The Cult of Synanon

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Comedy, Education, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

4 • 3.8K Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2024

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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Father is back!!! No, not Father Algorithm, but *actual* Father. Indeed, Amanda's sweetie dad, Craig Montell, returns to the pod after his featurette on last year's cult of Military Wives episode, for an extra-special end-of-year, two-part deep dive into the cult that he survived and that inspired this entire show: Synanon. Craigo brings his dad charm and cult experience to break down exactly how this well-intentioned drug rehabilitation program spiraled into a full-on '70s compound complete with paranoia, hypocrisy, and some very strange hairstyling choices. This "classic cult" discussion may not be typical SLAC fodder, but the story is actually more relevant than ever. Craig is here not just to divulge his shocking past, but also to scrutinize how Synanon’s same rituals and methods of manipulation are alive and well in today's society, from our politics to our social media feeds. Cozy in for some culty parental wisdom, and stay tuned for Part 2 next week to hear the end of the tale!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're a fan of true crime, mystery, and or period pieces, then I have the perfect iPhone game to recommend to you.
0:08.3	It's called June's Journey, and it follows this bold young protagonist named June as she goes to uncover her family's scandalous secrets at her sister's estate.
0:17.9	When you play this game, you get to escape reality and immerse yourself
0:22.0	in a gripping tale of mystery, murder, and romance, where every clue brings you closer to the truth.
0:28.5	My absolute favorite thing about June's journey is how beautiful it is. It takes place in the
0:34.4	1920s and as you go along the plot, uncovering these clues to solve the mystery of the game, you get to decorate the island, and it is very aesthetic.
0:45.1	I love to play this game when I kind of need to wind down, to distract my brain, to self-soothe.
0:51.4	It's relaxing, it's intriguing, and if you're a fan of this podcast, I really think
0:55.2	you'll like the game. Can you unmask the truth? Download June's Journey for free today on iOS and
1:01.9	Android. This episode was recorded at the Spotify podcast studios in downtown Los Angeles.
1:08.0	If you would like to watch this episode and beautiful high-quality video,
1:11.7	check it out on our YouTube channel. Link and Show Notes. The views expressed on this episode,
1:16.5	as with all episodes of Sounds Like a Cult, are solely host opinions and quoted allegations.
1:21.1	The content here should not be taken as indisputable fact. This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
1:26.9	We are always facing the possibility of a cult
1:30.9	leader, exerting much, much more power over people's lives and minds than they initially set out
1:38.9	to do. We look around the world today in 2024, and we see lots of strong men who didn't start out as strong men. And just
1:47.5	as a result of their power, they started doing things that were really just in their own self-interest.
1:54.1	They forgot about all the causes that got them into politics, starting an organization. I don't think we could ever get to a time when we can't think about the dangers of the really
2:07.9	bad cults.
2:11.2	This is Sounds Like a Cult, a show about the modern day cults we all follow.
2:16.5	I'm your host Amanda Montel, author of the books cultish and The Age of Magical Overthinking.
	...

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