What non-cults feel kinda like cults?

[Dave Gray]

I have several:

- People who make a single political candidate or single political issue their whole identity.
- Crossfit
- Pickleball
- People who have an unhealthy obsession FOR or AGAINST a technology brand.  Common examples: Apple, Tesla, or any game console

I also think that there are certain subgroups of pop culture in the FOR/AGAINST category that either love or hate a specific creator, specific controversial movie, or specifical controversial character trait and revert all related conversations to this point:  IE - Zach Snyder, The Last Jedi, "Batman doesn't kill", etc.

[Spider-Dan]

It's weird that you would mention all of these different "cults" while ignoring the elephant in the room: check the website banner.

Sports are far more cultish than Apple or Tesla, especially in the FOR/AGAINST categories.  When was the last time you saw someone die in a violent conflict between iPhone and Android advocates?

[Dave Gray]

I didn't mention it because I didn't think of it, but sports could apply, I guess.  There are definitely hardcore weirdos who make sports their entire identity and can't logically evaluate it on its own terms.

[Phishfan]

Pickleball? I don't know anyone who plays. I could see it I guess.

Fraternities and sororities can fall into this. Also I don't know that there is an encompassing name so I will just say the Comicon crowd.

[Dave Gray]

Pickleball is kind of a weird one.  My direct friends don't play it, but I have been at parties where people find a way to always bring it up.  There's nothing bad about it; it's just one of those things that seems to transcend being a hobby.

[CF DolFan]

Pickleball is blowing up for sure. The biggest "cults" I see are Jeep people, horse people, and Harley or Indian riders.  Jeep people are probbaly the worst though ... hahaha.

[Fau Teixeira]

Up here it's Dunkin' people, stickers on cars, clothing, trash talk anyone with a starbucks cup.  It's a cult.

[Dave Gray]

I find it less now than about a decade ago, but vegans fell into this category for a while.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

MAGA
Most religions
Some sports fans
A few Costco members
10 years ago I would say vegans but I haven't been harassed by one recently.

To be cult like the person needs to view their life choice to be exclusively the best and be hostile to alternative choices.  I haven't seen that with pickleball, phone brands or coffee shops.

[Dave Gray]

A few Costco members

I'm interested in what made you say this.  I love me some Costco, so maybe I'm part of the cult...

I would also say that this can be true of things like the trans community.  I'm all in support of whatever people want to do and support safety and all that, but I see some social media people where every post, every day, every hour is only about trans things.  It's their entire identity, which can become a little exhausting.  Sometimes, it's exclusionary and dismissive of anyone who isn't that also.

I have also seen it about the war in Gaza.  Like, there's one dude who I'm friends with on socials and his whole personality is just all Gaza, all day.  A lot of "if you can't see this, unfriend me" kind of stuff with this person, too.

[Phishfan]

I'm going to flip one of Hoodie's. I  don't support Trump but I know some people that can't take a break from talking about how bad he is and name calling people from the MAGA group. It is all they do.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I'm interested in what made you say this.  I love me some Costco, so maybe I'm part of the cult...

I would also say that this can be true of things like the trans community.  I'm all in support of whatever people want to do and support safety and all that, but I see some social media people where every post, every day, every hour is only about trans things.  It's their entire identity, which can become a little exhausting.  Sometimes, it's exclusionary and dismissive of anyone who isn't that also.

I have also seen it about the war in Gaza.  Like, there's one dude who I'm friends with on socials and his whole personality is just all Gaza, all day.  A lot of "if you can't see this, unfriend me" kind of stuff with this person, too.

I completely disagree with Trans being a cult.  I have never met or heard of a trans person that was actively encouraging people others to become trans.  Same with the rest of LBGTQ.  I have gay friends, never once has any of them told me I ought switch from being hetro to homo or bi.  Never met a gay person who opposes heterosexual marriages. They are perfectly fine with people who wish to remain straight/cis they just want to be free to make their own choices.

[Dave Gray]

I completely disagree with Trans being a cult.  I have never met or heard of a trans person that was actively encouraging people others to become trans.  Same with the rest of LBGTQ.  I have gay friends, never once has any of them told me I ought switch from being hetro to homo or bi.  Never met a gay person who opposes heterosexual marriages. They are perfectly fine with people who wish to remain straight/cis they just want to be free to make their own choices.

They're not trying to make me trans, so they're not a cult in that respect.  But they are exclusionary of non-trans people or their ideas and all issues become about their transness.  That's all I meant.

And this isn't the trans community.  It's individual people that act outside the norm of the movement.

[Denver2]

MAGA
Most religions
Some sports fans
A few Costco members
10 years ago I would say vegans but I haven't been harassed by one recently.

To be cult like the person needs to view their life choice to be exclusively the best and be hostile to alternative choices.  I haven't seen that with pickleball, phone brands or coffee shops.

MAGA is just a cult no need to sugar coat it.

[Denver2]

Yoga fans, now I love the practice but it can get cult like. This goes for anything under the umbrella of “new age”, astrology etc.

There are also cults like MGTOW and the Tate-Peterson sort of influence that preys on teenage boys to indoctrinate them.