Exciting news: as of last week, my Substack Cults, Culture & Coercion is free for everyone, including the full archive. You can learn more about this decision here.
And please help my work spread far and wide by taking 10 seconds or less to click this link and select “freedomofmind.com” as a trusted news source on Google.
Our Canadian neighbors just had their Thanksgiving (and Alberta just voted to remain united with Carney), and although the United States’ Thanksgiving is a month away, many people are already dreading the possibility of kitchen-table arguments fueled by our country’s current political divide.
It’s the same story for many families. Someone keeps sharing inflammatory AI-generated pictures in the family group chat, your aunt is repeating some problematic health “advice” she’s seen in her favorite Facebook group, and your cousin keeps telling everyone “do your own research!” instead of providing any sources for his latest conspiracy theory.
You still love these people. They’re family. You have a long history of shared good times and wonderful memories. But lately, you’re not sure you can be in the same room with them without losing your mind, your patience, and your relationship with them.
In this week’s blog post, How to Debunk Without Blowing Up Thanksgiving, I offer a practical guide for how to talk with your family members, keep your sanity, and even plant the seeds of critical thinking to lead to positive change.
Although many people may falter, “Why should I talk to them? They’re actually supporting this nonsense!” I believe that love is stronger than mind control, and keeping the doors of communication open is the best way to heal the divide currently tearing our families - and our country - apart.
If my family had given up on me when I still believed in the far-right extremist agenda of my own cult, there is no telling where I would have ended up without their love, understanding, and support in the early days of my recovery.
Recently, I was asked to speak with Mary Lou, a devoted Trump/ MAGA follower, by her son Chad. Chad and Haley, who host the Necessary Conversation podcast, love their mom, but their method runs counter to my recommendations for what works. What do you think? As of today, the video has over 200k views.
In this week’s episode of my Cults, Culture & Coercion podcast, Kate Cohen on Belief and the Freedom to Think for Ourselves, Kate and I share a fascinating and honest conversation about atheism, Jewish identity, authoritarianism, and making a meaningful life.
We talk about her book, We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (And Maybe You Should Too), and her Substack blog, Scratch, before moving on to discussing our experiences raising children, questioning religious authority, defending democracy, and the ordinary acts of creativity that help us remain active participants in our own lives.
Catch the full episode here: Listen on Apple | Spotify | Watch on YouTube
You can also read my accompanying Substack article about our conversation here.
Next week’s episode will feature Dr. Mara Einstein, author of Hoodwinked: How Marketers Use the Same Tactics as Cults. We’ll be discussing how marketers turn anxiety and belonging into profit, and how we can protect our freedom of mind.
For this week’s Wednesday livestream on October 21 at 2 pm EDT, I will talk about the new Musk documentary by Alex Gibney; Musk has been spending hundreds of millions of money in the midterms, particularly in Texas, where his operations are centered. I have a lot to say about malignant narcissism, Network state billionaire ideologies, mass undue influence via media and platforms! I will focus on understanding and strategies to move forward.
For Friday’s livestream, my guest will be my friend and colleague Dave Troy, who is my “go-to” man for understanding the bigger patterns of psychological warfare and “Project Russia.”
Bring your questions for both livestreams!
And if you missed last week’s livestreams, you can see them here:
Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Propaganda & Foreign Disinformation: Why Are We Footing the Bill? - Wednesday, Oct. 14th
A Secretive Bible Cult Has Infiltrated Conservative Politics with guests Cheryl Bawtinheimer and Richard Marsh - Friday, Oct. 16th
And finally, Chauncey DeVega of AlterNet interviewed me for a piece that came out yesterday, Trump is like an energy vampire — sucking the life force out of his followers. In it, I point out how Trump’s followers are not thinking for themselves but are being affected by him as an authority figure, which is reinforced by all the other believers. Too many pundits are making a mistake by branding his followers as “stupid,” and claiming that they would never fall for such control. As I have mentioned many times before, we are all able to be deceived, especially by those who exploit our need to belong.
Remember, check with legitimate state election officials that you are registered and request a mail-in ballot if you wish. Be sure that your neighbors and everyone you know is registered to vote and able to do so! We must defeat MAGA in the coming elections!
As always, please let us know what you think about these pieces or what you’d like to see us discuss in the future. Thanks so much!
Maintaining empathy without compromising reality is perhaps the hardest boundary to hold. This is a crucial reminder that breaking through ideological indoctrination starts with preserving human connection, not winning an argument.
At times, refusing to believe is refusing to be deceived.