Cult or Just Weird

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"A good traveler is one who who does not know where he is going to, and a perfect traveler does not know where he came from." -Lin Yutang

Kayla & Chris travel the road of a surprisingly spiritual topic as they dig into one of the hidden treasures of the internet.

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*Search Categories*

Internet culture

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*Topic Spoiler*

Your World of Text / The Line

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*Further Reading*

YWOT:

https://www.yourworldoftext.com/cultorjustweird (we made our own!)

https://yourworldoftext.fandom.com/wiki/Your_World_Of_Text_Wiki

https://www.yourworldoftext.com/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Textworldexplorers/

https://www.yourworldoftext.com/msernst

https://andrewbadr.com/yourworld/

https://www.reddit.com/r/YWOT/

https://www.reddit.com/r/YourWorldOfText/

https://www.reddit.com/r/InternetIsBeautiful/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Textworldexplorers/comments/ut7zp/the_line_of_enlightment/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/ussxr/hey_reddit_whats_the_best_hidden_thing_you_have/c4y9or0/

https://imgur.com/YB5Rf

https://imgur.com/EiM3Y

WP4BL/SURJ:

https://www.awarela.org/white-people-4-black-lives

https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

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LOOK. DEEPER.

Chris & Kayla follow up on an interesting lead to a former cult-or-just-weird member. And this interview turns up some surprising and creepy nuggets of new information...

Special thanks to the Recovering Hunbot for being on the show!

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*Search Categories*

Business; MLM; Destructive; Alt Medicine / Wellness

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*Topic Spoiler*

Team Beachbody

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*Further Reading*

https://www.teambeachbody.com/

https://mlmtruth.org/2018/11/28/what-about-team-beachbody/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurengensler/2018/04/10/beachbody-carl-daikeler-shakeology/#533df21e7960

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a43612/team-beachbody-facebook/

https://perfectionhangover.com/why-i-quit-beachbody-coaching/

https://mlm.com/

http://www.mlmia.com/

The Sheffield Group - https://www.sheffieldnet.com/

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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Cult or Just Weird revisits a topic from Season 1... this time, with a friend or two.

Chris & Kayla interview one of the subjects of conversation from CoJW's season one Tulpa episodes (13 & 14).

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*Search Categories*

Internet culture; Common interest / Fandom

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*Topic Spoiler*

Interview with Nycto (tulpamancer) and Siouxsie (tulpa)

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*Further Reading*

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tulpas/

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/exmqzz/tulpamancy-internet-subculture-892

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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If you look, it's already too late.

Chris & Kayla talk about a topic that some believe is dangerous merely by knowing about it.

Content Warning: existential dread

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*Search Categories*

Anthropological; Internet culture; Destructive

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*Topic Spoiler*

Roko's Basilisk

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*Further Reading*

https://www.nickbostrom.com/information-hazards.pdf

https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Roko's_basilisk

https://slate.com/technology/2014/07/rokos-basilisk-the-most-terrifying-thought-experiment-of-all-time.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(mind_game)

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Roko%27s_basilisk#

https://www.lastwordonnothing.com/2018/04/24/whos-afraid-of-rokos-basilisk/

https://orbitermag.com/sinners-in-the-hands-of-an-angry-artificial-intelligence/

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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Did you know the human body can go for 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 14 days without Cult or Just Weird?

Chris and Kayla get into the meat of the topic and ruminate on the question of whether intermittent fasting is a... well, you know.

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*Search Categories*

Science / Pseudoscience; Alt Medicine / Wellness

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*Topic Spoiler*

Intermittent Fasting, pt2

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*Further Reading*

https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/intermittent-fasting-weight-loss-evidence-based-pros-cons/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-ways-to-do-intermittent-fasting

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/the-age-old-tradition-fasting-is-now-making-a-big-comeback/articleshow/67505162.cms?from=mdr

https://raseef22.com/article/1070152-fasting-custom-became-form-worship

https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/other-religious-beliefs-and-general-terms/religion-general/fasting

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740951/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2999843/

https://www.alimentarium.org/en/knowledge/voluntary-fasting

https://books.google.com/books?id=oY0UDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA150&lpg=PA150&dq=western+esotericism+and+fasting&source=bl&ots=cNMM4eOJ48&sig=ACfU3U1rShrFjWNnKl-b62qqJH7gT5nO6Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAur_F4__oAhVOlKwKHUepDTQQ6AEwCXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=western%20esotericism%20and%20fasting&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=KpvqhORGQe4C&pg=PT85&lpg=PT85&dq=western+esotericism+and+fasting&source=bl&ots=mCGK3-M4sx&sig=ACfU3U0A9HZizlQvBd9Tnt2zTaF6Q3JpjA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiAur_F4__oAhVOlKwKHUepDTQQ6AEwDHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=western%20esotericism%20and%20fasting&f=false

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_esotericism#Later_20th_century

https://www.swordofthespirit.net/spiritual-meaning-fasting/

https://amybeldingbrown.wordpress.com/2016/11/28/feasting-and-fasting-in-puritan-new-england/

https://www.medievalists.net/2019/11/why-people-medieval-were-fasting-on-fridays/

https://sspx.org/en/news-events/news/think-lent-tough-take-look-medieval-lenten-practices

https://www.alimentarium.org/en/knowledge/fasting-hinduism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sannyasa

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4dmoPK1tYNjRE8xT0xfV2hNVGs/edit

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/not-so-fast-pros-and-cons-of-the-newest-diet-trend

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/doctor-who-starved-her-patients-death-180953158/

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu, Liz T

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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Nothing tastes as good as addressing a broken system feels.

Chris and Kayla take a bite out of a topic that's been eating at Kayla since they started this show.

**content warning: If dieting and eating disorder related content isn't for you, please consider skipping this episode.

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*Search Categories*

Science / Pseudoscience; Alt Medicine / Wellness

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*Topic Spoiler*

Diet Culture Primer

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*Further Reading*

https://anad.org/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/clean-eating/faq-20336262

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a37595/what-is-clean-eating/

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/884kq4/your-fancy-honey-might-not-actually-be-honey

https://emilyprogram.com/blog/does-extreme-dieting-lead-to-eating-disorders/

https://haescommunity.com/

https://lindobacon.com/body-respect-book/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/04/why-diets-dont-actually-work-according-to-a-researcher-who-has-studied-them-for-decades/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_processing

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney, Erin Bratu

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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"You cannot save people. You can only love them." -Anais Nin

Welcome to Cult or Just Weird... SEASON 2.

In this episode Chris and Kayla talk about the importance of expertise, and about what happens when the cult is coming from inside the house.

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*Search Categories*

Science / Pseudoscience; Destructive

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*Topic Spoiler*

Cult Awareness Network & Cult Deprogramming

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*Further Reading*

"Cult" resource groups

https://www.icsahome.com/

http://cultresearch.org/

https://culteducation.com/

http://www.cultexperts.org/ (check out their "Buyer Beware" section...)

CAN & Deprogramming

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_Awareness_Network

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprogramming

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Patrick

A few nodes in the trust network to help you check your assumptions about all of this

"The Brainwashing Myth" on theconversation.com

"Do you Believe in Brainwashing?" on The Guardian

"Brainwashing & Deprogramming are equally mythological" on Skeptoid

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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Awards shows are rituals of indulgent, narcissistic filler.

It's the CoJW season one finale! Chris & Kayla revisit cults and weirds from all season to bestow some very prestigious and not at all fake awards.

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*Search Categories*

Popular Episode

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*Topic Spoiler*

Cult or Just Weird Season 1 recap

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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Yeah I get confused, that's the human in me. I reason that shit out, that's the science in me.

Chris & Kayla tap into their trust network to find experts to help navigate the tricky & complicated topic of epigenetics... and the tricky & complicated world of those who would abuse public misunderstanding of it.

Special thanks to Dr. Gorski of https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/ and https://respectfulinsolence.com/ for being on the show.

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*Search Categories*

Science / Pseudoscience; Business; MLM; Alt Medicine / Wellness

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*Topic Spoiler*

Ben Lynch & SeekingHealth, pt2

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*Further Reading*

Beware those that say they know the "One True Cause" of all disease

What Gizmodo has to say about the nascent genetic pseudoscience craze

What Forbes has to say about the nascent genetic pseudoscience craze

What 23andme has to say about MTHFR (opening quote: "the MTHFR gene is the most asked-about gene by 23andMe customers.")

Ben Lynch's bio has some really fun nuggets

Naturopathy is 99.9% bullshit, but here's what the other .1% can tell us

SciShow on YouTube tells us that there are actually a few supplements that do more than give you expensive pee!

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney

Wanna chat about the episode? Or just hang out?

Come join us on discord!

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We just took a DNA test, turns out...

To set the stage for the next cult-or-just-weird in question, Chris & Kayla dig into some very cool molecular biology.

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*Search Categories*

Science / Pseudoscience; Business; MLM; Alt Medicine / Wellness

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*Topic Spoiler*

Ben Lynch, SeekingHealth, & MTHFR

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*Further Reading*

Want to know a bit more about genetics?

The "Central Dogma of Molecular Biology" (warning: gets pretty technical)

NIH explanation of non-coding DNA (better name than "junk DNA")

...UNpronounceable

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*Patreon Credits*

initiates: Michaela Evans

cultists: Rebecca Kirsch, Pam Westergard, Alyssa Ottum, Ryan Quinn, Paul Sweeney