Comments by "" (@DavidJ222) on "Former QAnon follower: I really believe it's a cult" video.

  1. JimJones was the leader of the Peoples Temple, a ministry of his own devising that convinced hundreds of Americans to move to his compound, known as Jonestown, in Guyana. "He was a master of manipulation, but you saw him with this dark hair, the sunglasses, and the way that he spoke -- he was a great orator -- and it moved you, it inspired you because he was so passionate. And so I was just enthralled," said former Peoples Temple member Leslie Wagner-Wilson. As time went on, former members said Jones became more extreme. In 1974, Jones leased more than 3,800 acres of isolated land in the jungle from the Guyanese government. By 1978, nearly 1,000 followers had moved to the Guyana compound. Having been forced to give up their passports and money upon arrival, some former members said they were cut off from the outside world. "Everyone was forbidden from reading anything because Jones said they were liars," said former member Deborah Layton. "He called it FAKE NEWS…. Jones coined fake news. Anything that was written about him he said was fake. It was all to ruin his name and his cause, and what he stood for."  A cult environment like "Qanon" and Trumpism discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts, when everyone around you is displaying dogmatic faith and obedience to their leader. A process of indoctrination is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion, or thought reform, commonly called "brainwashing." The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps them trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit that you've been deceived..
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  2. A cult environment like "Qanon" and Trumpism discourages critical thinking, making it hard to voice doubts, when everyone around you is displaying dogmatic faith and obedience to their leader. A process of indoctrination is in use that can be seen as coercive persuasion, or thought reform, commonly called "brainwashing". The resulting internal conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, keeps them trapped, as each compromise makes it more painful to admit that you've been deceived..
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