Law 27 acknowledges that people have an overwhelming desire to believe in something; thus, making humans susceptible to almost anything. Becoming the focal point of such desire by offering people a cause and a new faith to follow will yield you great power over them. Such rationale is behind the phenomenon of what is popularly know as cult-like following. Five steps are given:
First: Keep It Vague, Keep It Simple. Use simple and promising words, but don’t be too specific.
Second: Emphasize the Visual and the Sensual over the Intellectual. Keep them excited by making an appeal to the senses.
Third: Borrow the Forms of Organized Religion to Structure the Group. Form a hierarchy with you as the head. Give your new disciples rituals to perform and ask them to make sacrifices on your behalf.
Fourth: Disguise Your Source of Income. Don’t make them doubt you. Make them believe that they can achieve your status (wealth) by following you, but don’t reveal your method.
Fifth: Set Up an Us-Versus-Them Dynamic. Establish exclusivity. Make them believe that there is an “us” and “them” in the world.
Francesco Giuseppe Borri testifies to these steps. During the 1600’s, he was able to establish his own cult by claiming that he has a special power of seeing people’s souls and that whoever follows him would be given joy. “I shall soon ring my chemical studies to a happy conclusion by the discovery of the philosopher’s stone and by this means we shall all have as much gold as we desire.” He was also able to acquire great wealth demanding a vow of poverty; as a result, the possessions of his members were given to him.
One thing can be said: Cults are deceitful and dangerous. They make people believe that they should be dependent on them. They present themselves in an attractive manner, which makes them irresistible. Moreover, they toy with people’s minds and emotions that they distort people’s view of reality. If this is the case, then almost anything in the world can be considered a cult: technology, entertainment, clubs, drugs, etc. How then can you be sure that you have not yet been a victim of one?
Kriska Rivadillo
Hi18-K
20 comments:
if you feel yourself being trapped or feeling uneasy or less than happy with needing to feed that part of yourself which subscribes to a certain belief or lifestyle, then you are in a cult. People usually only think of weird dangerous groups like Marilyn Manson's, the KKKs, some polygamous Mormon groups etcetera when the word "cult" is mentioned, but you're right, people can be following cults to anything nowadays which is creepy.
monica ang ,L
I believe that gangs and fraternities are some examples of this cultlike following. I am not aware about how they recruit their members but I think that they first offer something to their prospects to try to entice them, perhaps money or security.
In groups like these, security definitely isn't a problem because one has back ups or "resbaks" that will be there whenever any problem arises. They treat themselves as a family which is good, especially for those who don't really have a home they can go to.
On the other hand, there are also dangers regarding their membership. Once you agree to join a gang or a frat, there's no turning back. It's a lifetime commitment wherein their might be times when one will be asked by the leader to do things which one doesn't really want to do. Lastly, it will be hard for a member to separate from the group because there might be consequences in the end.
Tom Manahan
Hi18 - K
in creating a cultike following, i think that a big part of its success is in choosing the people you want to be a part of the cult. you must be able to get to know the people first before inviting them to join. you must know that they are people you can control and manage, people who will not pose as a threat. they too must be people who will easily believe in what you say, that they will be part of a strong group if they join. they must not have any suspicion that you want them to join just so that you can gain more power. you really have to be able to convince them that joining the cult will be a good decision.
i just have a few concerns with two of the steps you enumerated. for the first step, how will this work out if you do not give out anything specific. if you want people to believe in you, i think people will in the first place want to know specifically what they are believing in. shouldn't the beliefs be clear and defined? i just think if is hard for people to believe in something they don't have full knowledge of. also, the fifth step seems a little risky. by being exclusive and apart from the rest of the world, aren't you in a sense isolating yourselves? there is a law of power that states that you should not live in isolation. how do you explain that? also, don't you think that by being apart from the others, you are making yourselves an easy target?
but ya, if careful planning and execution were to be done, this law can really be successful. it can really give one power and make one stronger. joining a cult is a serious matter. one should really be sure that he or she wants to join a cult before doing so.
-Philip Albert T. Verde
Hi18 K
I guess that's how many people fall for cults. Their leader used this law. haha
I was watching X-files the other day and the episode was about a leader and his cult. He gave his members false hope about winning money over a game that everyone had to play, that HOPE for a better life was within their reach. Although, I think he wasn't in it for the money (why would this be on Xfiles if it wasn't weird and creepy? haha)he also takes the loser's organs as PARUSA for losing the game, which also ends in death. Little did they know that the leader knew all along that there was no hope for them to win the money, that only death was their way out. The people fell for his evil schemes because he MADE them BELIEVE that there is HOPE. He played on the peoples' need to get more members.
In this example, it was clearly shown how people are drawn to cults because it addresses their needs. Why else would people be joining groups like barkadas? Because it addresses a certain that each of us has. Wouldn't you consider that a cult too?
Think about it.
PS.
Hooray for X Files. haha
Clarice Manuel
Hi18 K
Fetishism
the most powerful weapon of religious cults. it's the belief of something to be more than what it is, as if it has superpowers (
macs vs acer, ipods vs some mp3/mp4 player or starbucks vs 3-in-1 coffee perhaps?).
i totally agree with clarice with the barkada. it's like our attachment to anything can be rooted with our needs. but sometimes it can be more than just our need. we can be totally amazed with something even though we don't need it with the help of advertisements and what not, blocking our rational thinking causing us to blindly follow it. this law gives a great description on how to do it.
sometimes it's just how you sell it that causes people to actually buy.
"if you look like you know what you’re talking about, most of the time people will believe you"
JR Resma
Hi18 K
@ philip
Regarding the first step, you should not be specific in the sense that you would want to make people curious. if it's too specific, you kinda loose interest. it's like everything was already given out, what more is there for me to find out.
Regarding the fifth step, it's not really the the act of isolating, but the idea of being special. you have to get it in their heads that you're group is the "it" group. The idea of having an "us" and "them" singles you out from other people.
Kriska Rivadillo
@ clarice
A barkada is rooted on friendship, and not merely out of a need. it's not that you form a barkada because you need each other. you become a barkada because you share something in common, your enjoy each others company, you understand each other, and you happen to have found each other. also, in a barkada, their is no hierarchy. No person is considered the highest of all.
I think what you're referring to is the idea of peer pressure. succumbing to peer pressure might be indicative of the power of this law. but in peer pressure, you still have the final say.
Kriska Rivadillo
i think people who join cults are people with low self-esteem. No man is an island and being a part of something like this definitely does not make you feel alone. They have probably been ostracized by society because of their beliefs, principles and actions but joining groups help them feel accepted and it gives them a sense of security. Joining a cult makes one feel as if they are part of something bigger, literally and figuratively!
I don't want to sound like an atheist or anything, but it seems to me that this is exactly the basis of every major religion's continuous existence. Even to the early days of Christianity, mankind's need to believe in something - not necessarily palpable or concrete - got things rolling. And look at what you got: Crusades, wars waged in the name of God, Inquisitions, and other forms of religious fanaticism. Christianity is still arguably one of the most potent religions nearly 2000 after its inception. Seriously, I ask, how's that for power?
Joey Palma
Hi18-K
For me, even the most non-conformists are susceptible to a cult-like following -- with all their co-nonconformists. We may all be guilty of following some sort of cult, but there's a difference between the simple follower/fans and the extremists who devote almost all their time and wealth into something they're heavily engrossed with.
As someone who desires to attain such kind of power over the people, should be able to exude some kind of unique trait that would make you stand out. People won't follow you if you're not credible or if you have nothing magnificent to show. An example would be Bro. Mike Velarde, a person who has succeeded in bringing hundreds and thousands of people to follow the El Shaddai charismatic movement (and sort of idolize him as well).
Gliza Marasigan
Hi18-L
joey: i agree with you in this respect. yes, from a sociological perspective, religion wasn't divinely or unnaturally made or inspired but a product of society.
the steps mentioned in the post reminded me of Andy Warhol's friends/muses back when he started out. He basically inspired the cult of pop art based on superficiality and commerciality.
Back then the majority of art critics/appreciators were not keen on his work but there were some who would eventually be his followers-bohemians, intellectuals, socialites; they'd all work and hang out in his "Factory".
they (the rich ones) would shower him with gifts yet he didn't pay them anything, even going so far as to say that his work (movies n art) gained nothing - which was a lie duh. He played these people's imaginations up by telling them they were individuals that were part of something that would shake the whole cultural scene in the 60's - which they did.
monica ang, L
pls comment on my post! the 47th law =)
-monica ang
You know what this law reminds me of? MULTI-LEVEL MARKETING. Haha!
For those who don't know it, it's basically a sales tactic employed to get one company's products around the market. It's like this:
A has a product he recruits B C and D to sell it, they get part of the profit and A retains some as well.
B C and D can recruit more people, to get part of their profit as well, and A benefits too as he get's part of B C and D's part of the profit of new recruits. The process continues.
I'm sure it's not exactly how I said it, but that's how it works. They'll try to brainwash you with more intricate methods but its basically the same: The people at the top get more as more people join.
Shrewd and powerful this law is indeed.
Alan Ortiz
HI18 K
I agree with this law. Before World War 2, Adolf Hitler created the same circumstances. As a result, he was able to make the entire Germany believe that the Jews were bad. The result as we know it is the great massacre of Jews in history. It was estimated that around 30 million Jews died during the holocaust. The creation of the cult gave Adolf Hitler great power and likewise gave the world suffering.
Sean Co
Hi 18 K
in agree-ance to mr. joey's comment, i shall leave a quote from castlevania: sotn
richter belmont: you steal men's souls, and make them your slaves.
dracula: perhaps the same could be said of all religions.
miguel ignacio, L btw
Leading people to believe that they are members of a cultlike organization could not necessarily be a good thing. Practices and tasks could be questioned be the members of ones organization leading them to act as more of a liability rather than an asset.
However, when people think that they are creating a cultlike following they often influence others to do the best they could in order to finish a certain task. Power will defenately come to you, its just a question of how long.
Richard Hahn
L
I agree that cults are deceitful and dangerous. Of course it’s deceitful in that it makes people believe stuff that are beyond reality and are possibly things the cult leader himself might not believe in. It’s dangerous since the cult follower becomes a little detached from reality and care about the cult more than anything else.
It is very convenient for the cult leader, though, because he will have very devoted supporters who would do anything for your cult, for you. The cult leader should just be careful with his words and actions or else people might doubt him (e.g. broken promises).
Chris Macalinao
Hi18 – L
Though I don't agree with the views of popular cults like The Family or the polygamists from the Yearning for Zion ranch in Texas, I think that people, deep down inside, want to be part of some sort of cultlike following. A cult gives a person all the basic things one yearns for like belonging, security, a sense of community, and a promise of a better tomorrow. There is a reason why most experts believe that members of a cult are brainwashed--people are not born like sheep that follow the flock/shepherd no matter what. A belief system must be instilled in them first so that they can fully adopt and internalize the ideas being bestowed upon them.
Regina A. Yulo
Hi 18 L
This concept is being used by most Multi-Level Marketing, commonly known as Networking. The wealth of the those on the higher hierarchy (uplines) actually comes from the pocket of their downlines. The head of the group gives so much hope to his members making them believe that they too can achieve that luxuries of life that he's enjoying. They teach them the law of leverage to keep the income coming while encouraging them to buy all material things they desire. They encourage them to earn a lot while tempting them to spend on luxuries, they don't encourage saving and investing (unless investing on the group/network). Why? So that they'll stay on the cycle of fear and desire/greed... they excite their members with endless possibilities, they are playing on people's desire... once a member earns huge amount of money, they spend it immediately on expensive things. Since they spent it all, they are back on cycle with the fear of not being able to pay their bills or satiate their wants/needs, so they work hard again repeating the process while the people on top of the networking are the ones who are truly enjoying the benefits.
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