317 | The Consumer Cult
The Minimalists
Joshua Fields Millburn
4.7 • 11.5K Ratings
🗓️ 7 December 2021
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joshua and Ryan speak with Amanda Montell, author of Cultish, about what makes a cult a cult, and they answer the following questions:
Who decides whether a cult is a cult? (00:00)
Are cults strictly negative? (02:08)
Is CrossFit a cult? (04:33)
How do otherwise reasonable people fall susceptible to cults? (11:58)
What are the characteristics of a cult? (13:55)
What is the “thought-terminating cliche”? (15:47)
What are the “exit costs” of cults? (21:29)
What are some red flags to look for regarding cults? (22:25)
Can you explain the US-centric terms being used regarding cults? (32:08)
Why does it seem the US is replete with cults? (32:35)
How do cults start? (34:30)
What is the “cult of consumerism”? (36:43)
How do cult members not see how it’s hurting them when it’s so obvious to everyone else? (39:37)
Detailed show notes: minimalists.com/podcast
Support The Minimalists: minimalists.com/support
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This podcast has bad words. |
| 0:10.0 | Hello, Minimizers. |
| 0:11.0 | Welcome to the Minimals podcast where we discuss what it means to live a meaningful |
| 0:14.8 | life with less. |
| 0:16.3 | My name is Joshua Filz-Milvern. |
| 0:17.8 | And I'm Ryan Nicodemus. |
| 0:18.8 | And together we are the Minimals. |
| 0:20.3 | Ryan, what makes a group of people occult? |
| 0:23.7 | We've heard that Jonestown, Heaven's Gate and Nexium were dangerous cults, but what about |
| 0:28.5 | Scientology? |
| 0:29.5 | Is that occult? |
| 0:30.5 | How about people who belong to certain religions? |
| 0:33.7 | How about soul-cyclers or even swiftees? |
| 0:37.2 | Are they cult members? |
| 0:39.1 | And could minimalism turn into occult? |
| 0:43.9 | Our culture tends to provide some pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, |
| 0:49.2 | mostly having to do with vague talk of brainwashing. |
| 0:51.9 | But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind control, wizardry or cool aid. |
| 0:58.8 | That's what we're talking about today with Amanda Montel. |
| 1:02.3 | Author of this new book, I'll hold it up if you're watching on YouTube. |
| 1:05.4 | It's called Cultish, the language of fanaticism. |
| 1:09.2 | Thank you. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Joshua Fields Millburn, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Joshua Fields Millburn and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.