Internet “Cult” or just Making Your Own Choice?
January 13, 2009 by Colleen Coplick
Filed under Social Media
I spend a lot of time wandering about the interwebs and reading articles that interest me. It makes some sense – as a writer, I’ve got an insatiable curiosity about the world, so when I stumbled across an article titled "The mother and son torn apart by web ‘cult’ that destroys families: Teenage follower of a controversial internet philosopher tells how he walked out on his family and why he now despises them" I was easily distracted and rather enthralled.
Turns out there’s a guy named Stefan Molyneux, who claims to be an Internet philosopher, who advocates, or perhaps just encourages a practice called "defooing" – the act of "freeing onseself from one’s family of origin". Turns out there are approximately 20 young adults – all above the age of consent – who have "defooed" themselves, leaving their families and simply going out on their own. The only reason this is different than when I moved out of my mom’s house when I was 18 is that I stayed in touch, and these folks are cutting their families off entirely.
The family featured in the story – the Weeds – are claiming that Molyneaux is a cult leader with "malign influences". Molyneaux says that his site is simple the largest and most popular philosopy site on the internet.
When the Times Online interviewed Ms. Weed’s soon, Tom (who is 18), he said “Love should not be imposed upon a child, like a chore on a ticklist: mow the lawn, wash the dishes, love your parents, I started to examine my relationships with people in my family, and came to understand that they weren’t for me… I didn’t feel like I was listened to by my parents. Whenever I tried to make my preferences felt, they didn’t respond in an interested way.”(that last complaint seems like that of a frustrated teenager, not that of a rational adult to me.)
What I’m trying to determine now is whether or not this phenomenon is any different than any other so called organization. The only main difference that I can see is that Molyneaux is using social networking tools to reach more people (there’s that broader audience again). His Freedomain Radio site primarily uses podcasts as his method of information delivery, and claims 4 million downloads per year.
Do these tools simply make it easier for people to get caught up in what appears to be a random scheme, or are families simply applying some of the new social media tools and opportunities technology affords us to blame people when their children act in a manner they don’t approve of? Is social media just a scape goat?
Tags: cults, family, philosophy, scape goat
(that last complaint seems like that of a frustrated teenager, not that of a rational adult to me.)
Oddly, at 44 years of age, my parents still have not grasped the art of conversation. They would rather Tell rather than talk. They would rather I do as the say, rather than understand what makes me tick.
I moved to BC in 1996 to rebuild a relationship with my family. Instead, I found myself following a path of destruction in a dysfunctional environment and recognize that these “defooing” people may actually have a chance to grow and discover something more about themselves.
Now, let me stop for a sec. I didn’t go look into this character and it does seem cultish in some respects. However, that statement by the 18 year old seemed very lucid and intelligent. Very aware, self-aware, and socially aware. Our societal dysfunction stems from families too.
Interesting. In the end, everyone’s got to figure things out for themselves. The internet is just the newest tool for good AND bad.
And thanks for distracting me too!
I’ve been following Stefan Molyneaux at http://freedomainradio.com for some time now. I find him to be very rational and thought provoking. Fundamentally, he teaches that if you find yourself surrounded by toxic people that aren’t good for you, then you should do what you can to distance yourself from them.
I have been actively implementing his advice in my life with excellent results.
It is not healthy to continue to place yourself in harm’s way – emotionally or physically. It doesn’t matter if the people doing the harm are family or not. You must protect yourself and insist upon being respected.
The world would be a kinder, gentler and all around better place if more people followed Molyneaux’s advice.
Since you wrote about Stefan Molyneux in January 2009, the number of young people who have “defooed” has risen to around a hundred. As you say in your article, Stefan Molyneux “is using social networking tools to reach more people”. He does this in order to promote his business, asking for “voluntary donations” for his “free” podcasts and books. He also strives to reach more people in order to spread his doctrine of personal freedom, especially freedom from the family. My son is still a loyal follower of Molyneux and has many friends within the cult of Freedomain Radio.