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A survivor on a podcast called out my "they were brainwashed" take and I had to sit with it
I used to write off every member in these groups as brainwashed, like they had no say at all. Then I heard a survivor named Maria on a podcast back in March say that framing made her feel like a kid with no choices, and she pushed back hard on it. She pointed out she stayed for 4 years mainly because the group covered her rent and watched her kid, not because she was hypnotized. That clicked for me and I stopped using the word in my posts. Now I try to name the real hooks like money, housing, or family pressure instead of just saying brainwashed. Does anyone else feel weird about how often that word gets thrown around in these discussions?
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felixm1220h ago
Read a piece once about how "brainwashed" lets bystanders off the hook for the money and family stuff holding people there.
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