Hello! I’m a newer ex-anti! I’ve seen you post about antis being a cult before, but keyword search is broken for me again right now and I can’t search your blog for any possible previous posts, so I was wondering: Could you explain your thoughts on this more? Back in anti spaces I saw a lot of the inverse, with pro-shippers being called a cult. I tend to be wary about cult comparisons in general, but I wanted to ask about it since I’ve seen other pro-shippers say the same. Thank you for your time!
Hi anon! Welcome to the blog.
This isn’t actually a topic we’ve spoken on specifically before to my recollection, but we have reblogged posts about the topic. Some of our mutuals and other members of the proship community are ex-mormons, and ex jehova’s witnesses, and have spoken wildly about the similarities they perceive between fancop behavior and cult behavior.
While we in Sinister do come from a background of religious abuse, we do not have any specific experience with cult indoctrination in this lifetime. I’ll give you my perspective in any case.
First and foremost I want to emphasize that neither antis nor proshippers are actually “a cult” in the traditional sense.
However, antishippers and fancops as a community, share traits in the way they behave toward their members with the way that cults operate. It’s a matter of control.
I’ll list key signs of a cult in bold with a bullet point, and then elaborate on how I feel fancops use this behavior below.
- The group suppresses skepticism
Any instance of someone questioning anti philosophy is often accused of being a proshipper themselves.
- The group delegitimizes former members
Same as above. Former antis who speak out are accused of being pedophiles, groomers, etc.
- The group is paranoid about the outside world
Antis are paranoid that a huge number of people are secretly pedophiles and obsessive about rooting them out.
- The group relies on shame cycles
Fancops often go through periods of self-flagellation over the slightest slip from perfection, which are perpetuated and emphasized by other fancops who humiliate them and demand atonement.
- The group uses “thought reform” methods
This one should be obvious. Fancops put forth that their way of thinking is the correct one, and that anyone who does not adhere to it is a deviant and a pedophile who “needs help.”
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