What do Soulcycle, QAnon, and Charles Manson all have in common? They all use the language of cults. For this exciting episode, author and linguist Amanda Montell takes a deep dive into the cult-ish language we see in our day-to-day lives. She should know: She's the author of the critically-acclaimed book Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism and hosts a podcast about modern-day cults called Sounds like a Cult.
On the pod, Amanda and Jon talk about their experiences with cults and the mechanisms that make them powerful. They tackle concepts like thought-terminating cliches, algorithms, and the Protestant ethic — all of which play a part in forming a cult-like mentality. Listen to this episode, but be warned: You may not see your fitness instructor the same way again.