I think you need to specify what you mean by cult. The way I personally understand it, a cult includes a leader who exploits their members for free labor, oftentimes for sexual gratification, and removes them from their friends and families while subjecting them to psychological manipulation. I’m having a hard time thinking of a hobby that meets the criteria I’m more familiar with.
This. There are defined criteria as to what a real cult is, and once you have any familiarity with that, you realize that 99% of what people call “cultlike” is really just culture.
I think you need to specify what you mean by cult. The way I personally understand it, a cult includes a leader who exploits their members for free labor, oftentimes for sexual gratification, and removes them from their friends and families while subjecting them to psychological manipulation. I’m having a hard time thinking of a hobby that meets the criteria I’m more familiar with.
This. There are defined criteria as to what a real cult is, and once you have any familiarity with that, you realize that 99% of what people call “cultlike” is really just culture.