While I am in the process of explaining cults and conspiracies (like QAnon), here's another head-scratching phenomenon that has been way more successful than it has any right to be.
Nxivm (pronounced "nexium") is a good old-fashioned personality cult that has recently heen taken down, although not before ensnaring some rich and influentual (but apparently not bright) individuals and ruining the lives of several. Its leader, Keith Raniere, was sentenced to 120 years in prison by a New York judge yesterday.
Nxivm was, at least ostensibly, a self-help organization run by a charismatic leader (sound familiar?), featuring five-day personal development and self-improvement courses by Raniere for a well-to-do (and largely female) clientele. Actress Allison Macknwas sucked into it and became involved in its operations, and Canadian Seagrams alchohol empire heiresss Claire Bronfman sank more than $100 million of her money into it (and received a 6 year jail sentence for her pains).
In the meantime, Raniere was treating adherents as sex slaves, even branding some with his initials (the guy had obviously read up on Charles Manson and Jim Jones), and forced, forsome reason, to follow a restrictive "Vanguard" diet. Raniere was convicted of racketeering, sex trafficking, extortion, criminal conspiracy, and the sexual exploitation of a 15 year old girl, among other charges.
I have never really understood cults and their psychological basis. You would think that as soon as someone sees something even vaguely suspect, they would be out of there like a bat out of hell. But I guess that is the nature of charismatic leaders: they can hook people and reel them in before they know what is happening. Well, Raniere has had his rod well and truly snapped. As for his victims, I guess they have to pick up the pieces of their lives as well as they can.
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