They may automatically attack, with varying
levels of viciousness, people who say or do something unacceptable to them,
their ideology or their organisation. They may behave like attack dogs,
sometimes just growling or snapping at people and sometimes going straight for
the jugular.
I have already written about the phenomenon
known as the attack-dog syndrome in this article, but want to add
something to my original ideas and go into the topic more deeply and in greater
detail.
Games, tricks and techniques
When cult members don’t want to talk about
something or listen to what people are trying to tell them, they will use one
or more of the standard techniques in their repertoire.
It is all automatic, and the goal is to
silence people.
For example, cult members often avoid people
who ask awkward questions and even cut off contact completely; they immediately
change the subject when someone raises an unwelcome issue, ignoring what was
said and talking very quickly about something else; they use robotic slogans
and repeat official propaganda instead of having a real discussion; they use
denial and dismissal to close the subject.
I have experienced all this for myself: “I am
very busy”; “We must make sacrifices for the cause”; “They are lying”; “He is a
traitor”; “You shouldn’t take any notice of these rumours” and much more of the
same.
The use of these techniques demonstrates what
sort of person the recipient is dealing with. An uncontrolled, on-the-level decent
human being does not behave like this; people who habitually play these games may
be prisoners and hostages. And what does the need to play them say about the
cause and people that are being promoted and defended?
The attack-dog syndrome
Behaving like an attack dog is another of the
games that cult members play. While the other tricks may generate anger,
confusion and frustration in the people on the receiving end - such standard
techniques as deflection, diversion and avoidance make them feel that they are
up against a brick wall - being attacked is much worse. It can be very painful
indeed.
In its mildest form, the attack may consist
of standard accusations, vehemently and angrily expressed: “You are jealous”;
“You are crazy” and my old friend, “You don’t know what you are talking about”.
Another old friend: “How can you say these
things about such a fine person?”
The attack type may be primarily defensive or
it may be primarily offensive. It may be based mainly on fear and guilt in the
first case and anger in the second; the perpetrator may see the recipient mainly
as a threat in the first case and a criminal in the second.
The goal may be to drive someone away or to silence,
punish, discredit, damage or even destroy them.
Criticising the leader of a cult is
guaranteed to trigger an attack; asking awkward questions, expressing doubts
about the legitimacy of the cause and repeating allegations may also bring on a
major onslaught.
All hell breaks loose and they really let you
have it.
I have been shouted down many times. As I
mentioned in another article, I have also been on the receiving end of a lot of
screamed abuse: even over the phone I could feel the venom directed at me.
My
crime in this case was to mention some very serious allegations I had just read
about. The extreme reaction made me believe that the allegations were true!
I also refused to go on a demonstration, so
was attacked for not obeying orders. The perpetrator shouted that I was an
enemy, a supporter of the oppressive regime that the cult was fighting. My
attempts to explain my reasons for not going were ignored, dismissed and
shouted over. Even then I realised that they were losing supporters, so the
attack was a sign of increasing desperation.
Another kind of attack
I remember a time when I couldn’t sleep
because I was feeling terrible. It was as if I had been hit hard, knocked down,
driven over and squashed flat by a steamroller. I also had flu symptoms: I felt
shaky and tearful. I told myself that I had been there before: the symptoms
were familiar and were the result of some kind of attack, perhaps psychic. I
must try to remember what I could have said to trigger it.
I replayed a very recent conversation in my
mind and the answer came to me: I had mentioned a letter I had found online. It
was from a prominent politician to a senior cult representative. It was very
critical and ended with a very nasty remark.
I could sense the exasperation behind it; the politician had been lied
to once too often.
No one had said much
to me when I asked whether they had seen the letter, but something must have responded
from a deeper level.
Possible explanations for this type of attack
There is a theory that when many people
think, feel, say and do the same things over a period of time, a group mind is
created. This can also be described as an energy form or artificial elemental.
Once it grows big enough, it will take on a life of its own and act of its own
accord. It will take over and possess everyone who joins the cult, and attack
anyone it senses is a threat to its existence and the status quo.
Another theory says that the entity was
already in existence before the cult started. It was the master mind behind the
cult, gradually sucking more and more people in and taking them over.
This is getting into very deep water, but
with theories such as these maybe it is best to neither believe nor disbelieve
but entertain possibilities.
Dealing with the attack-dog
People who are involved with cults and their
members must expect to be attacked if they say or do the wrong thing.
It may seem that the choice is between
getting their head bitten off or, as the proverb advises, letting the sleeping
dog lie - by always going along with everything and talking about the weather
or some other unexceptionable topic. This is not always the case: I did once
manage to speak out without waking the attack-dog.
Some of the members did something terrible.
It got on the news so they couldn’t deny it, and anyway they wanted the
publicity. I decided that I couldn’t say nothing, but would have to be very careful
not to unleash a tirade of abuse.
I knew
that it was essential to keep calm and not shout at them despite the temptation:
if I couldn’t do that I would be no better than they were. I suspected that
they knew that they had gone too far this time, and were expecting me to behave
as they would if things were reversed. I also knew that I must not let the conversation
become scripted, saying what they expected me to say.
I thought for a while before speaking, then I
said very calmly, “This will make your enemies very happy. Now they can say, ‘We
told you they are fanatics and extremists. If they will do that, they will do
anything.’”
This was very effective indeed. There was a
silence, the sort that you get when you have slipped past the defences and hit
home.
A final point about the attack-dog syndrome
All this has been merely an introduction to
the subject. It would be possible to provide many more examples of these attacks,
more theories about what is behind them and suggestions about how to deal with
them.
A reminder of the most important point to
bear in mind:
The attacks are a sign that we are on the
right track; they are confirmation of our suspicions; they are a dead giveaway.
A mnemonic with a very appropriate name:
