Although he did not mention cults specifically, some of his
words of wisdom were relevant to this article .
He is not the only American writer to have produced
some material that is incidentally useful for understanding how cult members
operate. Journalist and social critic Vance Packard wrote a book that exposed the
sinister and unethical techniques, the influences and manipulation, the
propaganda, the hooks and bait used by advertisers and politicians to make the
public buy products, people and ideology.
It is not just sales people and spin doctors who
employ these techniques. Many others use them to overcome resistance and
objections and manipulate people into doing something against their best
interests: for example, cult members may do it to get people to join or give
money and positive publicity to their organisation.
The use of techniques that play upon people’s
subconscious minds started in post-war America. The Hidden Persuaders was first
published in 1957, but it is still very relevant today.
It is an excellent but very alarming, depressing
and disillusioning book. The content speaks for itself and there are many
reviews and analyses online, but I want to highlight some of the material that is
of particular interest to me and make a few points.
