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The article makes it look like the existence of this cult is an extremely widely-known fact and thus it doesn't need much introduction. But I only learned about

The article makes it look like the existence of this cult is an extremely widely-known fact and thus it doesn't need much introduction. But I only learned about it after clicking this link. It weirds me out that some people are so amenable to this kind of thing, enough to kill themselves.

colechristensen 5y ago
There are many human weaknesses, the desire for meaning in life leads some people to be susceptible to this kind of thing both causing it and falling victim to it.
- datavirtue 5y ago
  The meaning of life is that which is assigned by the one living it. Liberating once you realize that no one has any answers for you. Like He-Man said, "I have the power."
genewitch 5y ago
If you were a teen or older when it happened, and lived in the US, it was pretty big news. I can still reach my cousin-in-law on an AOL email named after the comet mixed with his last name. Yes, it was cathartic to type this out and hit post.
- grishka 5y ago
  I was single-digit years old in the 90s and I live in Russia.
- datavirtue 5y ago
  I was 19 and watched absolutely zero cable or network news in 1997. I have been learning of events from that time that I had no idea occurred or where on the news. I had a life, and therefore no time to watch anything. Sort of like these days. I watch PBS News Hour a few times a week to keep up. Even that's a chore.
  - paulryanrogers 5y ago
    > I had a life, and therefore no time to watch anything. Great! And good for you trying to stay informed despite a different definition of what constitutes a fulfilling life. Some of us enjoyed following news more closely, even during our teenage years.
- Handytinge 5y ago
  That's maybe like 2-3% of the worlds population.
Hamuko 5y ago
Surely you're aware of Jonestown, which was a much larger such event?
- grishka 5y ago
  No? Again, I'm non-US.
  - booleandilemma 5y ago
    Also read about Waco, if you’re into this sort of thing: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege
    - MandieD 5y ago
      Pedantic Central Texan: the cult compound and subsequent siege weren’t actually in Waco - that’s the nearest city with television stations and an airport. If you’re not Southern Baptist, feel free to make a joke about the real cult in Waco being headquartered at the Truett Seminary (Baylor). If you grew up Southern Baptist (like myself), giggle even more about the Vatican on the Brazos. I learned once I got to college on the East Coast in the late 90s that the rest of the country automatically thought “cult compound siege and fire” instead of “Baylor,” when they heard the name of the nearest big city to where I grew up, so took to describing my hometown as being “about an hour north of Austin” instead of “30 minutes south of Waco”. Austin was always far, far cooler than Waco, but that always felt a bit pretentious, as my hometown is a lot more like Waco than it is Austin… which is probably why I ended up running off to the East Coast for college.
      - dylan604 5y ago
        We also made a joke about kids in Waco only having two options on what to do for the weekend: North or South. Dallas or Austin.
    - philwelch 5y ago
      That's quite a bit more complicated than just another suicide cult. From your link: > Increasingly aggressive techniques were used to try to force the Branch Davidians out. For instance, sleep deprivation of the inhabitants through all-night broadcasts of recordings of jet planes, pop music, chanting, and the screams of rabbits being slaughtered. Outside the compound, nine Bradley Fighting Vehicles carrying M651 CS tear gas grenades and Ferret rounds and five M728 Combat Engineer Vehicles obtained from the U.S. Army began patrolling. The armored vehicles were used to destroy perimeter fencing and outbuildings and crush cars belonging to the Branch Davidians. Armored vehicles repeatedly drove over the grave of Branch Davidian Peter Gent despite protests by the Branch Davidians and the negotiators. ... > Criticism was later leveled by Schneider's attorney, Jack Zimmerman, at the tactic of using sleep-and-peace-disrupting sound against the Branch Davidians: "The point was this—they were trying to have sleep disturbance and they were trying to take someone that they viewed as unstable to start with, and they were trying to drive him crazy. And then they got mad 'cos he does something that they think is irrational!" ... > At around noon, three fires broke out almost simultaneously in different parts of the building and spread quickly; footage of the blaze was broadcast live by television crews. The government maintains the fires were deliberately started by the Branch Davidians. Some Branch Davidian survivors maintain that the fires were accidentally or deliberately started by the assault.
microtherion 5y ago
In France/Switzerland, there is the Order of the Solar Temple, which seems to be somewhat unique among suicide cults for being repeat offenders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple
- jrimbault 5y ago
  A cult of repeat group suicide sounds like something out of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
  - MauranKilom 5y ago
    ...or Monty Python.
- dylan604 5y ago
  repeat offenders or repeat offendings?

colechristensen 5y ago

There are many human weaknesses, the desire for meaning in life leads some people to be susceptible to this kind of thing both causing it and falling victim to it.

datavirtue 5y ago
The meaning of life is that which is assigned by the one living it. Liberating once you realize that no one has any answers for you. Like He-Man said, "I have the power."

genewitch 5y ago

If you were a teen or older when it happened, and lived in the US, it was pretty big news. I can still reach my cousin-in-law on an AOL email named after the comet mixed with his last name. Yes, it was cathartic to type this out and hit post.

grishka 5y ago
I was single-digit years old in the 90s and I live in Russia.
datavirtue 5y ago
I was 19 and watched absolutely zero cable or network news in 1997. I have been learning of events from that time that I had no idea occurred or where on the news. I had a life, and therefore no time to watch anything. Sort of like these days. I watch PBS News Hour a few times a week to keep up. Even that's a chore.
- paulryanrogers 5y ago
  > I had a life, and therefore no time to watch anything. Great! And good for you trying to stay informed despite a different definition of what constitutes a fulfilling life. Some of us enjoyed following news more closely, even during our teenage years.
Handytinge 5y ago
That's maybe like 2-3% of the worlds population.

Hamuko 5y ago

Surely you're aware of Jonestown, which was a much larger such event?

grishka 5y ago
No? Again, I'm non-US.
- booleandilemma 5y ago
  Also read about Waco, if you’re into this sort of thing: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waco_siege
  - MandieD 5y ago
    Pedantic Central Texan: the cult compound and subsequent siege weren’t actually in Waco - that’s the nearest city with television stations and an airport. If you’re not Southern Baptist, feel free to make a joke about the real cult in Waco being headquartered at the Truett Seminary (Baylor). If you grew up Southern Baptist (like myself), giggle even more about the Vatican on the Brazos. I learned once I got to college on the East Coast in the late 90s that the rest of the country automatically thought “cult compound siege and fire” instead of “Baylor,” when they heard the name of the nearest big city to where I grew up, so took to describing my hometown as being “about an hour north of Austin” instead of “30 minutes south of Waco”. Austin was always far, far cooler than Waco, but that always felt a bit pretentious, as my hometown is a lot more like Waco than it is Austin… which is probably why I ended up running off to the East Coast for college.
    - dylan604 5y ago
      We also made a joke about kids in Waco only having two options on what to do for the weekend: North or South. Dallas or Austin.
  - philwelch 5y ago
    That's quite a bit more complicated than just another suicide cult. From your link: > Increasingly aggressive techniques were used to try to force the Branch Davidians out. For instance, sleep deprivation of the inhabitants through all-night broadcasts of recordings of jet planes, pop music, chanting, and the screams of rabbits being slaughtered. Outside the compound, nine Bradley Fighting Vehicles carrying M651 CS tear gas grenades and Ferret rounds and five M728 Combat Engineer Vehicles obtained from the U.S. Army began patrolling. The armored vehicles were used to destroy perimeter fencing and outbuildings and crush cars belonging to the Branch Davidians. Armored vehicles repeatedly drove over the grave of Branch Davidian Peter Gent despite protests by the Branch Davidians and the negotiators. ... > Criticism was later leveled by Schneider's attorney, Jack Zimmerman, at the tactic of using sleep-and-peace-disrupting sound against the Branch Davidians: "The point was this—they were trying to have sleep disturbance and they were trying to take someone that they viewed as unstable to start with, and they were trying to drive him crazy. And then they got mad 'cos he does something that they think is irrational!" ... > At around noon, three fires broke out almost simultaneously in different parts of the building and spread quickly; footage of the blaze was broadcast live by television crews. The government maintains the fires were deliberately started by the Branch Davidians. Some Branch Davidian survivors maintain that the fires were accidentally or deliberately started by the assault.

microtherion 5y ago

In France/Switzerland, there is the Order of the Solar Temple, which seems to be somewhat unique among suicide cults for being repeat offenders: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple

jrimbault 5y ago
A cult of repeat group suicide sounds like something out of Terry Pratchett's Discworld.
- MauranKilom 5y ago
  ...or Monty Python.
dylan604 5y ago
repeat offenders or repeat offendings?