Why do we love to talk about Cults and Subcultures? | Guinevere Turner

Closed religious communities are the subject of great, lurid fascination. I know this very well because I come from the Hasidic community. People love to hear the stories of the unusual customs and darker sides. For instance, Youtube is full of channels that tell ex-Hasidic, ex-Mormon, ex-Amish and ex-Cult stories and these videos draw hundreds of thousands of views. 

Guinevere Turner grew up in a cult. In the Lyman Family cult. Is it a cult? Is it a commune? It's all up for discussion!

What's unique about her is that she doesn't give the audience the lurid story they want. She also has written about how cults are talked about in the larger society. Her essay in the New Yorker, 'My Childhood in a Cult', influenced my own writing, 'Is the Hasidic Community A Cult?' She also published a book about her life, 'When the World Didn't End.'

In this episode, Guinevere joins me to discuss our experiences as women with life stories that draw so much fascination. We talk about why we think the world wants our stories, and why we might not want to give them up. We discuss the Lyman family cult and other groups that are perhaps communes, perhaps cults. A discussion that touches the tip of the iceberg!

Links are here:
Guinevere's memoir: https://amzn.to/3Y77FkM
Essay in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
Guinevere on instagram:   / guinevereturner  
My essay titled 'Is the Hasidic Community a Cult?': https://friedavizel.com/2020/01/29/is...