>Perhaps it is time to infiltrate a successful contemporary cult
>like Landmark Forum and see what they're doing right[1]. Any volunteers?
Been there. Done that. Got the hair clippings. As some of you know, I join
cults for a hobby. Landmark is my second-favorite cult.
>[1] Actually I know some of their successful techniques: target
>people with low self-esteem for "free seminars".
You are misinformed here. I'm curious where you got your information. Let me
tell you a few things about Landmark Education Corporation (LEC).
In the first place, I'm not sure you're right about the "low self-esteem"
part. You'll find people who are not satisfied with their situation in life,
but that's not really the same thing. I would say on the whole that the
people I've met in personal-growth groups, Landmark included, are a higher
caliber than the people I meet on the street. The ones with really low
self-esteem don't usually do the courses.
The "free seminars" are advertised as, and are, sales introductions to The
Forum. If you want to check one out, go to a "Special Evening About The
Forum" rather than just an "Introduction to The Forum." The former are lead
by "Forum Leaders" who are as a rule skilled, charming speakers. Each of
them is invested for life (and beyond) to Landmark's mission. I met one of
them recently at the San Diego airport. Alan was one of my favorites.
Bright-eyed, intimate and joyous, he spent some time in a Zen monastery
prior to getting involved with LEC.
The most common feedback from people attending the Intros is "high-pressure
sales." This experience comes from hordes of yellow-tagged volunteers whose
job it is to "close" (enroll) the "guests" (people who have not yet done The
Forum). Jeez, it's making me nostalgic just to think about it. Most of these
volunteers are unskilled but highly motivated, creating the experience of
"pressure." Fortunately for LEC, the pressure tends to generate more
business than it loses
Once you have them
>trapped in a room, lecture them for hours on end without bathroom
>breaks. Give them homework assignments they can't start until
>after midnight to ensure sleep depravation.
There are bathroom breaks every 2-4 hours and people are of course allowed
to leave the room in an emergency. The confrontational nature of the program
tends to create mental discomfort, and the leader is careful to warn people
that if they leave the room other than during a break, they may not "get
it."
Once you have them
>trapped in a room, lecture them for hours on end without bathroom
>breaks. Give them homework assignments they can't start until
>after midnight to ensure sleep depravation.
The class runs from 9 am to midnight, and there's no problem getting 6 hours
of sleep a night even with the homework. which usually takes only a few
minutes. Six hours should be enough to keep even an Objectivist from getting
depraved. The Forum's predecessor, est, had less sleep but it doesn't seem
that sleep deprivation is necessary for people to "get it."
Refuse to continue
>the course until everyone has done the assignment to ensure
>extreme peer pressure is brought to bear on people that resist
>induction..
You got this one right. Creating group cohesion appears to be a very
effective technique.
By the way, people often ask me seriously if various groups I'm familiar
with are "cults." I usually reply that the closest thing to a cult I've ever
been involved with was Microsoft.
Richard Brodie richard@brodietech.com http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie
Author, "Virus of the Mind: The New Science of the Meme"
http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/votm.htm
Visit Meme Central! http://www.brodietech.com/rbrodie/meme.htm