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Was on CNN but you can watch it on Netflix. About a cult based in California called the "Buddhafield." Really fucked up. Recommend it, if you're into the fucked up.

I watched it when it first aired (we have CNN on at work all the time). Yeah, was pretty fucked.

The dude is pretty bizarre. You have to wonder how deliberately he developed all of that or if the cult just sort of developed along with his own sense of control/egomania.

snipelfritz wrote:I watched it when it first aired (we have CNN on at work all the time). Yeah, was pretty fucked.

The dude is pretty bizarre. You have to wonder how deliberately he developed all of that or if the cult just sort of developed along with his own sense of control/egomania.

I partly think it is the latter. It's easy to judge just by the pictures but even the early photos of him prior to starting the group makes you feel a bit uneasy about him. I think what is so fascinating is that he likely had some aspect of good intentions of wanting to help people but he wasn't a fully aware person himself and let his darker side take over or guide things and he excused the inexcusable by creating these pseudo-spiritual explanations to rationalize his behavior. I think it's similar to what priests that molest children do. They use their faith or doctrine to rationalize and excuse their behavior.

And it's also fascinating the disciples' feelings of peak experience and exhalation - when the "master" is touching their foreheads. Did they just believe so much in him and his alleged ability that they manifested the feelings they had on their own? Their willingness and need to believe produced real felt effects.

Faldoe wrote:It's easy to judge just by the pictures but even the early photos of him prior to starting the group makes you feel a bit uneasy about him.

Just pointing out that this is nearly the dictionary definition of confirmation bias. In other words: would you have felt uneasy if you didn't know he started a cult?

D.o.S. wrote:

Faldoe wrote:It's easy to judge just by the pictures but even the early photos of him prior to starting the group makes you feel a bit uneasy about him.

Just pointing out that this is nearly the dictionary definition of confirmation bias. In other words: would you have felt uneasy if you didn't know he started a cult?

Yes, I know. That was why I said it is easy to judge by the pictures but I could have spelled it out more to mean "easy to judge by the pictures having already seen the footage and narrative laid out about him up till that point "

It's good you point that out though because I got the sense that he was someone intense in focus on what they were doing and it could have been that he really believed in helping people and had a legit interest in personal/collective spiritual betterment but ended up succumbing to his own unchecked/unexamined demons.

The whole thing kind of reminded me of when a friend got involved in a weird, unhealthy manipulative relationship that didn't even start as a "romantic"/sexual relationship but was coerced into such. There was literally a moment when they snapped out of it and just had to get out of there.

I waited until everything was smoothed over to unleash my slew of "I told you so's"

Watched it a couple of weeks ago. Really freaky story.

I love documentaries about cults. Any other good ones out there? Preferably on Netflix if they exist

I've always wanted to write a sitcom about a cult leader.

It's called Seinfeld

[youtube]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=F3f4aleOAxo[/youtube]
this is great. it was on netflix but may be gone.

The source documentary was very good. It has been a while but certainly worth watching. Man the 70s must have been quite a time to be a young adult. Will have to check out holy hell this weekend.