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It's a myth that "anyone" can get wrapped up in a cult. Their are many "filters" to joining a cult. Such as unusual dress, complicated social hierarchies, and tons of jargon. And they hit you with this stuff right up front; it's not gradual. People who are not looking for community and meaning will be repelled.
So they're filtering people who are not in a particularly credulous mental state. People who are not in a "joining" mentality. I'm not saying that educated, sophisticated, and intelligent people are immune. This all has to do with adjustment, maturity, and emotional stability.
So anyway, to mitigate the reach of cults, society should be organized to minimize alienation and isolation, while a multitude of sources of community and meaning should be encouraged. Check on the people you care about and make sure they're getting on. Crush capitalism.
Red hats? Is MTG "in-group" sill? What is "Groyper"?
As of March 2025, about 36% of registered voters identified as MAGA.
Don't pretend for a second this can't happen to otherwise intelligent, educated people that you know. It can. It probably has. Those people are credulous, not stupid, and they found an identity.
This is a real and existential problem. Don't minimize it.
Anyone can get wrapped up in a cult, because just about everyone goes through a phase in their life when they would be primed for that mindset. Such as loss of a job with nowhere to go, or loss of a loved one.