The CULTural Zeitgeist

This week, we discuss Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the MAHA movement. What does it really mean, and is it as good as it sounds? Short answer: Probably not. 

We finally cover Amy Carlson A.K.A. Mother God, who's cult of personality may have led to her undoing. 

Possibly one of the most influential people we have covered this far, Helena Blavatsky is considered a fraud by some but to us, she is just a 19th-century hustler girlie, who may or may not have been hustled herself. 

Bentino Massaro leveraged the internet to grow a devout following. His teachings are a spiritual circle jerk of nonsense that has led to one death and a trail of sexual assault allegations. 

Originally aired November 1, 2023

In 1981 residents of Antelope, Oregon found their small conservative town of 40 residents overtaken by thousands of orange-clad strangers. The outsiders came to Oregon looking to create a utopian society dedicated to their leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. But years of investigations would find the Rajneeshees responsible for the first and largest bioterror attack on U.S. soil, and multiple attempted assassinations.

Safe Passage Foundation

The Safe Passage Foundation provides resources, support and advocacy for people raised in restrictive, isolated or high-demand communities, colloquially referred to as "cults".

Reference:

Keys, Scott. “A Strange but True Tale of Voter Fraud and Bioterrorism.” The Atlantic, 10 June 2014.

Thuras, Dylan. “The Secret’s in the Sauce: Bioterror at the Salsa Bar.” Slate, 9 January 2014.

Bassett, Andreas. “Fall From Grace: The Story of Rajneeshpuram.” The Pacific Sentinal, 10 May 2018

Kent, Dickon. “ What ‘Wild Wild Country’ Didn’t Say: 57 Answers to Questions About Rajneeshpuram from a Teenage Resident.” Medium, 16 April 2018

Wild Wild Country. Directed by Maclain Way and Chapman Way, Duplass Brothers Productions, 2018. Netflix.

Belle Gibson continues to take her scheme to new levels, gets blasted on 60 Minutes, and takes cultural appropriation to a new level. 

Cancer Research Institute

Cancer Research Institute’s mission is to save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. It holds an A- from charity watchdog CharityWatch for it’s transparency and the amount of money it allocated to actually help fund research.

Resources

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con. Scribble, 2018

Ackerman, Tessa. “Cancer Fraudster Belle Gibson Rejected by Ethiopians.” The Weekend Australian. 24 January 2020

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. “Friends and doctors raise doubts over 'Healing Belle' cancer claims.” The Age, 10 March 2015

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. “Backlash over app developer Belle Gibson's missing charity money.” The Age, 9 March 2015

Weaver, Claire. “Belle Gibson: The Girl Who Conned Us All.” Now To Love, 25 July 2015

Originally aired November 13, 2023

Wellness influencer Belle Gibson claimed that she had cured herself of malignant brain cancer through clean eating and coffee enemas. But, spoiler alert, she was a huge F*CKING liar.

Cancer Research Institute

Cancer Research Institute’s mission is to save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. It holds an A- from charity watchdog CharityWatch for it’s transparency and the amount of money it allocated to actually help fund research.

Resources

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. The Woman Who Fooled The World: Belle Gibson’s Cancer Con. Scribble, 2018

Ackerman, Tessa. “Cancer Fraudster Belle Gibson Rejected by Ethiopians.” The Weekend Australian. 24 January 2020

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. “Friends and doctors raise doubts over 'Healing Belle' cancer claims.” The Age, 10 March 2015

Donelly, Beau and Nick Toscano. “Backlash over app developer Belle Gibson's missing charity money.” The Age, 9 March 2015

Weaver, Claire. “Belle Gibson: The Girl Who Conned Us All.” Now To Love, 25 July 2015

The sheets I promised to link in the shownotes 

JZ Knight rose to prominence for channeling a Ramtha, a 35,000-year-old entity from a lost civilization. However, she quickly contorted her message of love and self-acceptance into a racist doomsday prediction that pit reptilian aliens against only the most enlightened of mankind. 

This episode was previously aired on 12/6/2023

Katie Griggs was a girl-bossing yoga teacher and somehow a follower of two cult leader creeps (Osho and Yogi Bhajan) we have already covered. So things went really well...

Resources 

Phelan, Hayley. “The Second Coming of Guru Jagat.” Vanity Fair. 1 December 2021

Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven. “Before the sudden death of its leader, Ra Ma Yoga Institute was accused by some former members of being a cult. What happens now?” Business Insider. 30 October 2021

George, Cassidy. “Inside the Dubious World of RA MA Yoga, and Its Girl Boss Guru to the Stars” Vice. 13 July 2021

@RamaWrong on Instagram