Submitted via IRC for Runaway1956
According to Netflix documentary by Vox: Reddit, 4chan, Gab and Bodybuilding.com are "cult-like"
A wide variety of accusations and criticisms coming from different political and ideological corners are being leveled at social media these days, but referring to them as giving rise to “cult-like” communities might be a first.
Netflix has posted a full new documentary on YouTube that deals with various well known and notorious real-world cults, gives survivors a chance to share their experiences and also provides commentary aimed at explaining what a cult is, how it functions, and what motivates its leaders and followers.
But those who make it to the last five or so minutes of the documentary might be in for a bit of a surprise: “Cults, Explained” refers to several large and small social media platforms and online message boards as creating and hosting “cult-like” communities, although, not by name.
Instead, the reference is illustrated by a graphic that shows the logos of some very diverse online places: 4chan, Reddit, Gab, Facebook, and Bodybuilding.com among others. Cults are known to grow around a charismatic leader, who keeps the whole operation together – something that the documentary acknowledges and explores.
However, its makers state that online places of gathering are also legitimately cult-like, even if they are, as the narrator explains, “without a need for a leader.” But the film doesn't at all delve any deeper into why or how this may be the case.
[...]The documentary finds fault with the nature of these communities that are said to provide a place of understanding and kinship to those who are alienated from society or otherwise disaffected. This may be sometimes true, but does it warrant the “cult-like” label?
The film goes on to say that these communities are bad for people simply because “they provide a home, they provide someone to listen to them.”
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:32AM (2 children)
Here is the real reason: https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3609 [wikileaks.org]
But look at these freaks attack Sander's now: https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1186405744146554882 [twitter.com]
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @02:09PM (1 child)
If you start changing the number on the end of the wikileaks link you get some interesting stuff.
Try this one.
https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/3599 [wikileaks.org]
It implies all sorts of things.
Deliberate dumbing down of the peons, Rubio working for the democrats, the list goes on.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:03PM
Nice find. That would definitely explain some of the posts around here.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by legont on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:34AM (5 children)
These communities are bad because they are not liberal democrat's communities.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Magic Oddball on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:43AM (4 children)
Actually, based on the complaints I've seen in response to admin announcements, Reddit leans slightly to the liberal side these days.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:53PM (1 child)
Not slightly but a lot. They literally have banned minor communitirs that align with right and replaced their landing page with link to far leftists.
(Score: 2, Informative) by evilcam on Wednesday October 23 2019, @02:58AM
Hol up lets not dance around this. Recent bans have been for communities like r/frenworld, r/niggers, r/coontown and the like which were legit neonazi breeding grounds, and r/incels which is about as toxic as you can get.
Having said that r/ChapoTrapHouse was quarantined for advocating violence (as was r/The_Donald), so it's not like this is only happening to only alt-right subs.
(Score: 4, Touché) by legont on Wednesday October 23 2019, @02:56AM (1 child)
I've got a shitload of pro and against moderation for my comment, but let me do it again. Bodybuilding.com does more for the humanity than all the liberal places combined.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 23 2019, @04:08PM
Rather like Arnold's term as Governator?
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:35AM (32 children)
SoylentNews is old people, and very very political.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:43AM (2 children)
Tulsi Gabbard consorts with Russian-connected dictators.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:50AM (1 child)
and your mom consorts with anonymous cowards
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:20PM
I'm an AC and I would never consort with his mom. Ever.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:11AM (22 children)
Soylentnews is the ultra-right-wing cult of "Fuck you, got mine, give me yours."
(Score: 1, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:22AM (21 children)
You may be right. I always thought ari, Azuma, takyon, FatPhil, SemperOSS, and the like protested a bit too much. It's obvious to me now that they're portraying intentionally foolish caricatures to make Runaway look reasonable and wise for his inevitable presidential runs and victories.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:38AM (11 children)
Why nominate Runaway? Vote for President Buzzard, the other Billy Carter.
(Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:59AM (9 children)
If elected I promise to spend my entire term fishing, playing video games, watching porn, taking naps, exploiting my CiC status to shoot inanimate things with the really cool military weapons, and otherwise doing fuck-all productive. All bills will meet with a pocket veto, so if Congress wants any legal changes they're going to have to work together.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Tuesday October 22 2019, @11:17AM (3 children)
I don't know if this is utterly brilliant or absolutely insane. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground. It's certainly an interesting idea.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @11:30AM
Probably wise in the short run and insane as long term policy.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:40PM
I was struck by that too -- I sort of love the idea of requiring all bills to require a supermajority.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:01PM
There's a story in these parts about a libertarian who ran for some worthless spot years back with a basic platform of "I won't take a check and won't do anything" and he won and did as he promised. Dunno if its true personally, might get motivated and research it someday (more likely not.)
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:01PM
Could be worse.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:57PM (2 children)
Sooo........ just like any other President of any party. Check.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:57PM (1 child)
Except for the veto part. Signing stuff, whatever it is, makes for less work and signing things only your own party likes is the norm.
This sig for rent.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:43PM
Nah, they all want the job for the money and the power. The only reason I'd take it is to keep those jackasses from getting it. Outside wear and tear on my fishing gear you could keep the money. And power annoys the shit out of me cause it always means more work. I genuinely don't give a fuck what anyone does as long as they're not hurting anyone and if they are we usually have something in place that wouldn't require me to do anything except possibly tell some fuckers to do their jobs.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by ElizabethGreene on Wednesday October 23 2019, @01:10AM
Right this way Mr. Coolidge. :)
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Tuesday October 22 2019, @08:56PM
Buzzy Carter
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday October 22 2019, @02:22AM (8 children)
Dumbass. Everything you post is either a troll or an attempted justification of your previous trolling. This isn't "beating the system," it's reducing yourself to the irrelevance you hold in the real world in the online world as well. Runaway's been radicalized, we watched it fucking happen over 3+ years, and every now and then when he gets triggered he goes absolutely ratshit. The guy is perfectly ripe to go postal, if he weren't such a lazy, weak-willed piece of shit, and thank $DEITY he is. There are enough armed nutters out there without him adding his two cents and six shots...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:57AM (3 children)
I don't know, as an outside observer, it seems you are obsessed with him, you always go out of your way to tell everyone how bad he is.
Runaway oth doesn't quite give a shit.
Is this unrequited love? There needs to be shippers writing this fanfic down.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 23 2019, @06:45AM (2 children)
You are aware any such writings would need to be bound in human skin and written down by the hand of a mad Arab, no?
And you may as well say doctors are obsessed with viruses and keep going around telling people how bad viruses are and sticking needles in them because they don't want people getting sick from the viruses. Same thing here; Runaway is one of the less-consistent lunatics on here in that he has occasional moments of sanity, in contrast to someone like J-Mo or VLM, and might be able to fool people with susceptible headspaces into thinking he's "normal" just long enough for them to take his flaming wharrgarbl seriously.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday October 23 2019, @04:11PM (1 child)
I just realized we need a "flaming wharrgarbl" mod, -5?
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 23 2019, @11:20PM
That's generally accomplished by setting Foes to display at -6 modifier and Foe'ing someone.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:11AM (2 children)
Busted. I posted an over the top bit of sarcastic nonsense in order to get you specifically to take it seriously so I could mock you for doing so. I've been practicing my Brazilian trolljitsu lately and decided to take it out for a test drive. Or it was a dumb joke and you need to quit mixing up the preparation-h and the icy hot. You know, one of the two.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:39PM (1 child)
Ha, king troll defending his trollish behavior with more smug trolling.
It'll be interesting to see the documentary on the rise of internet trolls, wonder if someone has already made one.
(Score: 2, Troll) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:38PM
A troll pretending to not know what trolling is? The meta levels to that are mildly interesting but the content is just dumb.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 1) by RandomFactor on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:08PM
Limiting him to six shots? That's stone cold.
В «Правде» нет известий, в «Известиях» нет правды
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:14AM (5 children)
Yup. You can tell by how we let you in.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:17AM (4 children)
Don't make me hack your site.
(Score: 4, Touché) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:22AM (3 children)
It's your site as much as it is mine, dubmass.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @11:45AM (2 children)
For the record: The "dubmass" was a legit typo this time but I'm going to keep doing it from here on out for the keks.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Tuesday October 22 2019, @10:13PM (1 child)
You should check out the 'Preview' button on the comment editor.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Tuesday October 22 2019, @10:37PM
And miss out on laughing at myself? Nah. If you can't laugh at your own fuck-ups you've got no business laughing at those others make.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday October 22 2019, @12:50AM
VOX is a cult in it's own right, by it's own definitions.
(Score: 2, Funny) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:09AM (11 children)
Cults are known to grow around a charismatic leader, who keeps the whole operation together – something that the documentary acknowledges and explores.
Oh Christ!
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:14AM (4 children)
Christ, Christianity is a death cult!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:07AM (3 children)
It is, if you think about it in any depth for any length of time. If anything it reminds me of the Hellraiser movies which it obviously inspired: derivative, creepy, deviant sadomasochistic torture porn.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:27PM (1 child)
Yup. That's what I go to church for every Sunday morning!
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 23 2019, @06:47AM
That's what *everyone* goes to Church (and mosque, and synagogue...) for. They just don't have the self-awareness or the knowledge of their own religion(s) to admit it. The Abrahamic corpus may be the single worst set of ideas the human race has ever come up with...
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:42PM
Christianity disturbed the Mongols -- the idea of eating your god's body and drinking your god's blood gave them the heebiejeebies. Mongols!
(Score: 1) by NPC-131072 on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:21AM (3 children)
One of our members has tried to confirm themselves stigmatist [soylentnews.org] but nazi editors don't listen. #FreeAristarchus
(Score: 3, Funny) by fustakrakich on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:27AM (2 children)
They can fix that with LASIK now
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Wednesday October 23 2019, @04:18PM (1 child)
"Alpha privatum", my dear Fistula! "A-stigma" is the lack of stigmatism, the alpha negates the word. I leave it to others to correct your medical misinformation.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday October 23 2019, @04:38PM
Ah, then you already had the procedure. How'd it go?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 3, Touché) by DannyB on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:48PM (1 child)
So you obviously must be referring to . . . Anonymous Coward.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:29PM
Well, thanks, but I really don't think of myself as all that charismatic. But thanks for the love, just the same.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by aristarchus on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:19AM (8 children)
So, let me get this straight, some cult site ("reclaim the net"?) objects to cult sites being called cults, and Runaway dutifully submits, following the orders of his cult, and this is front page material, how? And no, janrinok, we are not a cult. Runaway is the only one here with "the obedience of soulless eyes".
(Score: 2) by aristarchus on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:25AM (6 children)
BTW, while we are scraping the bottom for material, the "Amazon expired Food" in the accepted queue has a dupe.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:30AM (5 children)
Your fault, magister. No submission by you in Mbeere.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Touché) by aristarchus on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:27AM (1 child)
My comment in my native language is rejected! Rescinded! Refudiated! And Impeachified! So sad, SoylentNews reaches new lows of racist Americo-auto-erotic-ammosexual-Centrism.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Freeman on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:08PM
Here's a thought, use English on the American/English site to interact with the people who run and use it. Unless, your native language is English, whereupon I say, par for the course.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:45PM (2 children)
I did my part
https://soylentnews.org/submit.pl?op=viewsub&subid=36877 [soylentnews.org]
I submitted something from Hackaday about how systemd, or something from its author, will be taking over the /home/* directories, and doing away with /etc/passwd, shadow, etc for JSON files, and much more. It says "Accepted". But there is no link to article. And I have not seen it appear on the front page. Yet it also doesn't appear in the Subs Queue. So it's kind of disappeared.
It's not political. But being anti-systemd probably qualifies as a cult.
And Reddit? Apparently, these reddits that I frequently visit are cults:
https://www.reddit.com/r/java/ [reddit.com]
https://www.reddit.com/r/Crostini/ [reddit.com]
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:05PM (1 child)
If not cults, at least kinks, yeah. Like the good olde alt.sex.* hierarchy of the yore
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday October 22 2019, @05:18PM
Wow, if the Java and Crostini reddits are like alt.sex.*, then I must be missing some postings.
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 2) by Mer on Tuesday October 22 2019, @09:24AM
Reclaim the net is weird. They raise hell at each update mozilla or google push to their browsers (like they should) but they also shill brave in every article.
Shut up!, he explained.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:26AM
Where is SN? We are not some stupid cult, WE ARE FUCKING LEGION.
In basement.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:34AM
Yes. Pretty much like a cult movie.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:42AM (5 children)
>4chan
>charismatic leader
WHO IS 4CHAN!? IS HE A HACKER ON STEROIDS!?
Will the real 4chan please stand up!
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:52AM (2 children)
It's an internet hate machine - ** Exploding Van ** [youtube.com]
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:58AM (1 child)
Better buy a dog to protect your family
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @02:16AM
Or a smirking frog.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @02:16AM (1 child)
Moot was the cult leader, but she got replaced by yotsuba-chan.
(Score: 1) by Sulla on Tuesday October 22 2019, @02:20AM
I think you are forgetting about hiroshima nagasaki
Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @01:57AM (2 children)
4chan is much hated by the left after they larped support for Trump during the 2016 election and reacted by actually supporting him when Correct the Record paid for shills to come and post pro-Hillary and anti-Trump stuff on /pol/. And now for reacting to the endless spam they get to be a cult. What an honor.
Don't forget you are here forever
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @04:47PM (1 child)
Thankfully incels can't mate so the problem will resolve itself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:27PM
Like the gays, incels and volcels keep popping into existence.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:44AM (1 child)
If you don't show up on most of these sites for a few weeks, you have to make an effort to catch up when you get back. I thought one of the big things about a cult was that they brainwash you and try to keep you from leaving -- this sounds like the exact opposite.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:54AM
Unless you are an exceptional "tripfag", everyone is Anonymous on the chans too.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday October 22 2019, @03:48AM (3 children)
Michael David Crawford had us to listen to him, but don't forget, he had to fake his own death [sarcasm] to escape the cult.
I miss him.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by aristarchus on Tuesday October 22 2019, @06:15AM
If only this t'were true, I would feel much better. Soylentils! I implore you! Do not take MDC's name in vain! He was the best of us, the true Soylentil, and now he is well and truly gone. We must respect his memory, his contributions, his sacrifice. Few Soylentils have given as much to SoylentNews. Stand down, imposter.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @07:52AM (1 child)
part of him seems to have survived under the name of jmichaelhudson.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @11:00AM
Not the stable part. MDC was paranoid but it was a phantom health issue that drove him over the edge. The other guy could attack a Victoria's Secret.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by progo on Tuesday October 22 2019, @11:54AM
Scientology controls what you and your family are allowed to learn out of the whole world; they demand all your available money; you are ostracized and harassed if you leave?
What prevents someone from stopping using 4chan? 4chan doesn't even know the identities of its users, for the most part! These other forums wouldn't be bothered if you quit using them either.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 22 2019, @06:00PM
this is just a war on people's ability to freely assemble or associate. they don't care if you are left, right or center. they don;'t want you sharing information freely. they want you receiving info from them and then not being able to talk back so that everyone thinks their lies are true. you know, like they had it with tv.
(Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Tuesday October 22 2019, @06:07PM
... well, ok, it is, but Merriam Webster may be helpful ....
Anything not completely orthodox with a smallish following can be labeled a cult. It need not have a leader. One can be in the "cult" of Doctor Who fans (well, until the BBC pushed it mainstream, anyway... :( ) Spending time devoted to something regarded outside of the mainstream, as part of a group, and bingo! you can be labeled as a cult.
Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?
This sig for rent.