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Worth remembering though that there are many cultish aspects to the mainstream, e.g. political movements fight tooth and nail to influence what young children a

Worth remembering though that there are many cultish aspects to the mainstream, e.g. political movements fight tooth and nail to influence what young children are taught at school.

briantakita 12y ago
Same with technology choices & favored practices.
gwern 12y ago
> there are many cultish aspects to the mainstream Quite literally, given how many aspects of 'cults' went mainstream. Environmentalism, meditation...
- zachrose 12y ago
  ...anti-intellectualism, NASCAR...
  - ttctciyf 12y ago
    ... The Iraq war ...
    - briantakita 12y ago
      ... Anything social group that you don't agree with ...
      - ttctciyf 12y ago
        ... and which offers illusory salvation (a safer, democratic Iraq, reduced terrorist threat) from spurious ills (WMD, Al Qaeda support by Saddam) delivered by a charismatic leader with access to a divine hotline (Blair, too!) and engages you by blatant falsehood, psychological manipulation and peer pressure ...
      - prestadige 12y ago
        No, I think even groups I do on later reflection agree with are acting questionably if they try to influence my early education. They probably think it's usually wrong to do so but they make an exception in the case of their ideas because they consider them uniquely urgent and important. That's just an old mistake. Twas ever thus. The more important an idea is, the more important it is to be able to think freely about it.