>--- Stannard67 at aol.com wrote:
> > I understand your point, but fail to see how it doesn't also apply to
> > Amway distributors, members of a high school debate team, dentists,
>Fugazi
> > fans, pot smokers, and baseball card collectors.
> >
>
>and i fail to see how it does apply to those. apart from maybe Amway none
>of those come to your door or even actively try to recruit people. also
>none of those except maybe amway, again, (i've had no experience with
>amway) require a reshaping of basic thought processes. for ex. i've never
>met a member of any high school debate team that thought they were 'scum'
>prior to becoming members of that group.
>
>~M.E.
i only skimmed the article, but did that marine say that? do you know marines who say that in general?
i'd agree with stannard. he's talking about a process that exists in _all_ groups. what you see as extreme is intentionally so, since the idea is to build a cohesive group of people who are willing to die. the .mil just hones what goes on in ordinary life.
a better example of another "cult" group are the students at elite universities where rituals, etc. are indeed used to build up a sense--already there--to create an attitutde of superiority, entitlement, and an implicit sense that others who don't belong are scum (that is, undeserving).
kelley