In this episode of Cults and the Culting of America, Daniella and Scot talk with brother-sister filmmakers Rebecca and Pete Davis, co-directors of the documentary Join or Die. The film explores the steep decline in civic engagement across America and how rebuilding community is the antidote to the loneliness, polarization, and manipulation that make people vulnerable to cults.

Together, they discuss the connection between isolation and extremism, how everyday community life has eroded over decades, and why showing up for local action is both a civic duty and a personal safeguard against coercive control. From Bowling Alone to the "cult of media," this conversation challenges listeners to ask one question: What am I doing alone that I could be doing together?

Pete and Rebecca's Links:

Website

Movie

Daniella's Links:

Preorder for Culting of America: The Culting of America PRE-SALE (SHIPS BY JANUARY 20, 2026) – Knitting Cult Lady

Go Fund Me for Culting of America: https://tr.ee/fldwYRFTJI

Daniella Mestyanek Young's book:

• From Bookshop.org

• Uncultured Autograph:

Connect with Daniella on social media

• TikTok, Patreon, Instagram
• Youtube

Other Podcasts

Daniella's other podcast: Hey White Women

Scot's Socials

TikTok: @thescotloyd

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thescotloyd

Haley's Tiktok

@nuancedmasculinities

💡 Key Takeaways

• The ultimate inoculation against bad community is good community.

• 43% of Americans report belonging to zero community groups — a sign of deep civic decline.

• Cults exploit the human need for belonging that isolation leaves unmet.

• Healthy communities build "social capital" — the foundation of both democracy and resilience.

• Television, air conditioning, and social media each contributed to the privatization of daily life.

• Online groups offer connection but lack the embodied care of local, face-to-face relationships.

• "Civic reforestation" starts small — hosting a club, joining a group, showing up in person.

• Conflict isn't bad; learning to have it well is a democratic skill.

• Attention is power — Americans spend about 10 hours a day consuming media instead of creating community.

• Every movement in history began with about 1% of people showing up.

• Cult-proof your life by diversifying your relationships and commitments.

• Start where you are: know your neighbors, host a screening, join something local.

Chapters

00:00 – Welcome & Introductions

02:00 – Why We Need Good Communities

04:00 – Isolation as a Weapon

05:30 – A 75-Year Decline in Connection

09:00 – Democracy and Social Fabric

12:00 – Air Conditioning, Modernity, and Lost Stoops

14:00 – What Are You Doing Alone That You Could Be Doing Together?

17:00 – From Online to Embodied Community

19:00 – The Cult of Media & Attention Theft

22:00 – Mono-Focus and Cult Vulnerability

26:00 – Why We Have Fewer Friends Now

30:00 – Learning the Lost Art of Organizing

33:00 – Lessons from History

36:00 – Conflict Is Good in a Democracy

40:00 – How to Watch or Host "Join or Die"

42:00 – Showing Up: The Real Inoculation

45:00 – Closing Reflections

Produced by Haley Phillips, Meghan Picmann, and Lizy Freudmann