[UA] UA:cults

[Unknown VariableX]

That sounds about right from what I've seen of the ass-end of applied 
psychology. What is commonly reffered to as deprogramming, or something that 
can counter brainwashing, is simply just a whole new set of brainwashing 
tactics designed to operate in the exact opposite direction. No matter how 
it's done, it's basically "paradigm shifting without a clutch" and its 
success depends almost entirely on the natural (unnatural?) endurance and 
strength of the brainwashee's mind. Universal paranoia provides an effective 
shield against many forms of brainwashing (which is why cults foster an 
us-verses-them mentality) right up to the point when they start injecting 
chemicals into the brain.

In UA terms, I'm guessing the closest thing to it would be five stress 
checks of the same rank in a row, applied to the same guage. Probably Self, 
but depending on the cult, any guage could be a target (Unnatural would be 
the most common choice for cults that adepts start when trying to teach 
their magick to others). On the surface of it, hardening against the attacks 
might mean you end up beating their mind games, and failing means they have 
you in their clutches, but it could very easily go the other way, with the 
cultists using the hardened notches in one guage as a misdirection, and 
making the actual attempt along another guage: "You fought off the huge 
slavering Pit Bull of Savage Savagery without screaming, Phil! Welcome into 
the fold!" Would probably be Violence/Helplessness, Violence/Isolation, or 
Violence/Self.

The technique is basically that of a stage magician, scaled up and applied 
to psychology. There was a large chapter about this in one book I read long 
ago, where the magician would hold both hands out to a child, one closed 
around a treat and the other empty, and ask him to choose. If the child 
chose the hand with the treat, he would provide it, and if the child chose 
the empty hand, he would say something like "Very well, we eliminate that 
one, leaving you with the prize!" In a more simplified example, a reporter 
would ask a famous novelist or some such in an e-mail whether he would like 
to meet for an interview before or after some event like a book signing. The 
wording and content of the e-mail force the brain to confront a choice 
between two interview times, and tries to circumvent the question of whether 
the interview is desirable at all.

I forget the proper technical term, but personally call it 
control-of-options, since that what it seems like. Whether you're in a cult, 
a business, or just want to have your way in a group of people, you want to 
give people the illusion of choice while actually giving them little choice 
at all. People who think they have no choice will usually resist anybody 
trying to force choices on them; this is the biggest arguement in favor of 
the world being ruled in secret by some shadowy agency or society like the 
Illuminati or Freemasons.

-Variable (Inventor of the Laser Bagpipes)

----Original Message Follows----
From: Thuvasa3 <thuvasa3 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: The Unknown Armies RPG Mailing List <ua at lists.unknown-armies.com>
To: doug at infinitemonkeyproductions.net,The Unknown Armies RPG Mailing List 
<ua at lists.unknown-armies.com>
Subject: Re: [UA] UA:cults
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 2005 04:56:33 -0700 (PDT)

It just occurred to me that I know (or have met,
anyway), a former cultist.

In the little town where my grandmother lives, there
is a family owned and operated funeral home.
(Actually, there are two.  There was a falling out
between brothers, so now there are two funeral homes,
more or less across the street from each other, both
run by different members of the same family).

Anyway, one of the guys that works there is kind of
strange.  Seems a little slow, etc.  During the
visitation for a funeral, my cousin (who would spend
summers with my grandmother), discretely pointed at
the guy and said, "you see that guy?  He was in a
cult.  He wasn't that way (meaning "strange and slow")
when we were kids.  He went out to California and
joined a cult.  His parents finally got wind of it and
hired deprogrammers who went and brought him back
(basically kidnapped him).  He's been that way ever
since."

Now, the interesting thing about it is that I work for
the govt. doing disability claims, and I mentioned
that to a co-worker one time.  I prefaced it with, "I
don't know if this is true or not..." She said, "I
have his case."  And she did.

And it was all true.

Apparently his deprogramming failed, in that he never
understood the brainwashing aspect of the cult stuff,
and he is now heavily medicated, etc.  I believe he
ended up with schizophrenia (cult used drugs, etc.).

I found the cult on the internet and everything
(unfortunately I've forgotten the name of it).

How's that for UA material?  Cultists and feuding
funereal brothers?

Jonathan

--- Doug Stalker <doug.stalker at gmail.com> wrote:

 > Knowing a few "street level" cultists helps too;




____________________________________________________
Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.unknown-armies.com
http://lists.unknown-armies.com/mailman/listinfo/ua