Everything Wrong With the Cult of Trump

For as long as I can remember, there are two subjects that have always piqued my interest: serial killers and cults. I’m not alone in these interests, and recently I found a possible explanation for why people like myself and many others are interested in these subjects. In his book How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like, Yale professor Paul Bloom explains that this may be because it helps us run through mental scenarios so we can be prepared for these types of situations. And I don’t know about you, but avoiding serial killers and not being indoctrinated into a cult are pretty high on my priority list.

Recently, my girlfriend and I watched the four-part docuseries about Heaven’s Gate on HBO Max, and it was really interesting, and I recommend it if you want to learn more about this group who committed mass suicide in the 90s. In the series, they feature Steven Hassan throughout the episodes to provide some insight as a cult expert. As a former cult member of the Moonies, Hassan has spent the last four decades helping people leave cults and deprogram them.

I’ve heard of Hassan before, but I’ve been reluctant to check out his work. As we’ll discuss, many people throw around the word “cult” far too often, but when watching the docuseries, I could see that Steven Hassan seems to know what he’s talking about. Not only that, but I…