IndoctriNation

It’s an excellent podcast. The information provided by her and the guests is valuable. Being aware of what coercion can look like can help us navigate many situations where this arises in life, not just cults. Rachel is a sharp insightful thinker, and very good at rooting out the insidious layers that often accompany manipulation. So it was strange to hear her guest that was speaking on antisemitism using many of the same exact manipulative types of rhetoric that Rachel is usually so good at identifying, but instead she seemed blind to it. It’s understandable, no one is immune from indoctrination, that’s a theme of the podcast. That episode was quite glaring though. I wish Rachel will eventually apply her own rubric to the claims that guest was making, by Rachel’s own standards that guest should be considered coercive and making clear manipulative errors. Oh well. Great podcast anyway.

Super well done. I think it would be a really good idea to do more crossover shows with true crime podcasts—I listen to a lot of them and one thing I hear over and over again is at the root of some unbelievable and unexpected crime, is a coercive person pulling everyone else’s strings. I think this is an important podcast and maybe more people would think twice if they heard the stories of how good and normal people end up committing unbelievable crimes because of stories they believed that other people told them were true.

I was never in a cult but for those of us escaped abusive households, we recognize these behaviors.

What I appreciate most about this podcast so far, that differentiates it from other ones I’ve listened to on this difficult subject, is that the interviewer goes deep, goes wide, and let’s the subject tell their story without interruption. I also appreciate the follow up questions and analysis. It’s just compelling, informative and without any manipulation. A rare thing. Thank you.