Business
What do you know about cults? Recently, Jason has been watching the HBO documentary series called The Vow. It's about the NXIVM sex cult and its leader Keith Raniere. We all like to think people in cults are a bunch of suckers. That we would never get manipulated like they were. But the thing is, the techniques that cult leaders use aren't targeted at the lowest common denominators. They work on anyone. In fact, I guaranteed you've been manipulated in the same way at some point. And, in just the same ways, you have manipulated others. Every human being is engaged in a process of manipulating other people. Most of us just call it "persuasion." Some of the biggest cults in the world are political parties. I'm reminded of the Tom Woods quote: "Libertarianism is 'cultish,' say the sophisticates. Of course, there's nothing cultish at all about allegiance to the state, with its flags, its songs, its mass murders, its little children saluting and paying homage to pictures of their dear leaders on the wall, etc." The thing about political cults is they seem normal to us, so we don't always notice when we're being manipulated. Today, Jason is going to introduce you guys to the 7 innate psychological addictions we all have, and he'll explain how effective leaders use those addictions to manipulate people into doing what they want. This episode is a must-listen. Of course, all of them are! But this one is extra must-listen. ;)