Weekly Cult Roundup
Here’s what I heard & read this week.
Heard
This week I relistened to “Infiltrating UFO Culture” by With Friends Like These. Even though the last post was not about conspiracy cults/theories, they are definitely still on my mind. In this episode, journalist Anna Merlan talks about the fascinating conspiracy theorists she met while conducting research. Merlan takes an honest and (somewhat) objective approach to the conspiracies she investigates, which leaves a lot of room for the listener to form their own opinions. I also am really curious about the history of UFO cultures, and she provides a great entry point into some of those worlds.
Read
I was a huge fan of Recess growing up, so imagine my delight when I came across this article connecting the show to cults! According to co-creator Joe Ansolabehere, the final episode of season one was almost lost forever. In this episode, Spinelli is the only witness to Swinger Girl’s successful “loop over the top of the swing set.” In her quest to convince the rest of the school that Swinger Girl really achieved the impossible, she forms a cult-like group of believers. I rewatched the episode and could not believe I had forgotten about it. The Swinger Girl followers begin to dress alike, regard the swing as sacred, and even make wishes on it. The episode really made me wonder how many other pop culture references to cults/cult behavior I might have forgotten about.
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