Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

The highly acclaimed Wordslut author examines the social science of cult influence, showing how cults such as Scientology, Jonestown, SoulCycle, and social media gurus utilise language as their primary tool of control.

Why are "cults" both terrifying and fascinating? Why do they have such power? We're seeking for a satisfactory explanation for why individuals join—and more significantly, remain in—extreme organisations, which is why so many of us watch Manson movies on Netflix by the dozen and get lost in studies of suburban mothers gone QAnon. We're secretly curious whether it might happen to us. According to Amanda Montell, it already has on some level.

When it comes to cult influence, our society usually offers quite weak explanations, most of which revolve on nebulous references to "brainwashing." But neither Kool-Aid nor bizarre mind-control technology have anything to do with the real solution. In Cultish, Montell makes the case that language plays a crucial role in creating strong ideologies, sense of community, and us/them mentalities. Cultish language is something we hear and are impacted by on a daily basis, both in good and bad ways.

Montell reveals the verbal components that define a wide range of communities as "cultish" through enticing storytelling and cutting-edge original research. She not only reveals how these components impact followers of groups as infamous as Heaven's Gate but also how they permeate contemporary start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. You will hear the obsessive language of "cultish" everywhere as a result of this captivating perspective on the intriguing social science of power and belief. It is incisive and darkly humorous.