I'm bringing this up because I've been seeing this crap thrown around a lot, and as someone who actually grew up in an organization that by many is considered a cult I find it rather obnoxious. I'm going to go through it based on the BITE model, which is one of the better recognized definitions of cult behavior (without a definition it just becomes a meaningless subjective label after all).
So one by one lets go through the criteria, I'll try to keep it as short as possible so people don't doze off reading it.
Behavioral control
Information control
Thought control
Emotional control
For reference: https://freedomofmind.com/bite-model/
So overall I'd say we don't really fit the cult model at all, at least no more than the groups who actively oppose the incel community do, in fact they probably fit the model better than us when you go through it all and compare the attitude of most incel communities with the communities of ideologies such as feminism, socialism and other social justice movements.
Sorry for the long post, but I thought it was a somewhat interesting topic personally and worth going through considering how often this accusation gets thrown around.
So one by one lets go through the criteria, I'll try to keep it as short as possible so people don't doze off reading it.
Behavioral control
Considering a fragmented online community has little way of doing this, I'd say no to this one
The incel community in general is quite the opposite, freely admitting it has no real answers to peoples woes and there is no expectation of behavioural modification on its behalf anywhere.
Obviously not, no one in the community is dictating anything like this
Do I even need to answer this one?
Clearly not, in fact redditors seem to be more inclined to do this than anyone in the incel community
Again no one in the incel community is having this controlled for them
@Insomniac
No one is forcing incels to give money to anyone, so again doesn't fit
Yet again, no
Nope, not sure how we'd even manage to do this
Information control
Considering people here regularly look at places that oppose us, like on reddit and post it themselves, clearly not the first part. Incel opponents would probably try to argue the second part but I'd say we can just as easily suggest the same of them. Incels tend to post a lot of scientific articles and perform experiments to test our ideas, while our opponents usually just spout platitudes and insult incel ideas without really refuting them
Many incels speak to critics of the community freely, and even engage them on podcasts and such, so not really. No one here is going to stop anyone from doing so
This one they could probably try to argue, although since most information on incel matters tends to come from areas outside the community I'd say it'd be hard to argue we're any worse than leftwing groups who will shut you down if you site rightwing newspapers or think tanks. In fact incels tend to actively look at these opposing sources and try to refute them rather than hiding from them in my general experience.
This I also guess could potentially be argued based on the whole bluepill vs blackpill thing, but I'd say that by and large opponents of the community do much the same way, refusing to acknowledge anything from sources they believe to be incel sources, so if this makes us a cult it also just as equally makes them a cult.
Possibly, but again I'd say no more so than any other political group out there.
Obviously not, dunno how we'd manage that
This one actually fits our opponents more than it does our members. They're often the ones telling incels that their own personal experiences didn't happen, or that they were in some way mistaken. So this one actually applies more to them than us.
Nope, we don't compel anyone to do anything here.
Only in terms of moderation matter, no different from any other website.
Thought control
Could be argued, but again I'd say no more so than most left wing communities that have much the same attitude towards us.
Obviously not, how could we?
Guess this depends on what you consider loaded language and cliches? I personally wouldn't say it's particularly prevelant.
Not sure I would say anything in the community could be considered such
This probably applies more to our opponents than us, considering they're the ones usually trying to shame anyone who had negative feelings or thoughts and convince them this makes them mentally ill.
Nope
Could potentially be argued with us banning bluepill ideas, but again our opponents do much the same in banning our ideas from their platforms, so I'd say we're no worse than them ultimately.
Emotional control
You're all free to leave whenever you want honestly, no one here's making anyone stay
This again applies more to our opponents than us, who try to imply we're wrong for being sad about the way our lives are, or angry about the way we're treated by others.
Again applies more to them than us, particularly with them prescribing therapy for literally anything they disagree with.
Not something we promote, more something people here feel due to the way they're treated by those around them.
Actually somewhat applies to our opponents, who'll go out of their way to tell "ex-incels" how wonderful they are for going over to their side, but then turning on them if they step out of line in any way.
Applies more to their attempts to doxx us than the other way around.
Suppose kind of, but certainly no more so than our opponents do to those who disagree with them.
I'd say we more imply there's no happiness of peace anywhere.
For reference: https://freedomofmind.com/bite-model/
So overall I'd say we don't really fit the cult model at all, at least no more than the groups who actively oppose the incel community do, in fact they probably fit the model better than us when you go through it all and compare the attitude of most incel communities with the communities of ideologies such as feminism, socialism and other social justice movements.
Sorry for the long post, but I thought it was a somewhat interesting topic personally and worth going through considering how often this accusation gets thrown around.
