Sep 012024
 

                                                             “You don’t get rich writing science fiction.
                                                            If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”.

                                                                                                                 L. Ron Hubbard

               L. Ron Hubbard, a well-known writer of
science fiction and fantasy novels,
made this statement
and that is exactly what he did in 1954
when he start  the Church of Scientology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard

 

DEFINITION OF A CULT:

Cults are far from just religious in nature. There are certainly extremes, from Apocalyptic cults like Jim Jones and People’s Temple, to seemingly main stream religions like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or The Mormon Church.  Consider multi-level-marketing groups like Amway and LuLaroe as another example. Then there are groups like NXIVM which is actually a combination of sex cult, self-help and multi-level-marketing scheme all rolled into one. There is definitely a spectrum. The definition of a cult does not refer to beliefs, because a group’s belief system, is not necessarily related to it being considered a cult. I’m sure we all know of groups with really bizarre or fanatical teachings and beliefs, but if You can walk away anytime you want, free to read anything of your choice or associate with anyone you want and question the leadership, you are most likely not in a cult. Beatlmania was certainly fanatical but not a cult.  It’s the manipulation and thought control that puts it in this category. Mental, emotional and fear manipulation among others.

  1. Rutgers sociologist Benjamin Zablocki, PhD., defines a cult as “an ideological organization held together by charismatic relationships and demanding total commitment.” According to Zablocki, cults are at high risk of becoming abusive to members in part because members’ adulation of charismatic leaders contributes to their becoming corrupted by the power they seek and are accorded. (1)https://www.icsahome.com/elibrary/topics/articles/sgaworkshop

2.       A cult is an organized group whose purpose is to dominate cult members through psychological            manipulation and pressure strategies. Cults are usually headed by a powerful leader who isolates members from the rest of  society. “Cults are dangerous because they typically rely on deceptive and authoritarian practices to make members dependent on and obedient to the group.
    (1) https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-cult-5078234  Amy Morin, LCSW 

3. Cult Education Institute (1) Lists the following warning signs:

  • Absolute authoritarianism without accountability
  • Zero tolerance for criticism or questions
  • Lack of meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget
  • Unreasonable fears about the outside world that often involve evil conspiracies and persecutions
  • A belief that former followers are always wrong for leaving and there is never a legitimate reason for anyone else to leave
  • Abuse of members
  • Followers feeling they are never able to be “good enough”
  • A belief that the leader is right at all times
  • A belief that the leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or giving validation

 

  • Cults often cut members off from other forms of social and financial support and pose both physical and psychological risks to members of the group. (https://culteducation.com/) Rick Alan Ross 

 

COMING:

        Types of Cults

  • Religious
  • Political
  • Self Help
  • Multi Level Marketing
  • Abusive Relationships

 

 

 

 

Jan 122024
 

My brother spent about fifteen years of his life at Willowbrook, the place that Robert F. Kennedy called ‘a snake pit’ in 1965. When Kennedy visited the site, he was horrified by what he saw and stated that “individuals in the overcrowded facility were living in filth and dirt, their clothing in rags, in rooms less comfortable and cheerful than the cages in which we put animals in a zoo.”

Overcrowding and understaffing are what compiled the problems of Willowbrook. I don’t necessarily believe that there was intentional abuse and neglect, although, in institutions such as these, and human nature being what it is, such things do happen.

Dr. Michael Wilkins came to New York in 1967 to complete his medical residency as a pediatric intern and was recruited to Willowbrook by a friend also working there at the time, Dr. Bronston, and began advocating for change. Governor Nelson Rockefeller had just instituted large budget cuts that eliminated staff at Willowbrook, which was already insufficient. They held Sunday meetings outside on the grounds with the parents who were interested. They even let them into the back rooms to see for themselves.
After only seventeen months working at Willowbrook, Dr. Wilkins was fired for his efforts to organize parents. Fortunately, when he was fired, they had never asked for his keys. This is when he contacted his friend, a  relatively unknown investigative reporter for WABC TV in New York in 1972 named Geraldo Rivera  and let him and his camera crew in to document the place for posterity and to change history.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. 
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
~ Margaret Mead

The Path Forward is a film released in 2022 by the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, commemorating fifty years since Geraldo Rivera’s exposure of Willowbrook State School in 1972. It highlights the importance of lessons learned, the positive changes that have resulted in the past fifty years, and to make sure that it never happens again.

The College of Staten Island (CUNY) is now located on the site of Willowbrook. Instead of hiding the atrocities that happened on this land, to their credit, motivated by the conviction that it should never be forgotten and that nothing like this should ever happen again, they have embraced it, educated the community, and built a Memorial Walking Trail called the Willowbrook Mile, consisting of twelve stations that mark the history of the site, with benches and landscaping. It opened officially on September 17, 2022, the thirty-fifth anniversary of the closing of Willowbrook. This unique project aims to preserve the site’s history and create a visionary presence commemorating the continuing struggle for social justice for all people of all abilities.


Willowbrook is an excerpt from Marlene Dunham’s book, EMBRACING THE SHADOWS.