21 Groups We Pretend Are Normal That Are Actually Cults

We in the Western world like to act like we’re all about the rugged individual, but deep down inside, we just want to belong. It turns out it’s pretty hard to fulfill all of your emotional, spiritual, social and even some physical needs all on your own (that guy knows what we’re talking about), so we form groups, and sometimes, we get a little too into them.

As a result, a lot of modern life is pretty hard to distinguish from a cult. There are political factions and actual religions, yes, but also a bunch of shit you’d never think people could become zealots about, but here we are. Absent a deeper purpose in life, people will devote themselves to whatever messiah they find.

So when user suckontitties (a worthy cause on its own) asked r/AskReddit, “What is a cult that pretends it’s not cult?” pretty much every facet of modern life was in the hot seat.