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In Reply to: Sorry for my misunderstanding posted by exer on May 13, 2004 at 22:59:49:
I've talked a bit about my experiences in a few organizations like est and Amway. I've always made a distinction that they were "cult-like", but not a hardcore cult experience like people here had with The Family.
I do have a hard time distinguishing the US military from your run of the mill hard core cult.
This is off the top of my head, so I'm probably missing a few good comparisons...
1. They recruit only the young
2. You live communally
3. You are conditioned to die for the cause (or the leaders)
4. You are lured in by the promise of benefits that often never materialize.
5. The leader live much better than rank and file members (officers clubs, etc).
6. They engage in brainwashing during basic training, and breaking down basic individual will.
7. They shave off hair and remove anything that makes recruits appear to be different than any other recruit.
8. During basic training the recruits are told that the military is their home, and the military is their family. If they harm themselves, they are told that they are defacing government property.
There is a lot of other stuff, but this is what comes to mind at the moment.
So, I would agree, that the military is a cult, and as the commander-in-chief, POTUS is the leader.
