Amanda Montell is a language scholar and author of critically acclaimed Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. Her latest book is Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, which explores how cults co-opt the words we use in order to control us and affect our behavior. Full show notes can be found here: https://jordanharbinger.com/628 Subscribe to the podcast: http://jordanharbinger.com/subscribe What We Discuss with Amanda: 00:00 - Intro 00:38 - Why people are so fascinated by cults 05:13 - Being in a cult is to be human 11:34 - Why the US has an abnormally high amount of cultish behavior 25:16 - Cults don’t target desperate people, they target everyone 28:38 - Breaking down how cults use code-switching to manipulate you 36:57 - How cults use euphemisms to manipulate you 40:49 - Breaking down the infamous Jonestown cult 44:34 - Thought terminating clichés: How you shut down free thinking 55:22 - Breaking down the cult of MLMs 59:28 - How to spot cultish language in yourself and others How do so many people who seem otherwise rational and resistant to obvious manipulation tactics get regularly suckered into cults and cult-like organizations? Does our collective need for social connection and solace during these trying times make us easy to pick off — like fish in a barrel — for the predators who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities? And if we accept that we’re as susceptible as anyone else to the influence of these bad actors, what can we do to defend ourselves against them? On this episode, we’re joined by language scholar and Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism author Amanda Montell to discuss how cults — and organizations that use cult tactics, like MLM companies — co-opt the words we use in order to control us and affect our behavior. Listen, learn, and enjoy! Get the BEST highlights from each episode on our clips channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-cxPJ7QxPE8M7EYe5Vv7ag Want to watch more in-depth interviews with some of the world’s most amazing and successful people? Find full episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNbAQB8BYtM&list=PLxuPu-uyanrrBgAl5-76enemxVsxFjnEQ&index=1 Welcome to The Jordan Harbinger Show, a video podcast where each week you get to join a conversation with some of the world’s highest performers and incredible personalities. I’ll ask them the tough questions to tease out their top tips so that you can reach levels of personal growth and mastery that you never imagined possible. Learn more about Jordan: http://jordanharbinger.com/about