42. Jonestown: How can you tell that you’re in a cult?

Bad People

BBC

Society & Culture, True Crime, Unknown

4.4 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2021

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the late 1970s, a charismatic cult leader, Jim Jones, promised his followers that they would create a utopian community based on Christian values and racial equality. In the jungle in Guyana, South America, Jones started the project and named it after himself: Jonestown. On this episode of Bad People, Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss why so many people joined and later stayed in Peoples Temple. Once isolated in the jungle, it became hard for the inhabitants to escape and Jim Jones' abuse escalated. The cult ended abruptly after a visit from a concerned US congressman. Warning: This episode includes descriptions of murder, suicide, graphic violence, drug abuse and possibly strong language. This episode contains audio collected by The Jonestown Institute and from The Jonestown Massacre: Paradise Lost by Real Stories produced by Cineflix, Galaxie Production, Film Afrika and NextFilm. CREDITS Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen Producer: Louisa Field Assistant Producer: Simona Rata Music: Matt Chandler Editor: Rami Tzabar Academic Consultants for The Open University: Dr Lara Frumkin and Dr James Munro #BadPeople_BBC Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello, Gary Lednika here with Alan Shira and Michael Richards to say the match of the day top 10 podcast is back
0:07.4	We'll be ranking our footballing top 10s and debiting. It was right. Well, it's don't be me. Not a champ, it's Gary
0:14.8	First season wonders to goalkeeping blunders. Nothing is off the table. You had a few blunders in your day, didn't you Gary?
0:22.0	Yeah, match of the day top 10. Listen only on BBC sounds
0:27.4	BBC sounds, music, radio, podcasts
0:32.2	Three, two, one
0:36.1	Julia. Yes, Sophie. Can we turn bad people into a cult?
0:41.4	Do you mean because we already have followers and people who subscribe to our weekly
0:47.3	Sermon? I mean episode and we influence people. Yes, and I am a very charismatic leader
0:54.5	And I'm sure if I set things like you must all wear purple or send me all your money. Our listeners would totally do it
1:02.4	Of course you chose purple. Everyone must wear the bike color
1:07.6	These are all good points, but no bad people can't be a cult. Well, I don't think it can but we could
1:17.2	No, no, he shouldn't
1:20.2	On this episode how one man convinced 900 people to drink the cool aid
1:26.7	Drink the cool aid. I've heard that saying before, but I have no idea where it comes from or what cool aid is
1:33.3	Basically, it means don't blindly go along with people who overpromise things. Okay, I won't
1:39.1	On this episode we will discuss murder, suicide and there will be some graphic descriptions of violence
1:44.2	There will also be a death tape and possibly some strong language
1:48.5	I'm Dr. Julia Shaw criminal psychologist and I'm Sophie Hagen stand-up comedian and this is bad people
1:56.9	Bad people
1:59.7	You cough you have pain in your back. Yes
2:03.5	Something seems like it wants to come out. Yes
	...

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