Amanda Montell
Jews Probably Won’t Join Your Cult
"Cultish" author Amanda Montell talks to Alma about all things cults — and why you won't find many Jews in them.
“At the end of the day, there is no cult / not a cult binary,” linguist Amanda Montell explains. “These things are not black and white. It’s a spectrum. There’s cultiness all around us. And it’s important to be specific and to be nuanced, because it’s not productive, and it’s in fact dangerous, to go around being like that’s a cult, that’s a cult, that’s a cult.”
In her new book, “Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism,” Montell does just that: she breaks down the spectrum of cults. It’s called “Cultish,” because she includes what you think of when you think of classic cults, like Jonestown, but also things that are, well, cult-ish, like SoulCycle and Instagram influencers. Again: a spectrum. The book is a smart and fascinating read on the language of cults, and highly readable and engaging. As I wrote in my summer books preview, I simply need everyone I know to read this book.
I obviously leapt at the opportunity to ask Montell, a Jewish author, about all things cults, MLMs, antisemitic conspiracy theories, and why you’ll rarely find Jews in cults.
