Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

Tasha Samar, an immigrant from Russia, wanted to find a place where she belonged. She didn’t want to be burdened by the daily monotony of decisions, and, more than that, she wanted a group who could help her forge bonds and an identity. This led Tasha into the Healthy, Happy, Holy Organization, also known as 3HO, which was a cult based around a perversion of Sikh culture that met in kundalini yoga studios. Members of the cult had to take on new identities and couldn’t communicate with others outside of the cult. Members of 3HO received new names and were subject to arranged marriages. Each member was required to revere the leader, and Tasha remembers the language entrenched around this cult that twisted benign terms like “old soul” to instill fear of leaving the cult.

Similarly, Alyssa Clarke, a young adult who moved to Los Angeles, sought a place where she could stay in shape. She found herself wrapped up in the CrossFit life and became a disciple of the coach, known as the WoDFather (founder of the Workout of the Day and the CrossFit program). CrossFit required Alyssa to learn new terminology and play by the group’s rules, or else she would be shamed on social media.