Comparing social justice ideology with a cult

Many scholars who have studied religious cults, how they operate, and how they make their members subservient and obedient to the cult, have came up with lists of techniques that most such cults use in order to achieve this. One such list is the so-called "BITE" model, which stands for "Behavior control", "Information control", "Thought control" and "Emotional control".

I will go through this list here, so you can see how much it fits the modern social justice ideology and how they operate. I will add my own comments to some of these entries in parentheses.

Behavior Control

* Promote dependence and obedience
* Modify behavior with rewards and punishments

(Very much so, especially with any dissent being heavily shunned and punished. Speech is also heavily controlled with punishment.)

* Dictate where and with whom you live

(In many universities dorms segregated by race are being demanded.)

* Restrict or control sexuality
* Control clothing and hairstyle

(Certain clothing is banned and restricted for being "cultural appropriation".)

* Regulate what and how much you eat and drink
* Deprive you of seven to nine hours of sleep
* Exploit you finanically
* Restrict leisure time and activities
* Require you to seek permission for major decisions

Information Control

* Deliberately withhold and distort information

(Arguably so, quite a lot.)

* Forbid you from speaking with ex-members and critics

(Definitely so. Members are discouraged from speaking to and engaging in debates with critics and the "enemy".)

* Discourage access to non-cult sources of information

(Likewise.)

* Divide information into Insider vs. Outsider doctrine

(Arguably so. Especially in universities, social justice classes do not really like being filmed, and oftentimes such videos have been made covertly and uploaded online.)

* Generate and use propaganda extensively

(Quite definitely.)

* Use information gained in confession sessions against you
* Gaslight to make you doubt your own memory

(Arguably this happens quite a lot, for instance with many women being convinced that they have been the victims of sexual assault, even though that might not be true.)

* Require you to report thoughts, feelings and activities to superiors
* Encourage you to spy and report on others' "misconduct"

(Very definitely happening in lots of universities and other institutions.)

Thought Control

* Instill Black vs. White, Us vs. Them, Good vs. Evil thinking

(Very, very much so.)

* Change your identity, possibly even your name

(In some cases, arguably. For instance, members are encouraged to change their sexuality and "gender identity", especially if they are regular straight males.)

* Use loaded language and cliches to stop complex thought

(Very much so.)

* Induce hypnotic or trance states to indoctrinate
* Teach thought-stopping techniques to prevent critical thoughts

(Arguably so, even if more indirectly.)

* Allow only positive thoughts

(Ironically, in the case of social justice, more like "allow only negative thoughts". Members are taught and encouraged to see problems everywhere and be always angry about it.)

* Use excessive meditation, singing, prayer and chanting to block thoughts

(At least chanting is a common technique, especially when dealing with critics.)

* Reject rational analysis, critical thinking and doubt

(Very much so. Even some academic scholars are more and more writing articles against rationality, objectivity and critical thinking, as incredible as that might sound.)

Emotional Control

* Instill irrational fears (phobias) of questioning or leaving the group

(Very much so.)

* Label some emotions as evil, worldly, sinful, or wrong
* Teach emotion-stopping techniques to prevent anger, homesickness

(Again, ironically actually the opposite: Teach members to always be angry. The end result can be the same.)

* Promote feelings of guilt, shame and unworthiness

(Very much so, in many forms. Most directly towards white people, especially males, even those who are members of the ideology. All white people are racist and oppressive, even if they think they are not, and thus must make amends, and so on and so forth. Promoting the feeling of unworthiness on non-white people is much subtler and indirect, but arguably is a technique. It happens primarily in the form of victimization, making people think they are victims of oppression and that's why they are so unsuccessful in life. Even if they aren't.)

* Shower you with praise and attention ("love bombing")
* Threaten your friends and family
* Shun if you disobey or disbelieve

(Very, very much so.)

* Teach that there is no happiness or peace outside the group

(Very much so.)