Who said we were gonna ease into 2026?
So we’re gonna riff on everyone’s favourite topic, which is cults and their fun little practices and dogmas.
In order to identify a cult you need to know that all of them worship death secretly. They are all deeply evil. However, this evil is hidden from the outside world.
A front of respectability and high moral authority is worn as a mask. Behind every evil act, a high moral purpose is feigned. This is simply the adoption of the principle of “opposite world”
If you want to go down the rabbit hole of “opposite world” google “Altering Individual Identity: a Cultic Approach in MKO 2”
Anyways.
There’s also a slight inversion on cult tactics.
Cults may also be identified by their attack on sane, healthy, moral based value systems. To a psychopath up is down, good is evil and evil good. Abusive behaviour is normalised. Sadism is a sign of “being tough”.
A cult is a protection racket. They’ll “take care” of you, in the sense that the Mafia might use that phrase. Is it good or bad? Well, if you look back at old mob boss times…
You’ll find your answer.
But here’s the fun stuff and I can’t remember where I read and researched it.
Here’s the notes…
All cults have a repetitive superstructural “religion” of control. They all possess a contemptuous view of humans and there’s this theory that us humans are self domesticated.
And so there are 10 laws of domesticated humans…
- Cowardice. The domesticated human is above all a grovelling coward. Behind every persuasive act, every recommendation, is a veiled threat of sheer brute force if domesticated humans were to foolishly yearn for any real freedom.
- Stupidity. The domesticated human is taught to be only as intelligent as is necessary to carry out its allotted task in the social hierarchy/economy.
- Gullible. Linked to high suggestibility is gullibility. That is, the placing of trust in certain individuals who have done nothing to demonstrate that such trust is deserved, or even a sane thing to do. Naivety is a must. Domesticated humans must never be allowed to grow up, but must be treated as children, forever. This is known as “infantilisation”.
- Hysterical. Most domesticated humans are incapable of rational thought. They process all decision making through their emotions. Their current emotional state is their sole guide to living. That is to say, domesticated humans are in an ongoing pathological trance state.
- Anxious. From early childhood, most domesticated humans are in a low level state of anxiety. This anxiety makes them miserable and easy to control. Temporary pleasure (a brief absence of anxiety-pain) may be awarded to domesticated humans who please those who supply their ability to achieve their most basic means of survival. If they are ‘bad’, their anxiety levels can be increased, easily.
- Hedonism. Because domesticated humans dislike their almost constant state of anxiety, they seek refuge in hedonistic excess. This relieves them for as long as they are absorbed in the hedonistic pursuit of choice (addiction). Sex, so called recreational drugs, food, alcohol, over watching TV, films, excessively playing computer games etc.
- The illusion of power. All domesticated humans believe they have a degree of control over their lives; the fact is they don’t, because they abdicated their real power to their owners. Domesticated humans do have tremendous power, which they never use. This was even written about by Tacitus.
- Faith in priesthoods. From ancient times all humans have been manipulated by those who claim knowledge of the “mysteries”. That is, a body of knowledge only known to “the priesthood”, that must be followed uncritically by the “profane”. For fear of x, y, z.
- Scapegoating. All mystery religions require a scapegoat. That is, a group of people (heretics) upon whom all of society’s ills may be blamed. What the heretics believe and who they are is irrelevant and constantly changing. It is the arbitrary nature of such demonisation which makes the technique so effective. Anxiety is kept high, because anyone could be next in line for the chop. Domesticated humans love scapegoating, it allows them to relinquish all sense of personal responsibility. They get to feel superior to others, if only briefly. This temporary feeling of “feeling good about oneself” is highly addictive to people with usually low self worth.
- Rewards and punishments. Law has nothing to do with morality or conscience. It has everything to do with obedience. Laws may be wholly immoral and nonsensical. In fact it is best if they are; this increases anxiety and causes no end of physical and mental health problems, which disable the domesticated humans, making them far less likely to rebel. All means of getting essential human needs met, such as food, shelter, and companionship etc. can only be realised if “cult law” is followed. In any human herd there are psychopaths, you simply create a large enough gang of them, train them in rudimentary herd management, give them devices that cause physical harm, and let them hunt “troublemakers”. Quite simple.
Personally I believe these are not truths about what people are. They are descriptions of what prolonged fear, hierarchy, and trauma can do to people.
If we change the conditions, people change.
So how do we re-frame this for good in a marketing and creative/artist sense?
Courage is situational. “Cowardice” is often learned helplessness.
In a creative sense. We need Art that documents ordinary acts of quiet courage. Stories of people who changed when conditions changed. Visual metaphors: cages with open doors no one notices… That goal then would be to help people recognise that fear ≠ character flaw. Courage grows in safety. And safety hasn’t been around properly in the last few years because of all the bullshit going on in the world/news etc.
We flip Stupidity to Undereducation is political. Make intelligence feel accessible and pleasurable. Break complex ideas into beautiful, shareable formats. Teach critical thinking without condescension. Celebrate curiosity over credentials. Reverse shame around “not knowing” and make learning contagious…
I know this is started to become a meaty long email. I’ve also touched on how to flip points 1 and 2 for good in a creative sense.
If you found this interesting. Let me know and I’ll do a part two that finishes off the re-frame of the last 7 and how we can use it for good as an artist/creative.
Stephen Walker.
P.S. Here’s the link for “Altering Individual Identity: a Cultic Approach in MKO 2” cause google can be an ass sometimes and spit out random links to AI generated bullshit.