[WikiEN-l] Just what *is* Jimbo's role anyway? - personality cult

[Marc Riddell]

on 3/24/07 6:05 PM, Seth Finkelstein at sethf at sethf.com wrote:

> Well, I didn't join this list to be a troll, and I suspect if
> I go into detail, many members won't take it kindly. I also don't want
> to deal with The Attack Of The Strawmen, where every statement has to
> be guarded against being made a strawman because someone will feel
> they've scored a big victory by knocking that down.

As for being a troll: I believe it all has to to with your intent. If your
intent is to harm, then you could be rightfully defined as a troll, and
should stay the hell away. But, if your intent is to state what you believe
to be truth, then do it - openly and honestly. It may not always be well
received, and you may even be called many things in the process (hell, over
the years I've been called things I had to look up!) - but a name doesn't
define you - unless it agrees with your own definition - or, you haven't, as
yet, defined yourself.
> 
>
> Look at it this way: Why *does* someone join a cult? And more
> importantly, why do they *stay*, doing free labor? Stark coercion, of
> the sort if-you-leave-we'll-hunt-you-down-and-kill-you, is extraordinarily
> rare. Much of the process is about manipulating a psychological need.
> Transcendent purpose, internal status, external dangers - these are
> all deep human triggers.

First of all, does anyone really "join" a cult (which, in fact, is a
pejorative term)? Do they consciously say, "That looks like a cult I want to
be a part of?" Or, do they choose to become a part of a group of people with
similar beliefs? Yes, history is replete with instances of harm and
exploitation of persons persuaded (mostly out of fear) to join groups or
movements. In fact, my belief is the only reason most organized religions
are not called cults is centuries of well-schooled, well-financed public
relations. The one word that seems to be subliminal in your statement is
"exploitation". Do you really believe the WP Community members are being
exploited? Personally, that's a real stretch for me.

As for characterizing something as a "cult"; my thinking is that if someone
agrees with the beliefs of a group, and are welcomed in as a part of it,
they refer to it as a group - if not, they call it a cult.

Marc Riddell