5 ms·

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.
Hnrobert42 5y ago
You may have heard the expression “drank the koolaid” to mean someone has fully embraced an outlandish ideology, or even just fully committed to a cause. At Jonestown, many cult members committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced koolaid. Koolaid is a sugary, flavored drink powder that is mixed with water. It was a staple for many kids in the 80’s and 90’s.
- sekh60 5y ago
  It apparently was flavoraid.
  - dylan604 5y ago
    And how many times have you heard someone say "drank the flavoraid"?
- chiph 5y ago
  It was Flavor-Aid. One of my supervisors in the USAF helped with the bodies when they arrived in the US.
  - caseyw 5y ago
    I mean, if you’re going to go out that way you might as well go Kool-Aid brand.
omgmajk 5y ago
Waco? Adam House (to take a non-US example)? No interest in true crime and/or cults? Both Heaven's Gate and Jonestown are extremely widely known events. All over the world.
thejohnconway 5y ago
Jonestown was significant internationally - nearly a thousand people died by suicide and murder, many of them children. It didn’t take place in the US (Jonestown is in Guyana), although the cult originated there.
elzbardico 5y ago
Jonestown is pretty much world history by now. I was born in a South American, non-english speaking country, AFTER the fact, and by 10 years old probably have seen about two news segments or documentaries about it on TV.
datavirtue 5y ago
FYI...we have lots of serial killers and death cults. Something is wrong.

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.

Hnrobert42 5y ago

You may have heard the expression “drank the koolaid” to mean someone has fully embraced an outlandish ideology, or even just fully committed to a cause. At Jonestown, many cult members committed suicide by drinking cyanide-laced koolaid. Koolaid is a sugary, flavored drink powder that is mixed with water. It was a staple for many kids in the 80’s and 90’s.

sekh60 5y ago
It apparently was flavoraid.
- dylan604 5y ago
  And how many times have you heard someone say "drank the flavoraid"?
chiph 5y ago
It was Flavor-Aid. One of my supervisors in the USAF helped with the bodies when they arrived in the US.
- caseyw 5y ago
  I mean, if you’re going to go out that way you might as well go Kool-Aid brand.

omgmajk 5y ago

Waco? Adam House (to take a non-US example)? No interest in true crime and/or cults? Both Heaven's Gate and Jonestown are extremely widely known events. All over the world.

thejohnconway 5y ago

Jonestown was significant internationally - nearly a thousand people died by suicide and murder, many of them children. It didn’t take place in the US (Jonestown is in Guyana), although the cult originated there.

elzbardico 5y ago

Jonestown is pretty much world history by now. I was born in a South American, non-english speaking country, AFTER the fact, and by 10 years old probably have seen about two news segments or documentaries about it on TV.

datavirtue 5y ago

FYI...we have lots of serial killers and death cults. Something is wrong.