Radicalization and Cult-like Thinking
All Aboard for Destination “Fantasyland,” Where Your Mind Can be “Hacked” for Free!
We are in 2024, an election year, a year I call “the Year of the Precipice” for our democracy. To better equip Americans to exercise their civic duty this year, we have begun a series in Democraticus examining important ways of thinking and belief systems that can have a major impact on our democracy’s future.
We Have Stopped at “Conspiracyville” on our Journey Through “Fantasyland”
Over the last few issues of Democraticus we have taken a “journey” through the quagmire that is the authoritarian’s disinformation campaign designed to have us accept and live in his false reality; one of lies, propaganda, gaslighting, and conspiracies. This includes of course, the “mother” of all recent conspiracies, the “Big Lie” told by Donald Trump, his GOP compadres, and by his many of his followers regarding the 2020 presidential election they falsely claim Trump won.
What is “Fantasyland”?
The presence and impact of the conspiracy theory group QAnon at the January 6th insurrection, as well as it’s becoming a part of the unofficial Republican Party “ethos” (along with other conspiracy theories), should be concerning at multiple levels for all Americans. It is yet one more example of how we Americans have traversed and fallen into a huge critical thinking void.
For some Americans, they have now entered what Author Kurt Andersen calls “fantasyland”. How did they get here? Andersen describes America’s cultural process of creating these alternate false realities, which he calls our “fantasyland”, this way:
“Our whole environment and each of its overlapping parts- cultural, religious, political, intellectual, psychological- have become conducive to spectacular fallacy and make-believe. There are many slippery slopes leading in various directions to other nonsense. During the last several decades, those naturally slippery slopes have been turned into a colossal and permanent complex of interconnected, crisscrossing bobsled tracks with no easy exit. Voila. Fantasyland.”[1] (emphasis mine)
Living in “fantasyland”, with no apparent critical thinking skills at our disposal and no shared, objective reality, it is only too easy to be gaslit and either passively or actively assent to conspiracy theories. Perhaps even more dangerous to democracy, one can more easily be infected with radicalization. With radicalization, being subjected to cultlike thinking becomes easier to accomplish as well. After all, since it is acceptable to now can make up “alternate facts” into whatever it is one wishes to believe, and we grant ourselves permission to believe anything we choose or what is suggested we believe, alternate realities are not a problem. They are no longer alternate or false. They have become “real” and “true”.
“Fantasyland”- a Place Perfect for Radicalization and Cult- Like Thinking
The rapid spread and role of the QAnon mindset and conspiracy theory that Harwell et al described in their account of the January 6th Capitol insurrection is facilitated by living in fantasyland, culminating in convictions fulfilled as violence.[2] In this fantasyland we can take our alternate false realities and make them extremist, convinced they are not extreme at all, because in our ideologically arrogant minds by golly, we think we are right (and no one can change our minds, no matter how many facts are presented).
These scenarios now happen all the time. Radicalization can and does happen here in the United States, perhaps now more so than ever on a larger scale and faster pace than ever before due to social media, especially with far-right groups being so active. Zack Stanton, writing for Politico Magazine reported: “Historically, mass radicalization took time,” says Michael Jensen, an expert on extremism who leads the domestic radicalization team at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. “But that’s not our reality anymore.”
According to Stanton, “Jensen’s research has found that over the past roughly 15 years, the average time span of radicalization in the U.S. has shrunk from 18 months to 7 months, largely because of how much of our lives have shifted online. In the 1980s or ’90s, a would-be far-right extremist had to “know somebody in your real-world life who was involved in it,” says Jensen. “They had to recruit you in person or introduce you to the ideas. That tended to be a pretty slow process.” Even more concerning, instead of competing for recruits, many of these groups, according to Jensen, are now cooperating with one another.[3]
The Quest for Significance- How Does Radicalization Happen?
University of Maryland social psychologists Professor Arie W. Kruglanski and David Weber, have developed a psychological model of radicalization. They define radicalization as “…a process whereby one moves to support or adopt radical means to address a specific problem or goal. A radical means is a means that moves one toward fulfilling their focal goal while simultaneously undermining other goals and concerns.”[4] They outline three factors that comprise the radicalization process:
“The first factor exists at the individual level, and represents the radical individual’s motivation. This factor identifies the goal the individual is trying to achieve through radical means. The second factor is a group ideology, and approaches radicalization from a cultural level. This factor acknowledges that an individual’s choices are determined by the cultural milieu in which he or she is embedded…the third factor approaches radicalization from the social level, and understands it as a process steeped in group dynamics…”[5] (emphasis mine)
A suicide bomber, they point out, is a “perfect example” of this process.[6] However, radicalization can take place in other forms less extreme than that, yet still is radical. Motivation to radicalize begins with and emanates from, according to Kruglanski and Weber, a “quest for significance” which “…represents the fundamental human need to matter- to be someone, to be respected in the eyes of others, to achieve, to earn a sense of value or self-esteem.”[7] As convictions coalesce with motivation igniting radicalization, now the question becomes- how is an individual’s radicalization shaped, developed, and heightened?
The Role of “Cult-like Tactics” in Shaping a Radical
The answer is that they can be shaped greatly by cult-like tactics. When we think of a cult, we tend to think of religious cults, but they do not have to be religious. They all tend to be a small group (at least in their inception) of persons “…united by devotion or allegiance to some artistic or intellectual program, tendency, or figure.”[8]
According to mental health professional and cult expert Steven Hassan, most cults tend to revolve around the leader and those leaders are “often motivated by three things: power, money, and sex- in that order.”[9] Cults tend to proliferate “when a society is undergoing rapid change and particularly when there is a breakdown in trust between people and major institutions.”[10] Another common trait of cults is mind control (sometimes called brain washing or thought reform). Mind control “ultimately disrupts an individual’s ability to make independent decisions from within their own identity.”[11] Central to cult dynamics, it is important to note is that critical thinking is not welcome in a cult or by the cult leader.
The Categories of Cults
Hassan maintains that there are five categories of cults: religious, political, psychological/educational, commercial, and personality. They each have different “philosophical inclinations”, but their methods are “strikingly similar”. Here we are focused on political cults, which Hassan defines as: “…groups organized around a particular political dogma” and personality cults which he defines as when “the charisma, fame, money, and celebrity of a single person- can form the basis for a high-demand relationship or group.”[12]
Cult leaders often exhibit narcissism, which in and of itself is not a disorder, but can become one. However, narcissistic personality disorder surfaces if the leader displays patterns of grandiose self-centered behavior, fantasies of power, success, and attractiveness, a need for praise and admiration, a sense of entitlement, and a lack of empathy. This lack of empathy can lead them to “exploit, bully, shame, and demean others, without guilt or remorse.” If the leader also has antisocial behavior, self-affirming sadism, and paranoia on top of their narcissistic personality order, it becomes what is called “malignant personality disorder.”[13] Hassan has developed what he calls is his BITE Model”, an acronym he uses to explain the “…complex array of influence techniques, applied incrementally to control almost every aspect of a person” in a cult.[14]
Hassan’s Cult “BITE” Model and Today’s MAGA Republican Party
Taking this BITE model, let us apply it to Donald Trump, starting with the “B”, which is for behavior. Trump demands loyalty and obedience, usually getting it with a “variety of tried-and-true cult-like tactics”, such as shunning and public insulting of those who disagree with him, or he considers as being disloyal to him. “I” is for information, which Trump exercises chiefly through his disparagement and undermining of the media which he calls “fake news”. The “fake news” cannot be believed because he says so. We can and should only believe him.
The “T” is for thought. Here Trump is a little more indirect than the mind control we typically think of in a cult. In “Trump world”, thought control is conducted by reducing complex thoughts into cliches, using platitudinous buzz words, and forbidding critical questions about major issues. These are just a select few of his thought control techniques. Finally, the “E” is for emotion, which Trump manipulates by evoking fear- fear of groups, fear of “others” (example- immigrants), political parties, individuals- anyone who does not agree with him, is opposed to him, or no longer suits his purposes.[15]
Trump also makes extensive use of those he self-designates as “enemies”, which he then uses as a foil for what he sees as all that is “wrong” in the world. He has an extensive and quite effective “persuasion repertoire” that he goes to regularly, including techniques such as confusion, storytelling, and framing.[16]
Donald J. Trump- The “Central Ingredient” for the Trump/MAGA Cult
By now, surely the reader knows where this is going. Unless the reader has not been keeping up with the churn, turmoil, chaos, and tumult of the Trump presidency, as well as the events following the 2020 election, then the reader knows how difficult it is to argue that Donald Trump does not “check all these boxes” in Hassan’s BITE model. Donald Trump and his followers have all the trappings of, at minimum, a de facto or pseudo-political or personality cult (or the two combined).
As Andersen noticed, Trump arrived on the scene as this cult leader with perfect timing and perfect “credentials”, describing Trump as: “…a pure Fantasyland being, its apotheosis…He doesn’t like experts because they interfere with his right as an American to believe or pretend that fictions are facts, to feel the truth. He sees conspiracies everywhere. He exploits the myths of white victimhood. His case of Kids “R” Us Syndrome- spoiled, impulsive, moody, a seventy-year-old brat- is extreme. And he is first and last a creature of the fantasy-industrial complex.”[17] Plus, Trump can be astute. Andersen quotes a New York Times editorial which had this to say about Trump in 2015:
“…Trump understood (i.e., when he began his run for the presidency) at least one thing better than almost everybody, that the ‘breakdown of shared public reality built upon widely accepted facts represented not a hazard, but an opportunity.”[18] (emphasis mine)
How Radicalization and Cult-like Thinking Can be Deadly
During the Covid pandemic, in some states with Republican controlled legislatures and Republican governors, something called “vaccine hesitancy” raised its ugly head. Vaccine hesitancy, as the term implies, describes those Americans hesitant to be vaccinated against Covid. In these states, the vaccination rate was lower than the national average, and in some cases, much lower. Texas and Florida began leading the nation in new Covid infections and deaths from a newer, even more contagious, and more deadly variant of the virus (Delta).[19] Other southern states like Louisiana and Mississippi were also being ravaged by this Delta variant strain of Covid, as well as Missouri. Those who were unvaccinated were a large part of the infections, hospitalizations, and deaths from this Delta Covid variant.
Some of these governors had issued executive orders or had laws passed prohibiting mask mandates by school districts and local governments to help control this most recent Delta variant Covid surge. These Republican governors’ mantra was that there would be no mandates, this was an issue of personal responsibility and liberty as to whether someone should get vaccinated.[20] However, some eventually Republican governors and Congressmen from these states saw where this trend was going in that a large segment of their state’s population was resisting vaccination and contracting Delta Covid. The media also saw the connection between Republican controlled states and their high infection and death rates. This “surge” began to receive media attention and publicity.
Consequently, some of these elected officials reversed course and began more actively encouraging (or at least not discouraging) their constituents to get vaccinated. For the most part, sadly, it was “too little, too late” for many of these unvaccinated citizens. These vaccine hesitant people, believing misinformation they received from social media, as well as receiving little heart felt encouragement from their Republican state officials (again, until late in the game) to get vaccinated, put themselves at great risk of severe infection and possible death. In a country that had adequate supplies of vaccine to distribute, why this vaccine hesitancy in these states? Why were people risking death in lieu of getting vaccinated from Covid, creating what public health officials are call an “epidemic of the unvaccinated”?
Vaccine Hesitancy, Radicalization, and Cult-like Thinking
Perhaps one answer points to cult-like thinking. Journalist and political commentator Joy Reid, appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, offered this perspective on this vaccine hesitancy in Republican controlled states, and its resultant display of cult-like behaviors:
“…The targeting of anti-vac rhetoric is very similar to the targeting we saw during the election, both in 2016 and 2020…I go back to evangelical Republicans being the biggest target of this disinformation campaign…I don’t understand, I mean, the Trump following is in many ways fundamentally a cult- it’s a cult in every sense. And now, it appears to be a sort of Jim Jones era cult- a death cult…I mean, the reality is…I’ve said it before- a religion is when your savior dies for you, a cult is being asked to die for your savior…Unfortunately, that is where we are with the Republican Party…It’s in favor of killing yourself by not protecting yourself from a deadly virus, and wants to ensure the people who don’t die, vote for them and win? I don’t even understand the math…”[21] (emphasis mine)
Whether one believes this is evidence of a Republican MAGA or Trump cult (or both), the evidence of people willing to die instead of getting vaccinated, or risking their lives based on an exhortation from their leader to storm our Capitol, creates a strong argument that radicalization and cult-like behavior is part of the American political scene today.
The Latest Iteration of the MAGA/Trump Cult
Today the “cult of Trump and MAGA” continues on, morphing and evolving, continuing with involvement from QAnon cult followers, white supremacists, as well as Christian nationalists. But now, Christianity is being incorporated even more overtly into the cult’s dogma as Trump has begun making indirect and direct comparisons of himself at his rallies to Jesus Christ. This is being done where Trump pronounces that he is being pursued legally via his civil and criminal cases because “they” (i.e., “the deep state”, Democrats, etc.) cannot go after “you” (i.e., his followers). The cult leader shares his “victimhood” with his followers and is their substitute for this “persecution”.
Be forewarned- do not make the mistake of thinking of yourself as being immune from cultism. Radicalization and cults can affect anyone when circumstances and people’s lives align in the ways described here. Hassan describes it as a “mind hack”, not dissimilar to the hacking of a computer.”[22] Once you are “hacked”, cult membership or cult-like behavior can indeed occur for anyone.
The Question Now Before Us
The question for us becomes- how has each of us equipped ourselves in terms of our own civic literacy to avoid being drawn into this authoritarian disinformation campaign that takes us to “fantasyland” and all its stops along the way, including radicalization and cultlike thinking? With the events in our country of the last eight years in mind, Joy Reid’s words should be ringing in our ears:
“…a religion is when your savior dies for you, a cult is being asked to die for your savior…”[23]
Beware of radicalization and its close “cousin”, cult-like thinking. They can ambush anyone. The best defense against them is to guard one’s minds with strong critical thinking.
We will continue exploring topics like this that are not given near enough time and emphasis in our civic education efforts, if they are even taught at all. Democracy is so important. But it’s hard to keep, and it’s easy to lose. It’s up to us, and only us, to protect it. Support democracy, become a Democratist! Spread the word! For more information, go to www.tomthedemocratist.com
[1] Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen, pg. 8, Ibid
[2] “QAnon Reshaped Trump’s Party and Radicalized Believers. The Capital Siege May Just Be the Start”, by Drew Harwell, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Razzan Nakhlawi, and Craig Timberg, The Washington Post, January 13, 2021, at 11:00a.m. EST, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/13/qanon-capitol-siege-trump
[3] “The Problem Isn’t Just One of Insurrection. It’s Mass Radicalization”, by Zack Stanton, Politico Magazine, February 11, 2012, 6:06 PM EST, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/11/mass-radicalization-trump-insurrection-468746
[4] The Psychology of Radicalization, by Prof. Dr. Arie W. Kruglanski and David Webber, College Park, pp 379-380, Zeitschrift fur Internationale Strafrechtsdogmatik, www.zis-online.com/dat/artikel/2014_9_843.pdf
[5] The Psychology of Radicalization, by Prof. Dr. Arie W. Kruglanski and David Webber, College Park, pp 379-380, Ibid
[6] The Psychology of Radicalization, by Prof. Dr. Arie W. Kruglanski and David Webber, College Park, pp 379-380, Ibid
[7] The Psychology of Radicalization, by Prof. Dr. Arie W. Kruglanski and David Webber, College Park, pp 380, Ibid
[8] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pg. 3, Ibid
[9] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 3-4, Ibid
[10] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pg. 65, Ibid
[11] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pg. 7, Ibid
[12] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 16-17, Ibid
[13] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 39-41, Ibid
[14] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 39-41, Ibid The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 39-41, Ibid
[15] The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 12-15, Ibid
[16]The Cult of Trump, A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan, pp 2-88-120, Ibid
[17] Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen, pp 417-418, Ibid
[18] Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen, pg. 417, Ibid
[19] “Republicans Risk Becoming Face of Delta Surge as Key GOP Governors Oppose Anti-Covid Measures”, by Felicia Sonmez and Hannah Knowles, August 11, 2021, 12: p.m. EDT, https://washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-delta-masks-vaccines/2021/08/11/639C6862-fa)c-11eb-9c0e-97e29906a970_story.html
[20] “Republicans Risk Becoming Face of Delta Surge as Key GOP Governors Oppose Anti-Covid Measures”, by Felicia Sonmez and Hannah Knowles, August 11, 2021, 12: p.m. EDT, Ibid
[21] Joy Reid Interview with Stephen Colbert, July 19, 2021, CBS
[22] “Trump and the Dangerous Cult of MAGA”, Joy Reid, The Reid Out, www. mnbc.com, April 2, 2024
[23] Joy Reid Interview with Stephen Colbert, July 19, 2021, Ibid