Journalist Jane Borden joins the girls to discuss her book Cults Like Us, a gripping investigation into how cultic thinking is woven into the fabric of American life. Jane delves into the radical roots of early Protestant settlers, how the deep-rooted American mythology of a strong rebel cowboy who can save us from the bad guys makes us more susceptible to demagogues and authoritarians, and why pronatalism is just another form of doomsdayism.
They talk about how fear of the end of the world, fear of not being good enough, and fear of “the other” influence us. They discuss everything from the bootstraps myth to mass marketing to self-help empires, and how the promise of salvation has shaped the American psyche more than we like to admit.

SOURCES:
Jane Borden
Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America

Journalist Jane Borden joins the girls to discuss her book Cults Like Us, a gripping investigation into how cultic thinking is woven into the fabric of American life. Jane delves into the radical roots of early Protestant settlers, how the deep-rooted American mythology of a strong rebel cowboy who can save us from the bad guys makes us more susceptible to demagogues and authoritarians, and why pronatalism is just another form of doomsdayism. They talk about how fear of the end of the world, fear of not being good enough, and fear of &ldquo;the other&rdquo; influence us. They discuss everything from the bootstraps myth to mass marketing to self-help empires, and how the promise of salvation has shaped the American psyche more than we like to admit. SOURCES: <a href="Journalist%20Jane%20Borden%20joins%20the%20girls%20to%20discuss%20her%20book%20Cults%20Like%20Us,%20a%20gripping%20investigation%20into%20how%20cultic%20thinking%20is%20woven%20into%20the%20fabric%20of%20American%20life.%20Jane%20delves%20into%20the%20radical%20roots%20of%20early%20Protestant%20settlers,%20how%20the%20deep-rooted%20American%20mythology%20of%20a%20strong%20rebel%20cowboy%20who%20can%20save%20us%20from%20the%20bad%20guys%20makes%20us%20more%20susceptible%20to%20demagogues%20and%20authoritarians,%20and%20why%20pronatalism%20is%20just%20another%20form%20of%20doomsdayism.%20They%20talk%20about%20how%20fear%20of%20the%20end%20of%20the%20world,%20fear%20of%20not%20being%20good%20enough,%20and%20fear%20of%20&ldquo;the%20other&rdquo;%20influence%20us.%20They%20discuss%20everything%20from%20the%20bootstraps%20myth%20to%20mass%20marketing%20to%20self-help%20empires,%20and%20how%20the%20promise%20of%20salvation%20has%20shaped%20the%20American%20psyche%20more%20than%20we%20like%20to%20admit.%20%20SOURCES:%20Jane%20Borden%20https://www.janeborden.com/Cults%20Like%20Us:%20Why%20Doomsday%20Thinking%20Drives%20Americahttps://bookshop.org/p/books/cults-like-us-how-doomsday-drives-america-jane-borden/21534094?ean=9781668007808">Jane Borden</a> <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/cults-like-us-how-doomsday-drives-america-jane-borden/21534094?ean=9781668007808">Cults Like Us: Why Doomsday Thinking Drives America</a>

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion—told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it. Hosted by two women who’ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show features survivors from groups like Heaven’s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more–sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.

Each week, they invite these guests alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart. This isn’t a sensationalized deep dive into cults—it’s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free. At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me is a weekly interview podcast about cults, extreme belief, and the fine line between devotion and delusion&mdash;told through firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.&nbsp;Hosted by two women who&rsquo;ve been in cults themselves, Lola Blanc and Meagan Elizabeth, the show&nbsp;features survivors from groups like Heaven&rsquo;s Gate, the Manson Family, NXIVM, OneTaste and more&ndash;sharing personal stories of how they got in, how they got out, and everything in between.
Each week, they invite&nbsp;these guests&nbsp;alongside experts who can dive deep into seductive leaders, the darker aspects of organized religion, and the subtler shades of groupthink and the psychology of influence. Trust Me explores it all with unfiltered honesty, dark humor, and a lot of heart.&nbsp;This isn&rsquo;t a sensationalized deep dive into cults&mdash;it&rsquo;s a compassionate, first-person exploration of what it means to believe, to belong, and to break free.&nbsp;At the end of the day, wanting to believe in something bigger than yourself is one of the most human instincts there is.

Trust Me: Cults, Extreme Belief, and Manipulation

Jane Borden - Cults Like Us: Puritans, Demagogues, and America’s Doomsday Obsession

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/de5f96a7-cf7b-463a-9812-b332011dd628/transcript

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