International Socialists (Amsterdam): "How Come We're Socialists But We're Not Social?"
Was I in a Cult?Show Notes
In 2007, at 19-years-old, Hella had a boss who molested her at work, and no one to turn to. Then one day, walking through her university square in Amsterdam, she met a group of people full of conviction. Passionate about the injustices in the world. And passionate about doing something about it. They were a far-left political group. A Trotskyist splinter organization called the International Socialists (aka Internationale Socialisten). They knew who was to blame (the capitalists). And they knew what it would take to fix it... ...a goddamn revolution. 14 years later, after giving them her money, her twenties, and her autonomy… after the tragic death of a fellow female comrade… Hella woke up to something she couldn't unsee: The exact thing she'd been fighting against was running rampant inside the group that claimed to be against it. __________________________________________________________________
FIND HELLA You can find Hella on Facebook (Hella Baan). She said if you'd like to send her an email, go for it! [email protected] HELLA'S WRITINGS DURING HER TIME IN THE GROUP
Hella's article archive at socialisme.nu (in Dutch) — the articles she published as a comrade, a rare window into her voice from inside the organization REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini The Guardian's 2013 coverage of the SWP / Comrade Delta case -- Shiv Malik and Nick Cohen's reporting on the Martin Smith rape allegations and the party's internal cover-up Monty Python's "Splitters!" scene -- the People's Front of Judea vs. the Judean People's Front Monty Python's "meeting" scene -- where the People's Front of Judea proves you can have all the feminist rhetoric in the world and still be an all-boys club IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER "The SWP Crisis: Some Reflections" -- a widely-cited insider account of the 2013 crisis at the SWP, written as it was happening "Apology Not Accepted" -- a 2024 follow-up from ex-members proving the pattern Hella describes is alive and well today The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism by Aidan Beatty -- the definitive account of the abuse and authoritarianism inside one of the most infamous British Trotskyist groups, and the lineage Hella's organization descends from FOLLOW US
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More from Was I in a Cult?
When we left Evie, she had just landed in Germany with Mary and Liam on a mission from "the gods" to save the world… only to have her money, passport, ID and credit cards disappear almost immediately. And then somehow, things manage to only get worse from there. With Evie now stranded in a foreign country, Mary takes on the role of her self-appointed "manager," setting income demands, controlling her schedule and eventually pushing her to sell her body in more ways than one... all to do what? Give all her earnings to pay for the group to live, of course. All of it. So how does one go from small town Texas to eventually asylum housing in Germany? Listen to find out. This is Part 2 of Evie's wonderfully bizarre, funny, and heartbreaking story. And the moment she finally begins asking the question at the center of this entire show: "Wait, was I in a cult?" ____ FOLLOW US Instagram → @wasiinacult TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected] SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Quince makes elevated everyday essentials at 50-80% less than similar brands! Free shipping and 365-day returns → quince.com/cult Boll & Branch makes organic cotton sheets woven to keep you cool all night. 15% off plus free shipping → bollandbranch.com/cult, code: CULT
Evie was only 17 when she met Mary. First, Mary was her friend. Then her girlfriend. Then her friend again. And eventually... her cult leader. Evie didn't know it then, but apparently there was something about Mary. Something that got Evie to mess around with pagan rituals like a couple of bored teenagers in Texas... and eventually got Evie to complete missions from "the gods," practice astral projection, and take direction from a water spirit named Flo. All in the name of "saving Texas." And then somehow... ... got her to QUIT HER JOB, get rid of her WORLDLY POSSESSIONS, and MOVE TO GERMANY to SAVE THE WORLD. This is Part 1 of 2. And this is only the beginning of where this experience takes our wonderful earnest guest with an infectious laugh, Evie. So be sure to stick around for Part 2 next week. ____ FOLLOW US Instagram → @wasiinacult TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected] SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Quince makes elevated everyday essentials at 50-80% less than similar brands! Free shipping and 365-day returns → quince.com/cult Boll & Branch makes organic cotton sheets woven to keep you cool all night. 15% off plus free shipping → bollandbranch.com/cult, code: CULT
By high school, church wasn't just Shannon McElroy's faith, it was her community and her future. She was going to be a Christian counselor. Then her youth group took her to something called "Acquire the Fire": a massive Christian youth conference that was part rock concert, part revival, and for Shannon, one hell of a spiritual high. Before long, she'd be leaving college to join Teen Mania's Honor Academy. A year-long "internship" in rural Texas that promised purpose, ministry, and a chance to change the world. All she had to do was pay hundreds of dollars a month for the privilege of working for them... for free. All she had to do was pay hundreds of dollars a month for the privilege of working for them... for free. As you can imagine, what Shannon thought she'd signed up for was not exactly what she got. Like the retreat where they simulated a prison and made her do wall sits. For Jesus. And that was just one of their so-called "Life Transforming Events." Now, to be fair, they did transform her. Just not the way it said in the brochure.
Daniella Mestyanek Young was born three generations deep into the Children of God and today, she finally gets out. At 15-years-old, she lands in Texas with no real education, no money and no friggin' idea how life on the outside works. But true to form, she badasses her way through it. And excels. Somehow, the girl who escaped one extreme, hierarchical world becomes an intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, deploys to Afghanistan, and helps make history for women in combat. But on her very first day of basic training she thinks: "Oh... I've joined another cult."
Daniella Mestyanek Young was born three generations deep into the Children of God, yet somehow, that was only the beginning. She would go on to become a US Army intelligence officer, help make history for women in combat, become Harvard educated in organizational psychology, and write two books. But first, she had to survive her childhood. In Part One, Daniella takes us inside the Children of God world she was born into: child labor, child performers, massive communes, David Berg's increasingly deranged teachings, and a family history so complicated Daniella has a name for it... sex cult math. And one rainy day at 12 years old, one casual comment from her mother about glasses changed what Daniella thought she knew about her own family forever. _________ FOLLOW DANIELLA Her website → Knitting Cult Lady Instagram → @daniellamyoung_ YouTube → @KnittingCultLady Her books, Uncultured and The Culting of America → here FOLLOW US Instagram → @wasiinacult TikTok → @wasiinacult SUPPORT THE SHOW Join our Patreon! Ad-free episodes, bonus content, behind-the-scenes conversations, and our forever gratitude. HAVE A CULTY STORY? Email us → [email protected] SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Larineco offers gum that actually makes your teeth stronger. Up to 50% off → buylarine.com/wasiinacult