with their life, a purpose
skyrocketing cost of living = most young people will not be able to live on their own, meaning some will end up in a group living situation with people interested in recruiting them
it’s a time of great cultural and political upheaval, nothing feels real, people are desperate for meaning and human connection. cults promise that
there is a new wave of acceptance and understanding for ways of life outside the norm, which is great! …except for when cult leaders tell you abusive and controlling practices are just their culture, their religion, their lifestyle, their beliefs, their tradition, and if you disrespect it you are the problem
social media influencers have already shown us how easy it is to build a cult of personality and attract people from anywhere in the world who are interested in the exact brand you are selling
spirtuality is having a boom, as are things like astrology, crystals, tarot, meditation, energy… those things aren’t bad on their own but they are often used as tools of cult spaces
wellness. i think a lot of people are already in wellness cults. you can make people do a lot of things in the name of “wellness” and a big factor of maintaining a cult is keeping members in a state of decreased cognition….. like say, with regular fasting
i think people are just unaware in general of how cults function, especially because the satanic panic was a big stupid false alarm that convinced the youths that dungeons and dragons or doom were gateways to cults, which are scary evil child murdering, satan-worshipping gangs. people don’t know how to spot them in real life.
So if that’s the case everyone remember with me the cardinal rules of not getting cult’d
SOCIAL BUFFER: Learn what healthy social boundaries are and develop relationships which are within those boundaries.
Be wary of those who step on your or others’ boundaries. Be there for your friends, but don’t be their therapists or parents. Go get coffee or juice or snacks & chat casually with a friendly crew on a regular basis.
ESTEEM BUFFER. Recognize that you and every other person on this planet are owed a baseline of respect.
Respect means that what you wear, what/who you take interest in, and who/what you are are things which you decide on based on your own reasoning. If anyone is trying to change your mind, make sure to think critically about their side and decide for yourself whether you want to change. Ask: Why do they want you to change? Is that valid to your situation? Who / what would benefit from this change? Do you want them / it to benefit? Then decide for yourself.
RELAXATION BUFFER. Take time exclusively for yourself.
Take care of your body and mind when it needs to be fed, watered, washed, or nurtured. Have a couple hobbies that are just for you.Have more than one interest. Think about more than just one topic. Cults keep you focused on them to the exclusion of all else, so don’t allow yourself to be blocked in.
BUBBLE POP BUFFER: Learn from multiple sources, even ones you don’t like or respect.
Read multiple sources’ versions of events before you decide what you feel about something. Recognize that not all sources are valid, but understand what those invalid sources are trying to do. Are they misguided or malicious? Who are THEIR sources? What is the agenda? Who benefits? Why would they want to say what they’re saying? Do they have a point? Who pays them? What do they care about? Then make your decision.
BEWARE THE B.I.T.E.: Cults control people via Behavior, Information, Thought, and Emotion control. BITE
Look up the BITE model and consider it against groups you wish to join / have joined.
Remember. You are the arbiter of your mind.
You have the blessing and burden of making your own decisions. Other people who will love and care about you throughout your life will want you to think for yourself and will think for themselves.
You are not alone. You are worthwhile. Your thoughts are your own and you have every right to control them yourself.
Here is the BITE model kialessa suggested looking up. I’ve found it to be a very handy resource myself :)
i feel like everyone’s forgotten some Covid basics so please let me remind you:
Your mask protects others more than it protects you
You can still spread covid even if you’re vaccinated or not showing any symptoms
The more this spreads around, the more mutated variants of the virus will appear and they WILL be stronger than the original
so like maybe stop being a little bitch and endangering others because you really, really needed to go out to dinner or get fucked up at a bar instead of in your home like a respectable person
A super contagious virus known as the ‘Rona hit the entire area surrounding Luna Nova and basically, the entire world is in shutdown. Luna Nova has severely restricted the amount of people that can be in one area, so most people have gone home and do online learning or are stuck at campus because of flying restrictions.
Sucy and Lotte decided to go home because they have the means of taking online classes due to advances in magitech, Akko does not have such means back home in japan and also cannot stand to be in the bunk they shared by herself.
Akko also needs human interaction for serotonin, and with barely anyone there at the campus except for professors she doesn’t like, she decides to shoot Andrew a text asking if she can quarantine with him at his mansion. Andrew immediately talks it over with his dad and somehow convinces him to let her stay. Andrew is very very happy that the girl he has a massive crush on is staying in his house and he can interact with her instead of his father which is like talking to a brick wall. Andrew is also hoping that being in such close contact with Akko would maybe lead to their current friendship into being romantic.
Andrew’s dad is very much struggling to deal with her antics, He may be more tolerant of her since she Saved The Entire World From Being Blown Up, but she is still A lot. He’s not entirely sure if she’s a good presence for his son, especially since she is a chaotic gremlin part of the time, but at the very least his son has been smiling more often with her being around.
