GAME: Cult analysis of NSPIC

The Low Golden Willow (phoenix@ugcs.caltech.edu)
Wed, 24 Sep 1997 20:32:51 -0700 (PDT)


Hey! I thought of a neat game to play. Analyze the NSPIC postings,
CSICOP or "Cult Awareness" style, to see how many attributes of a cult,
or of fixated thinking, they have. Of course the first step is finding
any traces of actual thinking.

I don't think I'll be much good at this, but I'll at least try to start.

Quotes are unattributed because I can't tell who wrote what at this
stage.

} Remember what the first step must accomplish. It must lift the NSPIC from
} the minds of those who enforce the NSPIC. It's slow work!

} Almost everybody enforces NSPIC. I find it really amazing that most people
} don't realize they're doing it. That makes NSPIC self-enforcing. It's not a

"You don't believe what we're saying? That just shows that you're part
of the problem! You must accept the truth of NSPIC and lift it from
yourself to escape it." This seems to be a variant of "believe us...
join us... and the problem will fade (you will be free)" and "everyone
is against us". Unconsciously against "us", but still enforcing NSPIC.

WesBurt met Mr. Plonk after posting his reply to reactions he ran into
on another list, in which he apparently accused the flood of unsubscribe
requests as an attempt to make it appear that the list manager had
unscrupulously signed up many people without their permission. He then
exhorted them to stick it out, and if they didn't like things anyway,
they could just use the delete key until they figured out how to
unsubscribe. I'm not sure what this qualifies as, although the first
bit seems to be standard paranoia -- "they're out to frame us!"

} I agree. I think this is even more important when you consider
} how many "adults" have the intellectual capacity of a 10-year old.

Er, however that's measured.

} If this can't be done the destruction of Ingrid will cause terrible loss
} and retribution.
} >If you are implying that this list isn't up to communicating
} through my
} >AI, called Ingrid, then I would really appreciate being put in

} The time required to implement AND to identify the barriers to
} understanding NSPIC AND

And this, alas, shows the difficulty in finding material worth making
fun of... part gibberish, part CAPITAL LETTERS, but pointing out the
latter doesn't feel very satisfying.

} Again, what the hell is Ingrid? Someone also briefly mentioned that it
} wasn't available for the Mac.

I missed this, but the sudden connection to a practical concern struck
me as wildly amusing, briefly. "Super Duper Software will Save the
World!!! ... only available for Windows 95."

Sadly part,
-xx- Damien R. Sullivan X-) <*> http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix

The residence of high dignitary of the Christian Church is called a
palace; that of the Founder of his religion was known as a field or
wayside. There is progress.
-- Ambrose Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_

(Now there was some good deprogramming...)