The Cult Issue

the CULT issue BUZZSAW kool-aid is on us December 2020

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If you were fortunate enough to have joined us for our old in-person meetings in Williams Hall, you are familiar with Buzzsaw’s dizzying, cult-like nature. We have maintained our cult status remotely, and we consider this issue of Buzzsaw a love/hate letter to the ideas we can’t seem to escape.

From cults of personality to movies with cult status, by the end of this issue you’ll have all the information you need to decide whether or not you’re ready to believe in the Truth.

So put on your black capes and join us at the shrine. You won’t regret it.

Kool-Aid is on us.

Later, Mateo...

for real this time. Stay well.

We love you.

Managing Editor News & Views Ministry of Cool Prose & Cons Sawdust Seesaw Layout Art Web & Social Photography & Dividers Copyediting Section Dividers Advisor Founders

Audra Joiner Rachael Powles Brennan Carney Mateo Flores Jason Langford Sarah Borsari Joe Minissale Mae McDermott Syd Pierre Rachael Powles Adam Dee Julia Batista Olivia DiPasca Kevin Gyasi-Frempah Ilana Krebs Joe Minissale Carlos Figueroa Abby Bertumen Kelly Burdick Bryan Chambala Sam Costello Thom Denick Cole Louison

Write Us!

Our magazine exists to inspire thoughtful debate and open up the channels through which information is shared. Your comments and feedback are all a part of this process. Reach the editors by email at: buzzsawmag@gmail.com.

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News and Views

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UPFRONT

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Current events, local news and quasi-educated opinions.

Selected dis-education of the month.

Ministry of Cool

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Prose and Cons

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Sawdust

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Arts, entertainment and other things cooler than us.

Short fiction, personal essay and other assorted lies.

Threatening the magazine’s credibility since 1856.

join us From the Purges to the Proud Boys pg 6 The Long Con pg 10

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QAnon Uncovered

Behind the conspiracy, and why you should care // by George Christopher, Staff Writer

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ulling itself out of the depths of society’s darkest corners, a new conspiracy theory has arisen. QAnon is an Anti-semitic, Anti-Liberal, Pro-Trump conspiracy theory-perpetuated through online forums such as 4chan and 8chan, along with being pushed on other sites such as Facebook.

To put it simply, QAnon followers believe that all of society is run by a cabal of “elites.’’ This cabal features members from politics, to media, to business. Members have included the likes of Hillary Clinton (shocking I know), Barack Obama, Ellen Degeneres and Tom Hanks, with George Soros, The Rothschild Family and the House of Saud at it’s head. This cabal is involved in—among other things—sex trafficking, child sacrafice and cannibalism.

However, as QAnon theorists explain, this cabal is being taken down by a group of brave and patriotic Americans led by none other than our calculating and intelligent president, Donald J. Trump. I know what you’re thinking. Doesn’t Donald Trump have direct links to actual child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein? Well sheep, that’s exactly what the deep state wants you to think! You may also wonder why Donald Trump would appoint Alex Acosta as Labor Secretary, a man who gave Jeffrey Epstein a sweetheart plea deal when prosecuting him in Miami in 2007. Again, 3D chess, or maybe 12D chess.

You see dear reader, Donald Trump knew the media would be biased against him, and that the only way to make them cover the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein was to allow himself to be implicated with Epstein. This is why Donald Trump hung out with Epstein 20 years ago and why he appointed Alex Acosta as Labor Secretary. After all, President Trump is anything but short sighted. Q, the group which provides this information over 8Chan through so-called “drops” has also made countless false predictions about the supposed incoming arrests of the likes of Hillary Clinton, and that JFK Jr. (who died in a plane crash in 1999) will reveal himself to be aliv and be a member of the Anti-Cabal team with Donald Trump. In fact, one of these predictions claims that John F. Kennedy Jr. would unveil himself at a Dallas rally with President Trump and announce himself as his new running mate.

I’m sure you’re not shocked to learn this didn’t happen.

So what’s the big deal? A bizarre conspiracy theory, with a few followers on the internet that most people with critical thinking (or googling) skills should be able to debunk in seconds.

Well here’s the big deal. For one, President Trump has actively promoted this conspiracy theory, saying the group simply “loves our country.” This man has a legion of followers, who have consistently put his word over that of any reputable news source. His tacit endorsement of this conspiracy theory will surely lead more and more of his followers falling down the QAnon rabbit hole. Even worse, these groups have clearly caught onto his framing. While researching this piece, I spent time on some easy-to-find QAnon websites. These sites frame themselves in the exact way the president did: as being patriotic Americans who are simply opposed to child sex trafficking. The President is and should be held directly responsible for normalizing and assisting this conspiracy group in its recruitment.

Next, the conspiracy perpetuates bigotry, specifically Anti-Semitism.

There’s the obvious fact that George Soros and the Rothschilds are both Jewish, and constant targets of conspiracy theories. They have been called “puppet masters,” a blatant Anti-semitic trope that has been used in conspiracy theories for centuries. But a less overt reference is to the socalled “blood libel.” This conspiracy also goes back centuries, and claims that Jewish people were murdering Christian children to consume their blood. This follows conspiracies from QAnon to a T. Finally, the group has been cited by the FBI as a potential threat for extremist violence . Just recently, two men with a QAnon sticker on their car were arrested on weapons charges after parking a Hummer filled with weapons outside of a ballot counting facility in Philadelphia. As if our current moment isn’t tense enough, also thanks to the president, the added factor of a group of delusional and cult-like believers in a bizarre conspiracy which preys on our natural inclination to defend children can only make the situation worse and more volatile.

Unfortunately, QAnon appears to be here to stay. This past election day, two candidates who’d promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory were elected to Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado will be 2 of the 435 congresspeople legislating on behalf of our nation, and no doubt promoting more baseless nonsense.

It should be noted that both Greene and Boebert have attempted to distance themselves from the QAnon theory.

Even worse, there has been some evidence that QAnon has even seeped its way into police forces. It’s bad enough to have random people following these conspiracies, but even worse when it is those with actual legal authority in our society.

Not to leave this article on a down note I will encourage anyone out there with relatives who may feel isolated, especially in the Covid era, to please reach out. These theories take a hold on people who are lonely, need community and common purpose. Don’t allow your uncle, or aunt, or even mother or father to go down these rabbit holes. Let them know that they are loved and cared for. Without human connection it’s easy to believe a baseless theory. However, once you’ve made that human connection it becomes difficult to call all liberals pedophiles, and all journalists cannibals.

George Christopher is a second-year journalism major wondering why they wasn’t invited to any of these child sacrificing parties.They can be reached at gchristopher@ithaca.edu.

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From the Purges to the Proud Boys Cults of personality past and present // by Julia Batista, Social Media Editor

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ast and present leaders inspire and mobilize large populations, playing a role in history and what becomes of modern-day society. The cult of personality, also known as personality cult, influences the public to have a specific attitude about a leader and the government, no matter how corrupt and unscrupulous they may be. Like a cult, leaders of personality cults are regarded with awe due to their charismatic and unpredictable nature and personality.

Political leaders strengthen their cult of personality through the use of “media, lies, spectacles, speeches, patriotism, and event arts and demonstrations” to formulate an ideal image of themselves. They target the entire population by using mass media methods and propaganda to promote their messaging. Along with inventing a glorified image, a cult of personality is also used to assert control by manipulating the public’s attention so that it’s continually focused on them. Those captivated by this performance the most are often people who are experiencing pain or trauma. This is because when someone has experienced some kind of loss, they are more susceptible to friendly people who are offering community. Two-thirds of cult members are recruited by a friend, a family member or a co-worker ;someone whose invitation is hard to refuse.

Unconditional loyalty is destined to sprout.

The “devoted actor” hypothesis stems from this, depicting individuals who are willing to go to extreme lengths to defend their values, morals and beliefs, especially if it’s part of a group identity. If a leader embodies those beliefs and values, they can manipulate and weaponize the conviction of the “devoted actors” to garner support and devotion for personal gain.

Cult leaders will discredit and criticize any who disagree with those beliefs.

As a result, their actions are viewed as patriotic and faithful to the belief system that’s most valued within the personality cult.

Cult of personality characteristics can be seen in totalitarian societies throughout history. When Joseph Stalin took power of the Union Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) in 1929, after the death of Vladimir Lenin, Stalin portrayed himself to be an extension of Lenin’s legacy. Casting himself in an untouchable position, he claimed absolute power and the inability to be wrong when Russia’s society was struggling due to the Russian Revolution.

He swiftly exercised and asserted his dominance as Russia’s dictator by launching a five-year plan that aimed to transform the Soviet Union from a “peasant society into an industrial superpower.” Stalin also executed, exiled or sent potential enemies to the Gulag system during the “Great Purge” or “Great Terror.”

Ruling by fear, Stalin’s cult of personality utilized propaganda to influence the masses and create an imagined community by idolizing him.

At the time, the propaganda, films and music showed a calm and joyous world that was at odds with reality. These instruments modeled the ideal image of Stalin, and encouraged the masses to pursue the collective goals of the Bolshevik vanguard.

Along with propaganda, Russian musicians, poets, writers and painters contributed to Stalin’s cult of personality by showing admiration for him through their work. The word “Father” was used in conjunction with Stalin’s name to undermine Russian priests and to insinuate that Stalin and the church were identical. In the press, they referred to him as the Father of Nations and called him a genius, wise and inspirational. In towns and cities, statues were built of him; in private homes, there were “Stalin rooms” where his portrait hung.

The effect of Stalin’s cult of personality was that the population had no other choice but to adhere to his demands, especially since they were provoked by fear to do as told. Citizens were encouraged to spy on one another but were always being monitored by the secret police. On a whim, Stalin had the ability to command brute force and violence, pressuring the general population to comply more than they already were with the media’s influence.

After Stalin’s death in 1953, Nikita Khrushchev first used “personality cult” in his description about the effects leftover by Stalin’s rule during a congress in the Soviet Union. He criticized the way that people idolized Stalin and the Communist Party, which played into the “de-Stalinization” effort of the country.

What’s important about understanding the history of the cult of personality is how it plays a role in today’s politics. Although not all of the practices of Stalin’s rule aren’t glaringly similar to what is occurring today pre- and post-election, there are enough resemblances between Stalin’s dictatorship and the Trump administration. The media obsessively reports on the actions of Trump, polluting everyone’s timeline with senseless updates about his childlike complaints and statements. Although not ruling by fear, Trump uses his power and money to manipulate key players in the government and fires any of those that disagree with his rhetoric, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Executive Director of the U.S. the Global Change Research Program, Michael Kuperberg.

Trump’s cult of personality has its own “devoted actors” as they refuse to acknowledge Trump’s loss in the 2020 Presidential Election, promoting the “Stop the Steal” slogan. Marching in the “Million MAGA March,” the Proud Boys, Trump supporters and far-rights claimed that they would “take back America.” This is a result of Trump’s claims that mail-in-voting is “a corrupt system” and that if you “count the legal votes,” he won “the Election.” These false statements encourage his supporters to believe the conspiracies of a “fraud” election and to defend his claims at any cost, even if it means violence. All of these actions feed into a perpetual cycle of encouraging his followers to act just as he has, threatening the stability and structure of democracy as he has repeatedly undermined it.

Understanding what a cult of personality means and how it has influenced past and present societies aids us in fully comprehending the kind of damage it can wreak. The similarities between Stalin’s cult of personality and our modern-day democracy should be alarming. To deconstruct and assess its influence on specific populations, we first have to recognize the components that make up a personality cult and how that’s affected past societies.

Julia Batista is a third-year IMC major who loves Big Brother... not.

They can be reached at jbatista@ithaca.edu.

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New Age Beliefs A growing industry // by Erin Terada, Staff Writer

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or thousands of years, humans have sought answers and peace from various divine powers to explain the unknown. While mainstream religion plays a vital role in a significant amount of people all around the world, beliefs and practices of the New Age have become increasingly popularized and less taboo than before. People are turning to psychic and medium sessions, tarot card readings, astrology and even crystals and stones that are believed to have healing energies for answers, peace and their own wellness. The products and activities that are provided by these New Age beliefs have grown into a $2 billion dollar industry, with a steady growth rate of 1.6% from 20142019. Is this just another highly profitable wellness fad, or is there an unexplainable truth to these services? In a 2018 survey by the Pew Research Center, New Age beliefs were categorized by beliefs in reincarnation, psychics, astrology and that spiritual energies can be found in physical objects.

The survey revealed that roughly six-in-ten American adults believe in at least one of these New Age beliefs.

Being a psychic is a vastly complicated concept-that goes beyond looking into a crystal ball and knowing a person’s fate. Fortune telling has been around throughout ancient and modern history, astrology being one of the oldest and most well-known pseudoscience. Several psychic practices have prevailed throughout history, gaining popularity in different moments of time. Along with the rise of these practices, there have been critics of the Spiritualism movement. In the 1920s, Harry Houdini, a stunt performer who initially turned to spiritualism after his mother’s death, became one of the most well-known debunkers of fraudulent psychics. The New Age Movement was a counterculture of the 1970s that popularized many New Age beliefs and practices. Most recently with the abundance of uncertainty in the world, many individuals have turned to psychics for spiritual guidance and clarity for their lives and futures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reality television star Theresa Caputo is arguably one of the most famous New Age belief practitioners in this country, most known for her TLC show, Long Island Medium. Easily recognizable from her bright blonde poofy hair and long acrylic nails, Caputo is a self-proclaimed psychic medium who has the ability to connect with spirits of people who have passed on, through a sixth sense of knowing and intuition. Cameras followed Caputo as she went about her daily life living as a seemingly typical wife and mother in the suburbs of Long Island, with a unique hidden ability. The show filmed her private sessions with clients seeking another chance to hear from their loved ones who have passed, as well as her interactions with strangers in public to whom she gave messages from spirits. The TLC show made her business take off, with multiple book deals and the launch of

her nationwide tour, Theresa Caputo “The Live Experience”.

Caputo revealed that she hasn’t raised the prices of her sessions since her show started. $175 for a private reading and $50 a person for a group meeting.

While Caputo gained commercial success, she also gained critics-not uncommon to other mediums and psychics alike. Critics often say that mediums capitalize off a vulnerable person’s grief, and psychics feed off a person’s anxiety, when they are open to hearing anything for guidance. In a New York Times interview, Lisa Levine, the founder of a wellness center in Brooklyn, New York, said that it is “all about the intention of the medium”.

“Telling somebody something that you think they want to hear, although not necessarily damaging, is maybe just like putting a Band-Aid on something,” Levine said. “And maybe that is all the person wants, a Band-Aid, or some type of ‘it’s O.K., your deceased mother forgives you or your passed father does love you.’”

Though she never had a session with the Long Island medium herself, Long Island native Alaine Weinstein has had experiences with multiple psychics and mediums throughout the years. While grieving the loss of a loved one, Weinstein had her first session with a medium in 2010.

“I think because I was grieving so much, I felt like I believed he was there,” Weinstein said. “You put your rational side away when you’re in an emotional situation like that.”

Weinstein had a second session with another medium several years later, and said that this one was able to share things about her loved one that a stranger couldn’t ever know or search online. She also shared her experiences in other psychic sessions. While there were some psychics who said very general statements that could be applied to anyone, sometimes she’d have readings that she would think were-in her own words-“bullshit”, but then left her mind blown when their statements came true. “There’s definitely those out there trying to make money off people and then there are those who are legit...I do believe spirits will come through if you’re relaxed and can trust the process,” she said.

Another practice that came out of New Age beliefs is crystal healing, an alternative medical technique. While there is no scientific evidence to back up what people claim crystals to do, they are believed to promote positive energy throughout the mind and body while releasing negative energy. They are used by New Age spas, psychics and tarot readers, but also can be seen as a collectible for everyday people to help with their daily lives.

Krista of Kailua Crystals, a locally owned crystal shop in the city of Kailua, Hawaii, explained that crystals release their own stable energy 24/7, while the energy of humans fluctuate throughout the day. She said the energy of a crystal

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can stabilize the energy of someone who intends to use it.

“Crystals,” she explained, “work through one’s own intuition and energy of your chakras.”

When asked about the demographics of customers who come into the store, Krista says they are mostly women from the ages of 20-35, but there is an older generation of “skilled light healers” ages 50-65. She said that half of their customers come into the store seeking a specific item for their needs, but the other half usually come in with an open mind, searching for something to help them with grounding, trust, and money. I was a bit of an outlier. I came in with an open mind, searching for answers for my story rather than a crystal for my own healing.

As someone who was generally ignorant to crystals and their supposed powers prior to coming into the store, I stood at the register wondering if I gave in to another capitalist scheme. I chatted a bit more with several of the store workers, asking them questions beyond crystals and about their own experiences with psychic mediums. They thanked me for coming in, saying that their store is “full of good vibes and calming energy”. In that moment, I thought of how I wasn’t having a particularly great day and how my mood completely changed after talking to these ladies, in the presence of these crystals. Leaving the crystal store with a six-dollar opalite pendant that would supposedly help with communication and self-confidence, and their answers in

my notes, I was also left with my own lingering thoughts and questions.

In the days after, I wore my pendant without any expectations, and I didn’t think much of it besides the fact that I thought it was very pretty. When I did think about it, maybe I was feeling more confident recently with how I presented myself and communicated with others. Did my “open-mind” lead to my own confirmation bias because of my desire for these improvements with myself, and was I just attributing these changes to the crystal I had bought? The only conclusive fact is that I was six dollars poorer and maybe a bit more curious.

The desire for answers about the unknown can lead the mind in many different directions for inner healing. This industry directly feeds into that exact demand. Times of uncertainty, grief, or curiosity can lead people to searching for answers through these practices. Many practices of New Age beliefs are easily debunked scientifically, but there are many unexplainable experiences that many don’t brush to the side. There will always be believers, skeptics and debunkers.

Whether if it’s possible for a medium to know something about a deceased loved one that no one would ever know, or if there are healing powers in crystals, or if psychics can tell one’s future, it is all up to an individual’s own perception of the world to determine if they believe it to be true.

Erin Terada is a junior Journalism major whose psychic told them to write this article. They can be reached at eterada@ithaca.edu.

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The Long Con An exploration of Scientology // by Julia Dath. Staff Writer; art by Adam Dee, Art Editor

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n May 9th, 1950, science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. This book would become a foundational text for Scientology, a religious practice which, as stated on their official website, aims to achieve “true spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all.”

Upon Hubbard’s passing, then-Scientology executive David Miscavige spoke to the church and explained that Hubbard had not simply died, but that “the body he had could no longer serve his purposes.” L. Ron Hubbard’s death certificate asserts his cause of death to be a stroke.

Miscavige went on to explain “This decision was one made at complete cause by L. Ron Hubbard. Although you may feel grief, understand that he did not and does not now.

He has simply moved on to his next step.”

Miscavige’s argument was that this “next step” for Hubbard was to continue his research. Scientology is built on the principle that achieving spiritual enlightenment is fundamental to changing and saving the world, and Hubbard found that he had achieved all he could on earth. The physical manifestation of his body became limiting on the path to enlightenment so he needed to rid himself of it to continue.

Today, David Miscavige is Scientology’s leader. He is the highest power in the church and cannot be disputed by any other Scientologist. Scientology is built on a structure of levels, with established Scientologists passing through the eight released Operating Thetan levels. The church describes the function of these levels on their website: “Basic levels of Scientology help a person deal with his personal relationships and day-to-day problems, to free his attention to address higher aspects of existence. At the level of Operating Thetan, one deals with his own immortality as a spiritual being.” David Miscavige currently exists at OT level VIII, the highest level currently available for Scientologists.

One achieves these levels by paying the church a fee.

Although Scientology promotes a message of spiritual enlightenment and personal growth, the church is currently met by outsiders with heavy scrutiny. There have been accusations of repeated cases of physical and mental abuse of members over the years, with some lodging complaints about Miscavige himself and others about fellow Scientology executives. The accusations often come from exScientologists, or “Suppressive Persons” as those who leave the church and speak out are labeled.

Actress Leah Remini, a former Scientologist, is outspoken in her criticism of Scientology both as a belief system and institution. On her television show Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, she spoke to fellow exScientologists about their experiences in the church and what caused them to leave.

The church is appealing at first, Leah Remini explained on the show. “The beginning courses of Scientology... talk about communication, responsibility, being an ethical person. But it’s overall very damaging.”

Indeed, Scientology boasts an ambitious mission on the homepage of their website, tackling topics such as human rights and “The Way to Happiness.”

In this way, Scientology can appeal to an extremely empathetic sort of person. Public association with the church often turns towards their celebrity figures such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, but there are many middle class Americans who enter the church because of its promising messaging.

What begins for some as a spiritual endeavor to improve the self and the world escalates into a financially and psychologically damaging experience for many. “There is no life to be enjoyed when you’re a Scientologist,” explains Remini.

In order to advance through basic and OT levels of faith, one must participate in auditing sessions and spiritual courses at their own expense. Members of the church who do not enter the faith with wealth often take actions such as refinancing their homes or dipping into college funds in order to afford the materials and sessions required to advance as a Scientologist. There is no advancing in the church without monetary power, and many Scientologists find themselves in bad financial situations due to their involvement in Scientology.

Still, many members continue their devotion to the church under the conception that they are serving a greater purpose. The church stretches this devotion to extreme lengths to ensure that members stay and continue to work their way through the levels of knowledge—each of which costs hundreds to thousands of dollars to complete.

A way that the church keeps people in is through a process known as “disconnecting.” If a person chooses to leave Scientology and speak out against the church, they are disconnected. Disconnecting means no longer being able to communicate with any family member who remains in the church. This extends to spouses, children, grandchildren, and any other person they may have come to know through their time in the church. Former Scientologist Mike Rinder has been disconnected from his children since leaving the church in 2007. Rinder’s daughter has openly written letters to denounce her own father because of his stance against the church. Despite efforts and desires to reconnect with his family, Rinder’s children continue to refuse contact on the basis of Rinder being a Suppressive Person who they must be disconnected from. In a public letter on his blog, Rinder writes to his children “if all you can do is think according to the dictates of others, you are not truly free.”

Scientologists uphold this standard of disconnecting even with immediate family members so that they can focus on the higher purpose of saving the world. Anyone who speaks out against the church is seen speaking out against Scientology’s beliefs of a better world, so they are then bad people who should not be associated with.

Still, this leaves those who chose to separate from the church completely isolated from their loved ones. “Nobody

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deserves to have their family torn apart because of a belief system,” says Leah Remini.

Complications of leaving the church do not end with disconnection. The harassment of former Church members is often tied back to L. Ron Hubbard’s writing of a “Fair Game” law in official Scientology documentation. Hubbard explains that a person can be “deprived of property or injured by any means by any Scientologist without any discipline of the Scientologist. [They] May be tricked, sued or lied to or destroyed.” In other words, the harassment of ex-Scientologists or any non-Scientologist who speaks out against the church is justifiable because they are “enemies” to the mission of Scientology. Harassment includes building websites to spread false information about a specific person, smear campaigns, and even sending out Scientologists to harass and photograph Suppressive Persons.

It is important to note that this policy was officially discontinued in 1968. Mike Rinder, who worked for the Office of Special Affairs, disputes this claim, stating that the principle of Fair Game is still heavily used today even if the paper memos have discontinued it. “The practice of Fair Game is alive and well in Scientology” Rinder said on his blog.

While Fair Game may not be official policy anymore, Mike Rinder has both organized and received harassment.

In his former position with the church, Rinder explains “I directed the destruction of those deemed ‘enemies’ of Scientology.”

Both Leah Remini and Mike Rinder are the targets of repeated harassment online by church members. Each has a website set up specifically to slander their reputations and any claims they make that go against the church. A quick online search of both Remini and Rinder show websites filled with claims against Remini and Rinder that support Scientology.

Leah Remini continues to fight back against Scientology and uses her show as a platform to allow others to do the same. One of Remini’s longest-running fights is that of the disappearance of David Miscavige’s wife, Shelly Miscavige.

Concerns about the whereabouts of this prominent figure within the church were raised when Shelly did not appear at the 2006 wedding of celebrities Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. Shelly continued to be mysteriously absent from the public eye, and in 2013, Leah Remini filed a Missing Person’s report with the Los Angeles Police department. The case was dropped after a wellness check took place. Remini continues to dispute the results to this day, explaining that no official in person contact with Shelly was made by the LAPD. Instead, they only spoke to a representative of Shelly who ensured her wellness.

“There are still answers that I need,” Remini says on an episode of her show. “I do not know that she is alive. I do not know that she’s not being held against her will.”

Today, over a decade since Remini first raised concerns, Shelly Miscavige has not been seen in public or online at Scientology events. No more inquiries have been made by the LAPD into her whereabouts, despite pressure from Remini and members of the general public. Before her disappearance, Shelly Miscavige was living at the Scientology Gold Base in California. This private property facility is the home to Scientology higher-ups including David Miscavige.

Still, if Shelly resides at Gold Base, this provides no reasoning to why she would not appear in any Scientology media programming. Reports were made that Shelly was escorted from Gold Base and brought to the head location of the Church of Spiritual Technology near Lake Arrowhead, California. If Shelly Miscavige is still alive, this is her most likely location.

Scientology relies on keeping members in by convincing them it is for their own good and the good of the world.

Hubbard designed the principles of the faith so that members never ask questions of superiors. This means abandoning contact with a child, attacking a parent online, or even accepting the prolonged disappearance of a public figure is not a harmful act. It is, in fact, beneficial and necessary to do so in order for Scientology to continue its work of healing the world.

Without any large outside forces stepping in to condemn these practices, they will continue to function because, even as members of the Scientology community are harmed by them, superiors claim they are for the greater good and their voices cannot be disputed.

Ex-Scientologists like Leah Remini and Mike Rinder continue to speak out about the abuse and the lies, while the church continues their online and public harassment of exmembers. While controversy continues, the IRS still officially recognizes Scientology as a Tax Exempt religion.

Julia Dath is a sophomore Writing major who is doing their best to get on Tom Cruise’s bad side. They can be reached at jdath@ithaca.edu.

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MINISTRY of COOL

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The Fear of Cults:

Three Ways Beware the hive mind // by Megan Bostaph, Staff Writer; art by Carolyn Langer, Staff Artist

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his year, the leader of Nxium, an underground sex cult acting under the guise of a self-help organization, was sentenced to 120 years in prison. He had been arrested in 2018, and though publicly there is no timeline of when this inner cult, DOS, started, it had been going on for years, unknown to the public. This is one of the examples of cults that are around us, whether they are in real life, or in fiction such as films, television shows or books. I want to discuss the ways that we are taught to fear cults: through fiction, media and true stories.

In order to talk about how fiction teaches us to be scared of cults, I looked at three cult movies: “Midsommar,” “Children of the Corn” and “The Other Lamb.” Most of the elements associated with cults are those that deal with murder and violence. In “Midsommar,” a group of American friends go to a midsummer festival in rural Sweden, invited by their friend who is a member of the community. The community members welcome the outsiders, but once the Americans disrespect their practices, they kill them. Similarly in “Children of the Corn,” the cult begins with the children of the town of Gatlin, Nebraska killing the adults in the town, even their own parents. They live secluded for years, and when two adults come into town, the children chase after them to kill them. These two movies reflect a notion of bloodlust when it comes to cults, and a need to rid their group of any who don’t believe or are not part of their practice. As viewers, we aren’t members of their cult, so we would be in danger to ever cross paths with them.

In “The Other Lamb,” a young girl named Selah is part of a cult of women who worship their male leader, the Shepherd. When the group is forced by the police to move locations, we see the violence and cruelty of the Shepherd, peaking when at their eventual new home. A few days after arrival, the Shepherd kills all of his wives and tells his daughters that they will replace them. In this movie, it is the killing of the women in his own group that is threatening to us.The power that this man holds over the women in this film is creepy and unhinged, even though it isn’t held over us. In all three of these films, the members of the cult are framed as murderers, whose dedication to their group means they have no qualms about killing other people, no matter how attached they are to them. Though some victims are strangers, others are family members, friends or those with a close bond to the cult member.

And because these movies are about cults, the members need to worship some sort of deity who isn’t part of an accepted, widely practiced religion. For “Children of the Corn,” they worship a demon called “He Who Walks Behind the Rows,” and in “The Other Lamb” they worship a human man named “the Shepherd,” whom the women see as their God and savior. The fact that they worship this deity means that there are practices and rituals not accepted in common society, usually having to do with some kind of blood, violence, or death. The reason for this violence in the film is because these films are fiction, so they can sensationalize and exaggerate the creepiness of these rituals as much as possible. Watching another person commit an act of violence serves to alienate the viewer from the people they are watching, and see them as people to be scared of. We see them being mindlessly controlled by someone else, and it taps into our own fear of being controlled. As this happens en masse on screen, the cult members are no longer people, but like zombies blindly following the leader, or rather, the brains they want to eat.

Tabloids blur the line between fact and fiction, often sensationalizing their headlines to get the most sales, clicks or views. This is often seen with several common tabloid magazines, and often the subject is The Church of Scientology. Scientology’s main belief is that each person is an immortal being called a “thetan,” and that people have past lives. The basics don’t sound too out there, but there are a lot of controversies surrounding their beliefs against psychiatry, psychology and psychiatric drugs and medicines.

There are also many allegations about mistreatment of members, and many members’ deaths have been linked to the organization.

Already, Scientologists aren’t well perceived in the public eye, and so some news outlets have found a way to capitalize on that. Here are a few examples of headlines: “Tom Cruise & Church Take Over Florida Town”, “Tom Cruise ‘breaks Suri’s heart for Scientology’”, or the real eyecatchers: “Inside Scientology’s House of Horrors! Torture Chambers, Brainwashing Sessions, Prisons for Children”and “Scientology’s Baby Black Market! Cruise, Kidman, & 7 other megastars pay millions for babies from dirt-poor moms!”

Without even reading the article, the audience is already led to believe that the people who are involved in this group are horrible, wicked and cruel people. Sadly I couldn’t

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look into the last two because I only have pictures of their front covers, but with the other two articles mentioned, the author simply took the facts and turned them up an exaggerated notch. You’ll notice that these news outlets like to use celebrity names, specifically Tom Cruise. Most of the American public know that Tom Cruise is an incredibly famous movie star, so the fact that he would be involved in an organization like this really gets people interested. Even if you weren’t going to buy the magazine, simply seeing such a bold headline would lower your opinion of Scientology, and Tom Cruise as he is closely connected to it. In short, because people are already wary of Scientology and know that the media doesn’t write good things about it, these headlines reinforce that idea, even if they aren’t 100% true. Adding Cruise’s name into the mix is another way for these news outlets to get people talking. Were anyone to mention they were a Scientologist, they might be immediately grouped in with these “bad people,” and ostracized.

Cults, in actuality, are made up of charismatic leaders who influence vulnerable people to support them and their teachings. In the case of Nxium, their leader Keith Raniere hid the inner sex cult called DOS under the guise of a women’s group to better themselves. It was only once some women reached a certain point that they would realize what was going on, and try to get away. Watching the HBO docu series “The Vow” helped me understand how the organization of Nxium could have escalated to such a point. It seems the main issue with Nxium in particular is

the coercion and manipulation, and the hive mind mentality making members want to stick with the rest, and if a member didn’t believe hard enough they were doing something “wrong.” The organization was able to initially pull people in with classes that were to better oneself, preying on insecure and vulnerable people attempting to get their life on the track they want it to have. Eventually as certain women moved higher up the ranks, they were invited to an exclusive group. This made them feel chosen, special and important to Nxium. Seeing as Nxium was a supposed self-help organization, the power was in each leader and members’ words. They could use another member’s vulnerability and receptiveness against them, and make that member believe they could do anything. In this way, the other members could then find a way to persuade this person whatever they wished. This is where the branding of women inside DOS began.

To me, the fact that these people were so good at manipulating others that a woman could be convinced to be branded as part of DOS is the scariest part. It’s what makes this cult, and other real cults in the world, the most dangerous. Real cults scare us because of the validity of ex-members’ stories, and the thought of someone being able to control us however they want to. It’s the thought that no matter how strong we think we are, there is a possibility that we could be manipulated and turned into a zombie of ourselves, to serve someone else.

Megan Bostaph is a third-year English major who drank Capri Sun while researching. They can be reached at mbostaph@ithaca.edu.

Laura Illioaei is a second year English & communication studies double major who keeps ad-block on.

You can reach them at lilioaei@ithaca.edu

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Social Media Marketing:

A Contemporary Cult Like, comment, sell // by Laura Ilioaei, Staff Writer

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ike, capture, and share the world’s moments.

Or so was the corporate slogan of Instagram. Initially, the social media platform was meant to be a way for people who would’ve otherwise been unable to interact with one another to connect through photography. Thanks to the hashtagging function, people would be able to stumble across one another’s posts and network with others through shared interests. The app would later make additions such as suggesting mutuals to follow, as well as a story function that mimicked Snapchat.

However, in the past year or so the app has become less of a place of entertainment and more of an e-commerce space. At first, brands could attach tags to posts that when tapped would lead a potential consumer to the product advertised. Scroll and do some virtual window shopping?

How convenient!

But then, marketing became less subtle and more aggressive.

Advertisements became prominent on feeds, before also appearing on stories. There have been a boom of gurus promoting themselves as coaches and tutors in everything from web design to cactus farming. The oversaturation of this mentoring space leaves room for skepticism on how lucrative the skill is (be it monetary or of personal fulfillment) and of how knowledgeable many of these gurus actually are.

Instagram is not the only social media space consumed by the advertising world. In fact, the entire internet has been swallowed whole into a world of marketing. What often happens is that a business will seek to build a digital presence. They’ll create accounts on numerous websites to promote themselves. Inevitably, social media apps reorient themselves to become more e-commerce friendly, even at the expense of deviating a bit from their original purpose.

Even if the average user is not concerned about the ad spam of social media, what is jarring is that these ads are eerily tailored to their preferences; specifically, through viewing history. Big Data has evolved into a technological

field where patterns of digital information are collected and analyzed to spot trends. Consequently this has negative implications for one’s privacy. Big Brother is watching you.

The art of the sale is often a cold practice. It’s frigidity saps away from the warmth of virtual connection. Connecting over mutual interests turns into orienting your values to a niche of consumers so that they invest in your products and services. Lines of life and livelihood become blurred, and you start questioning who’s being sincere and who’s just trying to secure their bag.

This is exemplified further through the existence of social media influencers. For example, a makeup artist (MUA) may start a blog or social media page out of personal enjoyment. They gain a following. The following grows exponentially, and the MUA is now recognized within the community. Naturally brands gravitate towards the MUA and offer sponsorships. This can lead to a trap where the MUA features poor quality products or products they dislike because they’re getting sponsored for it.

Take charcoal peeling masks, for instance. Videos and images of MUAs applying the goo to their face, waiting awhile, and peeling it off in pain circulated throughout feeds.

But unless someone consulted a dermatologists’ advice, they would be unaware that the white flecks that stuck to the mask are not their blackheads. No, it was their epidermis and even facial hair being stripped away, exposing the skin to the elements and making it more sensitive to breakouts. This would then cause a cycle of breaking out, using the peeling mask, breaking out again because their skin has less of a protective layer, using the mask again.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it may also be worth thousands for a marketer. There are fewer things more enticing for a consumer than the enhanced image paired with persuasive rhetoric to convey high value and desirability in a sea of competition. For better or for worse, your timeline has become a digital ocean for these voracious virtual piranhas.

Laura Illioaei is a second year English & communication studies double major who keeps ad-block on.

You can reach them at lilioaei@ithaca.edu

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The Musical Career of

Charles Manson The music behind the murderer // by Jasmine Morrow, Contributing Writer; art by Carolyn Langer, Staff Artist

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harles Manson is most known for orchestrating the murders of Sharon Tate, her unborn child, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent and Abigail Folger, as well as the separate murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

On August 8, 1969, Manson ordered his cult following, or “family” as he liked to refer to them, to go to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, California. Their original motive was not to murder the current residents of the home, but to confront the previous owner Terry Melcher, who was an acquaintance of Manson. Terry Melcher had refused to sign Manson to his record label, and subsequently moved out of the Cielo Drive home. Manson however, was unaware of this move and it proved to be a fatal mistake for Sharon and her friends that night. Those held responsible for that crime were Manson himself, and five of his followers - Susan Atkins, Charles (Tex) Watson, Patricia Krenwrinkel, and Linda Kasabian. There were also additional murders committed by the “family” after Tate and her friends were murdered.

On August 10, they traveled to the LaBianca residence in Los Angeles where Manson, Watson, Krenwrinkel and Leslie Sankston entered the home. It was at this time that Manson tied up the owners, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson left some instructions on how to kill the LaBiancas for his co-conspirators, and left the residence. He and all members present at that murder scene were indicted and convicted of the LaBianca murders.

Bobby Beausoleil, a former Manson follower, also claimed that Manson killed Bobby’s friend, musician Gary Hinman, for not giving the Manson Family $20,000. Manson admitted to cutting off Hinman’s ear on July 31, 1969 in an interview with 60 Minutes Australia conducted in 1981, over 10 years after the incident. In the interview, Manson was asked how he felt after he cut off Hinman’s ear, and he replied by saying“I had done what he said for about 20 years….and I got to thinkin’. Now why don’t this guy do something I tell him to ?” He continued by explaining that Hinman repeatedly told him that he would not do what Manson told him to, which is most likely what caused Hinman’s death. Gary Hinman is considered to be the Manson Family’s first victim.

Charles Manson is quoted in one of his interviews as saying, “I play my music for me; I don’t play my music to entertain people.” Manson’s music is also especially unique and fits within the psychedelic folk-rock music genre. Most of the time, his music also contains a hidden message. Manson made music when he led the family, continued to play while imprisoned, and stopped in 2013, 4 years before he died from secondary illnesses resulting from colon cancer.

Charles Manson’s music first came to some fruition when he met the Beach Boys in early 1968. Manson actually had an unfriendly relationship with the co-founder of the Beach Boys, Dennis Wilson. He wrote the song “Cease to Exist” for the Beach Boys, but to Manson’s displeasure, the song title was changed to “Never Learn Not to Love.” Some of the lyrics were changed, and another bridge was added. This infuriated Manson at the time, as he wasn’t given credit for the song. His payment for writing the song was cash, some undisclosed items, and a BSA motorcycle. In his original writing of the song, “Cease to Exist,” one can assume that he details the Manson family’s orgies and invites the members to love their “brother.” The lyrics say: “Submission is a gift / Go on, give it to your brother / Love and understandin’ is for one another.” Thorough assumptions can be made with these lyrics, because it’s as if he is saying submitting and giving yourself to your “brother” is a gift, and that people are meant to be together in sexual ways.

Charles Manson maintained a large musical repertoire throughout his artistic career. In total, his discography features 20 separate albums ranging in dates from 1967 to 2013. Manson’s discography includes the albums: The Family Jams, Lie: The Love and Terror Cult, Commemoration: Live at San Quentin and The Way of the Wolf, The Summer of Hate — the ‘67 Sessions, Son of Man, and so on.

The creepiest song I came across in his discography was “I’ll Never Say Never to Always.” It was written and published in 1970, and was featured on the album “Lie: The Love and Terror Cult.” It very much sounds like something that would play before you die, and is reminiscent of Tiny Tim’s “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” which has now become a cult classic in every scary movie. “I’ll Never Say Never

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to Always” addresses death, and the idea that once you die and are with God, there will be “no cold, no fear, no hunger.” In a past interview, Manson was cited as “having invented God, and therefore God is his best friend.” This interview connects immensely with the song, even though the interview was taped about 24 years after the murders.

Manson was extremely obsessed with God, as is heard in this song, and is stated by Manson’s belief that he was the reincarnation of Jesus.

Manson was very prolific, and described by many as simply being crazy. I also think he molded his persona to fit what the world thought of him. The evidence behind this statement would be his random outbursts during his TV interviews, and his strange way of talking. Perhaps it was the constant rejection from the music world that made him crazy, or his lack of discipline and regard for the present that contributed to his demise-or maybe it was a mixture of both.

Jasmine Morrow is a senior business administration major who doesn’t recommend listening to Manson’s music alone in the dark. They can be reached at jmorrow1@ithaca.edu.

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RAW SAW The Queen’s Gambit from the

by Tom Lawson, Staff Writer

It’s in the dimly-lit basement of a Kentucky orphanage that Beth Harmon first discovers the 64-square board. Her inquisitive spirit gets the better of the husky Mr. Shaibel, the janitor at Methuen Home for Girls and custodian of this peculiar black-and-white game called “chess.”Beth has never heard such a word. Having grown up in the ‘40s and ‘50s, when it was perfectly legal to feed children doses of tranquilizers (a daily ritual at Methuen), Beth finds refuge in the checkered grid ruled by Queens & Kings and develops a prodigious skill for the sport. “The Queen’s Gambit,” in riveting fashion, charts Beth’s tumultuous life as she struggles with drug and alcohol use and navigates complex friendships, all the while striving towards her ultimate goal of becoming a world chess champion.

From the smoke-filled high school gymnasiums of Beth’s junior tournaments to the ostentatious floral upholstery of her adoptive parents’ suburban home, the world of the mid-century is immaculately recreated. Googie-inspired decals serve as the backdrop for a Vegas showdown, while a majestic hall hosts the illustrious Moscow Invitational. Beth’s chess journey is externalized not just by Uli Hanisch’s production design, but by meticulous costuming. Gabriele Binder expertly outfitted Beth in a constellation of dresses and coats influenced by the couture maestros and fashionistas of the era, a wardrobe that grows more assured as her gameplay advances.

Anya Taylor-Joy plays Beth with remarkable poise—the “Emma” and “Thoroughbreds” alum brings an equanimous physicality to the role that perfectly counterbalances the inherent stasis of chess. Each episode is lensed in an elegant manner befitting our sophisticated protagonist, a deft mix

of deep and shallow-focus cinematography letting us take in the rich locales while keeping the potent performances frontand-center. A more naïve director may have placed greater emphasis on the movements of pieces during important games, but, while they rest assured are accurate (grandmaster Garry Kasparov is credited as a consultant), showrunner Scott Frank wisely keeps our eyes on Beth and her opponent; the focal point of the drama is always a human one.

Despite the exceptional attention to authenticity, “The Queen’s Gambit” doesn’t require any prior knowledge of chess to enjoy. Sure, it may casually throw around fancy opening names like the Sicilian Defence or inundate one with excitable post-game analysis, but it’s all there to bring the distinctive game to the screen as faithfully as possible.

Several creative sequences involving colossal imaginary CGI pieces transfigure the cerebral mind puzzles into a thrilling visual format, and a ratcheting editing pace, often timed to the click of a chess clock, heightens the pressure-cooker feel of climactic confrontations.

Much has been said about the show’s keen ear for subversion, with Rachel Syme at The New Yorker highlighting how the narrative “cleverly inverts the myth” of the male chess wizard Bobby Fischer. Although Beth Harmon was not a real person (“The Queen’s Gambit” originates as a novel of the same name), it’s moving to witness her triumphs in the overwhelmingly male-dominated chess world. Her arc involving recovery, courage, love, family and friendship, brings so many words to mind, but I’ll settle for just one: inspiring.

There’s a reason over sixty million users watched the miniseries in its debut month on Netflix. If you have the streaming service, this brilliant show is certainly worth your time.

The Trial of the Chicago Seven

by Chloe Gibson, Staff Writer

Must we turn every piece of American history into a thought-provoking biopic? This was the question I found myself asking as the credits rolled on Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago Seven,” released to Netflix this past October. The film follows eight men put on trial for conspiring to start riots while protesting the Vietnam War at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Among the accused are infamous Yippies Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), Students for a Democratic Society’s founder Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and Black Panther Party leader Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II).

The film begins in the aftermath of the Chicago riots.

With Nixon elected into office, Attorney General John Mitchell (John Doman) assigns Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to prosecute the aforementioned protest organizers, sending a message condemning the public’s objections to the Vietnam War. Once the trial begins, scenes cut back and forth between the courtroom deliberations and the Chicago protests themselves.

The tone Sorkin sets for the film feels out of place from the beginning. A snappy score of upbeat music seems inappropriate accompanying archival footage detailing the assassinations of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. Dialogue pulling from original court documents is awkwardly pieced together with Sorkin’s creative interpretations. Consequently, lines try painfully hard to turn courtroom jargon into quippy jokes.

Throughout the film, audiences are given a lot of telling without showing. The plot frequently relies on dialogue to fill in action taking place off-camera. We hear about the Chicago riots in court, but only see bits and pieces of the event in scattered flashback scenes. Jokes and plot-points feel over explained, as if Sorkin doesn’t trust his audience to “get” the film’s message. Unsurprisingly, watching dramatic back-and-forths unfold between a dozen male characters becomes exhausting within the film’s first hour. Every courtroom conversation seems to entail one character being interrupted by another character, and then being interrupted by another character.

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Perhaps the film’s overdramatized feel should be expected from a director like Aaron Sorkin. After all, this is the same man who brought us seven seasons of political drama in “The West Wing.” Over the top emotionality works great for Sorkin’s past projects, but only because previous subject matter was never life or death. The origin story of Facebook in his 2010 film “The Social Network” was high stakes, but never “fate of American democracy” high stakes.

Unsurprisingly, what holds the film together is its all-star cast. Most notably, performances from Cohen and Redmayne overcome the messy plotline that works against them. Each time their characters faced off in heated arguments, I found myself drawn back into the plotline and rooting for their characters’ acquittals.

“The Trial of the Chicago Seven” wants so badly to relate American protests and civil unrest from the past with that of the present. In some ways, this goal is accomplished.

There are undoubtedly clear parallels between this film

and the crucial protests against racial injustice we have seen in 2020. But that very pressure to deliver a message of inspiration leaves out the less than perfect realities of political action, making the film feel inauthentic and idealistic. The conclusion attempts to wrap every conflict up neatly, implying the same to be true of the injustices we face in our country today. Ultimately, the politicization of our nation’s courts and the complexities of American democracy cannot be simplified to one all encompassing solution at the end of a movie.

This critique might also reflect an issue with the biopic genre in general. The very nature of narrative filmmaking requires a rising and falling action, finished off with a satisfying conclusion. When executed in this formulaic manner, films like “The Trial of the Chicago Seven” miss the mark in terms of realisticness. At the very least, Sorkin leaves his audience with a call to action. After all, worthwhile political action starts with individuals.

The Haunting of Bly Manor

by Julia Batista, Social Media Editor; art by Adam Dee, Art Editor “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is the second show in the “Haunting” Netflix anthology series after “The Haunting of Hill House.” The Haunting of Bly Manor features adaptations from Henry James’ 1898 horror novella, “The Turn of the Screw,” which Carla Gugino not-so-subtly mentions in the first episode. The two shows feature a lot of the same cast members yet focus on two completely different storylines; but “The Haunting of Bly Manor” didn’t bore as much as its counterpart did.

Starring Victoria Pedretti as Dani Clayton, the plot revolves around her job as a full-time caretaker - or au pair if you please - of Flora Wingrave (Amelie Bea Smith) and Miles Wingrave (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) at a manor in the countryside of London. Narrated by Gugino, who describes the story she’s about to tell as a “ghost story,” you’re led to expect any cliché ghost or horror story. But “The Haunting of Bly Manor” is anything but, possessing so many riveting, miniscule details throughout its episodes that it keeps you on your toes and thirsting for more.

Starting in London, Dani moves away from the United States because she’s running from her own ghosts, making you wonder up until halfway through the show, What or who is she escaping from? Her own internal struggles contribute to the enthralling storyline which presents itself just as soon as she meets the Wingrave children. There is a story untold about the occurrences at Bly Manor; and Dani finding herself at the center of it as she spirals into her own self-confusion and trepidation. She tries to decipher what her role is in the children’s lives as the other house attendants inform her of the passing of Rebecca Jessel (Tahira Sharif), who drowned in the manor’s lake and was the children’s last caretaker before Dani’s hiring. Bly Manor and all of its residents are experiencing their own supernatural encounters which explains the continuous oddities that showcase itself throughout each episode.

Just as Dani finds out about the passing of Ms. Jessel, we figure out that the manor is inundated with more ghosts of past occupants, some of which have their own background stories and purposes. Each of the ghosts play so much of a

role in the plot development that we are thrown back in time to the 17th century, when Bly Manor was owned by Viola (Katie Siegel) and Perdita (Catherine Parker), so that we understand the depth of the story in which unfolds the ending of the show.

The ghost stories of Bly Manor aren’t the only thing that’s captivating, as Dani not only struggles with her own demons but finds herself enamored with the manor’s gardener, Jamie (Amelia Eve). Since a majority of the show is spent uncovering ghostly stories that inevitably lead to almost every character’s demise, a good love story is wholly justifiable. The relationship between Dani and Jamie is the right balance between bittersweet and enchanting as they strip each other’s demons away so that they can irrevocably and unforgivingly love one another.

All of the details of “The Haunting of Bly Manor” are so critical to the understanding of the circular plot that it prompts a second or even third round of rewatching. The intertwining of all of the individuals’ stories within the show mesmerizes you into yearning for more than what you’re given. The suspense and mystery behind each and every ghost story layer around the somber ending that ultimately makes you fall in love with it and all of its characters.

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Cycle/s by Mia Gladstone

by Brennan Carney, MOC Coeditor Mia Gladstone isn’t new to the music world. She has put out one full-length album, “Grow” (2018), and several singles on streaming platforms like Spotify and SoundCloud. She has been featured in three songs (“Ms. Gravystone,” “Charlene” and “Gold”) by artist Yung Gravy. In addition, Gladstone has songs with Ciscero, Flwr Chyld and tobi lou. The two ““CYCLE/S”” singles, “Change the Channel'' and “Food”, have made it onto spotify playlists such as New Music Friday, Anti Pop and Lorem, along with the likes of artists like Still Woozy, Wallows and Harry Styles. The curator of Lorem is quoted saying the story behind the songs picked is based on the question: "What type of music are younger audiences ready for based on their other habits?" In that case, Mia Gladstone is a perfect choice.

The title “CYCLE/S” fits flawlessly with this EP in my opinion, as Gladstone details the many circles people go through in life. We have bad days and good days, and the only thing you can really control about those is your attitude. Bouncing between groovy basslines and funky instrumental interludes, Gladstone’s lyrics have a fast-paced backdrop to empowering and positive lyrics.

In my opinion, the best track of this album is “Change the Channel.” Mia Gladstone encourages the listener to “Just be good to yourself” and not forget the power you have; if you don’t like what you’re “watching”, you have the power to change the channel. Gladstone is often seen on social media sharing her positive affirmations and encouragement of living purposefully. On the song, Gladstone sings:

Earth it moves and it rolls Round nobody revolves If you here or you go It gon rotate and flow No switching on em But you never stuck on the same channel A mantra to remember, “Change the Channel”

takes the familiar phrase to a higher level with the clever lyrics and a melody to remind you of the power you hold.

“Food”, the second single of the EP, centers around Gladstone’s up and down feelings about the way she looks. In the song, lyrics like “Make your own body like a buffet” and “Put on a shirt, don't dress like a man” refer to what it’s like being a woman who is sexualized from a young age. The way Gladstone looked on the outside changed her relationship with food, her gender and her body. She said in an Instagram post that “Now I own my body and post it as a means of self-acceptance… It’s a way of taking control of my narrative.” While she does talk a lot about positivity, I think there is a special power in when she takes time to expose the other side of these feelings – when you don’t feel quite so positive and confident.

On “I Feel Fine,” Gladstone opens with “I tell myself to resist the temptation/Of inflating how I'm feeling/But I can't dismiss these thoughts/They make me sick.” When there’s another person involved, Gladstone shares how difficult it can be to know which feelings require action, and if others are an overreaction. “Ego” is the energetic conclusion track that’s full of snappy lyrics driven by a simple bass line.

Gladstone sings “Why you come and bother me with problems you create?/My whole fit cost five bucks and I'm flyer than a plane,” but ends the track with the repetition of "we're all beings of love,” as a conclusion for the EP as a whole.

Mia Gladstone has struck a nearly perfect balance on “CYCLE/S”; the good and bad in life coexist and we have to find ways to accept and love it. Cycling through people and places and feelings is part of the human experience, and Mia Gladstone shares her history with it on this EP. Her witty and fast lyrics flow along the funky, high energy music, made even better with excellent production by Danny Shyman. Take a listen and let “CYCLE/S” lead you to empowerment.

Razzmatazz by I Don’t Know How They Found Me

by Emily Imanishi, Contributing Writer

I Don’t Know How But They Found Me, whose name is often shortened to IDK How, started their musical journey back in 2017; but that was not either member’s first time in the music scene. Bassist Dallon Weekes and drummer Ryan Seaman started off IDK How in secrecy due to their involvement with other bands. Prior to playing in IDK How, Weekes was the bassist for Panic! At the Disco and Seaman was the drummer for Falling in Reverse. Because of their connections to larger groups, they chose to create IDK How from the ground up, starting with smaller shows and hiding the project from social media. However, it didn’t take long for fans to catch on, and soon they began rising in popularity.

While the group has released two EP’s; 1981 “Extended Play” in November 2018, and “Christmas Drag” in November 2019, their October 2020 release of “Razzmatazz” marked their first full-length album. With a runtime of roughly 40 minutes and a 12 song tracklist, the album brings in a new aspect to their music, while matching the ‘80s-like tone of their previous releases.

Prior to the full-album release, IDK How put out four songs as singles: “Leave Me Alone,” which sported a very fitting music video for the current COVID world we’re living in; “New Invention,” one of the darker toned songs of the album; ““Razzmatazz”,” the title track whose music video

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looks straight out of MTV; and “Lights Go Down,” an upbeat and catchy dance song.

Much of the album carries on the band’s ‘80s synth-pop sound, while a few tracks, such as “Kiss Goodnight” and “Door,” bring in more soft-sounding elements reminiscent of songs from Weekes’ prior project, The Brobecks. One direct connection the group makes to The Brobecks comes in the song “From the Gallows.” The track has a very jazzy, older sound to it, but is interrupted in the middle by an odd robotic voice. However, this voice isn’t new to the band, but rather has been a staple at IDK How live shows. At their shows, the band often sings the Brobecks song “A Letter,” featuring the same robotic voice. While this connection doesn’t change the way the song is understood, it’s a nice nod that many fans will understand.

The album only features one previously released song, “Nobody Likes The Opening Band” a comedic yet realistic take on what opening bands go through when playing a show. The music video for the song, which was released in February 2018, was featured in an article by Alt. Press and launched the band into the spotlight.

Personally, my favorite song on the album is “Clusterhug,” a sweet and heartfelt love song that I fell in love with from the first time I listened to the album. Weekes starts off the song with the lines “I’m a teenage beauty queen of sorts,” an interesting and attention-grabbing

beginning to a song which dives into the idea of loving someone, but not knowing if they reciprocate those feelings.

Although not necessarily one of my favorite tracks, the tenth song on the album, “Need You Here,” is one that shouldn’t get overlooked. Right from the beginning you understand the story it’s telling; the difficult reality that many musicians, Weekes included, must face when pursuing their career: leaving their family in order to tour for fans. This song, which feels very personal tonally and lyrically, depicts this struggle from not only Weekes’ point of view but also from that of his daughter, who has a cameo in the song.

Although the song portrays feelings of sadness and longing, it also has this immense sense of love, which gives the track a very heartfelt and warm tone.

Throughout the album, IDK How does a good job of keeping consistent. While roughly half the songs are upbeat and something you’d hear on the radio, the other half bring in a slower sound. Every song does a nice job complementing the others, while constants such as an emphasis on a more vintage sound, tie everything together and make it uniquely IDK How. If you’re looking for an album to dance the night away to or just some good old-fashioned “Razzmatazz”, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me has got you covered.

Wachito Rico by Boy Pablo

by Leonardo Amaral, Contributing Writer “Wachito Rico” is the debut album from ChileanNorwegian band boy pablo. boy pablo quickly rose to internet fame back in 2017 with their song and music video “Everytime,” and it’s not hard to see why. Simply put, the band excelled at creating a vibe. The song “Everytime” is a groovy melancholic indie-pop track, full of glistening guitars and synths, and very simple yet cute love-story lyrics. Add to that the charming video of awkward teens playing their instruments in different scenic locations in Norway, and you have a recipe for success in the current musical landscape.

Fast forward to both of boy pablo’s EPs, “roy pablo” and “soy pablo,” and things seem to be going pretty well for the band. Songs like “Dance, Baby!,” “Losing You” and “Sick Feeling” all had the same qualities of “Everytime.”

Some of the tracks on these EPs were more fast-paced and poppy while others were slower and more melancholic, but they all had an incredible groove, love-stricken lyrics and were insanely catchy.

At this point, boy pablo has been on the radar for three years now, so the news of a debut album was a welcome surprise. The last two projects the band had offered showed potential, but the formula was starting to get stale. And so, fans and critics alike hoped for a breath of fresh air from the album. Sadly, “Wachito Rico” is more of a short-lived breeze.

To say boy pablo doesn’t do anything new on this album would be a lie. “rest up” is a culmination and evolution of everything that made past boy pablo cuts so great, covering

personal themes about mental health. Track 6 “te vas//don’t go” focuses on delivering a sad love ballad on acoustic guitar that’s sung in spanish for a large portion, culminating at the end with a few drums and synths here and there. And the closer “i <3 you” is a beautiful guitar and piano slow-jam where we see boy pablo creating a very touching moment.

But, sadly, other than those three songs, there’s not much else to say about this project. Sure, songs like “hey girl,” “honey,” and “wachito rico” are pretty traditional boy pablo songs, but that’s all they are. They’re not very memorable because we’ve heard this exact sound from the band time and time again. The lyrics are also quite dull, there’s only so many vague love songs you can make before people realize you have nothing to say. Oh, and cute attempts at humor don’t help either. A song about how you can’t grow a mustache?

Seriously? boy pablo has some great songs in their catalog, especially given when they were made, but all that potential seems to have been all they had to offer. The album doesn’t have a whole lot of substance or purpose. It feels as though I’m still listening to the exact same people I listened to back in 2017.

They haven’t grown or changed. This album doesn’t seem to have been made because they wanted to say something, it just seems to have been made because… well, just because they can. It’s not a bad album, it’s just lazy. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, I guess.

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Positions by Ariana Grande

by Josue Chavez, Contributing Writer; art by Adam Dee Ariana Grande released her sixth studio album, “Positions,” on October 30 2020, and let’s just say that it was an absolute hit. Ms. Grande set the tone for her album with the lead single, “Positions,” a song about her new found love and how she’ll be “switchin’ the positions” in order to keep her new love happy and satisfied. Reminiscent of her first studio album, “Yours Truly,” Ms. Grande provided R&B hits after hits with features consisting of The Weeknd, Doja Cat, and Ty Dollar $ign. From “34+35” to “nasty” to “pov,” Ms. Grande served bangers about banging, love, and growth, delving deep into her sexual side, yet singing it in her angelic voice that we’ve all grown to love and enjoy. Grande explores topics such as self-love, which is the prominent factor in her final song of the album, “pov,” where she sings about loving herself the way her lover does.

Grande displays her vocal prowess in every song, hidden in the harmonies and melodies, proving that she is a force to be reckoned with.

In her opening song, “shut up,” Grande addresses her haters, telling them to shut up and stop worrying about her life. Grande has had her fair share of haters throughout the years, especially after the tragic events of her 2017 Manchester concert, the death of Mac Miller and termination of her engagement with ex-fiancé, Pete Davidson. With “shut up,” Grande basically tells them to worry about their own business and not hers in an elegant and beautiful way.

Grande then switches up the pace with her second single, “34+35,” where she goes all out in explaining how she wants to make love to her lover from midnight to daylight.

“34+35” is a raunchy song, much more different than her past singles, like “Side-to-Side,” but it easily became a fan favorite amongst her fans and the general public. The song is sexually empowering and proves that Grande is a grown woman, no longer to be confused with and compared to her Nickelodeon character, Cat Valentine.

My personal favorites off of Positions would have to be “obvious,” “motive (feat. Doja Cat)” and “off the table (feat.

The Weeknd).” The production and lyrics of these songs are simply catchy, beautiful and unforgettable. I could have these three songs on repeat for hours and I wouldn’t get tired whatsoever. They truly showcase how Grande has grown as a person and uses her voice to produce works of art.

With the help of her frequent collaborators, TBHits, Victoria Monét, Tyla Parx and many others, Ariana Grande created an album that I personally believe surpasses her previous works. The production, vocals, arrangements and lyrics are much more mature and fitting for Grande’s vocal prowess. R&B is a genre where Grande excels in and provided a 5-course meal and left no crumbs to spare. Nobody can compete with Grande, except herself.

“Positions” displays how she constantly reinvents herself and produces albums that are better than her previous works, cementing herself as one of the greatest singers of our generation.

songs by Adrianne Lenker

by Mae McDermott, Layout Editor It’s surprising that “songs” is a breakup album, because it regards the world with joy. Adrianne Lenker, whose unvarnished voice and enigmatic lyrics make her music feel like a private gift to unwrap, observes everything around her with loving detail. In this way, “songs,” with all its joy and its sorrow, could be seen as a love letter to a complicated time. And the way Lenker views these memories—joyfully, longingly, questioningly and in the present tense—reveals how intense, confusing and distressing some of them continue to be for her. “songs,” together with its twin album, “instrumentals,” comprise Lenker’s fifth solo album. But more than that, they serve as a buffer to five long years of sudden acclaim and frequent touring, a cycle Lenker and her band, Big Thief, have been repeating since the band’s inception and near-instant popularity five years ago. With the impact of a pandemic and an unexpected breakup with artist Indigo

Sparke weighing heavily on her mind, Lenker retreated to her sister’s Massachusetts cabin. Thus, “songs” emerged in the quiet wake of global and personal disruption, and what was meant to be a well-earned break gave Lenker the space to untangle her post-breakup memories, thoughts, and questions. She quickly composed and recorded most of the album on a borrowed 8-track tape machine, accompanying herself on guitar.

Like Lenker’s other albums, “songs” is captivating and serene, her masterful guitar accompaniment trance-inducing as always. Considering the vexed origins of the album, however, it makes sense that songs, though full of love, is tinged with conflict. Violent and shocking imagery breaks through otherwise benign lyrics, morphing the album into a dissonant lullaby. “anything,” “songs’” first single, captures the complicated happiness of a bygone memory:

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christmas eve with your mother and sis don’t wanna fight, but your mother insists dog’s white teeth slice right through my fist drive to the ER and they put me on risk grocery store list, now you get pissed unchecked calls and messages i don’t wanna be the owner of your fantasy i just wanna be a part of your family In actively disentangling her memories, Lenker shows us not only how even the sweetest moments can sour, but how our richest memories must reconcile both good and bad.

The conflict bleeds beautifully into a deep need for simplicity and connection. Whether asking her grandmother for a recipe (“two reverse”) or painting a portrait of someone chewing a cigarette at the edge of the bed (“dragon eyes”), Lenker’s watchful nature works to bridge the sometimes overwhelming gap between herself and others. At the same time, Lenker doesn’t want to talk about anyone or anything, doesn’t want to cast blame, doesn’t want to get anywhere near an argument. In “two reverse,” Lenker is willing to be lied to if it means coexisting peacefully; in “zombie girl” she daydreams about someone simply hearing what she has to say. But this avoidance and need come through most poignantly in “dragon eyes,” where Lenker ends her verses

with the simple requests “i don’t wanna blame you,” “i don’t wanna tame you,” and “i just want a place with you.”

Of course, in painting a picture of ease, Lenker shows us just how complicated these memories have become. Lenker knows how easily and how far we can stray from our ideals; and she shows this most strikingly in “not a lot, just forever,” where, in her desperation to fulfil a domestic fantasy and stave off loneliness, she seems to hold someone hostage in a relationship:

your dearest fantasy is to grow a baby in me i could be a good mother and i want to be your wife so i hold you to my knife and i steal your letter But “songs” also tells us that just because love has grown complex doesn’t mean it’s grown ugly. Even in painting pictures of decay, of violence, of barrenness, Lenker infuses her imagery and language with joy, with a deep appreciation for what is and what was, with an endless capacity to perceive and translate beauty. Just as much as her singing voice and her poetry, it’s her open-heartedness that sets Lenker apart and transforms “songs” into something gentle and full of gratitude.

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Cult Classic Adoration of the absurd // by Conor Cadigan, Contributing Writer; art by Adam Dee, Art Editor

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trio of aliens lure unsuspecting newlyweds into their hyper-sexualized science convention. A man with a bizarre accent watches his marriage fall apart after his wife cheats on him with his best friend. A cheerleader is sent to conversion therapy. A high-school student becomes possessed by a demon after a failed sacrifice and enacts her revenge.

All of these plotlines originate from movies that we now consider to be cult classics. It’s a term that gets tossed around often, for a lot of different movies and different reasons. So, what exactly is a cult classic? How do they happen, and why are we so obsessed with them?

One of the numerous issues in trying to write about cult classics is the overwhelming variation in what qualifies a film for ‘cult status’, and what ‘cult status’ means. One of the few commonalities that all cult classics share, however, is that almost all of them are box office failures that have found new life years after release. What the cause of this new life stems from is where things get complicated. For instance, some movies are known for simply being incalculably bad beyond the point of simple mistake, while others are renowned for being avant-garde masterpieces that were not appreciated enough in their time.

Take, for instance, Tommy Wiseau’s infamous feature “The Room.” By any standard, it is an impossibly bad film.

None of the actors are at all convincing, the plot is paper thin and Tommy Wiseau’s own screen presence is bizarre at best. Yet, this completely inept attempt at making a movie was not swept under the rug or forgotten. Instead, “The Room” has found new life as a cult classic, adored by many for its bizarre lines, scenes and even props, ranging from the now-iconic Tommy Wiseau rooftop monologue that ends with “Oh hi Mark,” to the framed photo of a spoon that hangs in Wiseau’s character’s apartment. The film has spawned its own cult of personality around the mysterious filmmaker and his even more mysterious accent, with some fans going as far as to theorise that he may just be infamous airline heister D.B. Cooper.

Another, perhaps alternative, example of a bad movie gone good is 2009’s “Jennifer’s Body” which has been given a second chance in recent years through a feminist embrace, as fans interpret the titular Jennifer’s monstrous revenge on those who would seek to exploit her as a reclamation of her own power. Its newfound popularity encouraged a retrospective look at how and why it failed, to which the consensus has been that it was a movie marketed by and for men, despite it not being a movie necessarily made for men.

In fact, the film has even taken on new weight in response to the #MeToo movement, as well as being reclaimed by LGBT+ fans as a modern queer classic. What was originally derided as a box office flop by primarily male critics has found a home among feminist critics and horror lovers alike,

carving out its own niche despite past failures.

Of course, I would be remiss in writing about cult classics to not discuss perhaps the archetypical cult classic movie, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This 1975 musical horror comedy features a slew of colorful and culturally defiant characters, campy music and colorful sceneryall twisted far and away from the understanding of the traditional movie musical that had been produced so often decades earlier. Rocky developed its own cult, transforming into a movie often shown annually with actors portraying the onscreen roles alongside the movie (something done every Halloween here at Ithaca), with the audience shouting back at the screen in between oddly-paced lines, and an overall cathartic experience that has come to be known by many as a rite of passage into the world of cult movies or even adulthood itself. None of these examples however, dear to their own cult audiences as they may be, actually answer the question of how a movie becomes a classic, or what makes a cult classic cult. The answer offered here may be simpler than it seems: camp.

One of the only real commonalities these films share is a full-fledged embrace of camp, whether that be intentional or unintentional. These movies are renowned and loved for their overblown performances, colorful aesthetics and frankly overwhelming absurdity. The idea behind camp is finding beauty in something that intentionally clashes with the contemporary cultural ideas of beauty, and that feels like something at the heart of every cult classic. The audiences that flock to these pictures praise them for their flaws as much as for their beauty, acknowledging how endearing camp can be. However, I think it’s also important to ask why exactly camp equates to the cult classic, and how that relates to the cult classic. First, the term “camp” as we currently understand it originates from LGBTQIA+ POC culture, specifically New York’s ball culture shown in cult films like “Paris is Burning.” It is a word often and heavily associated with queer experience, something that asks the question of the relatioship between queer and cult. Cult films are often rejected upon their release (if I wanted a painfully bad pun, perhaps it’s better written as their coming out) only to find a new, smaller, yet far more devoted audience. In a way, the progression of acceptance mimics the lived experience of many queer people, and in turn, LGBTQIA+ audiences are offered new ways of seeing themselves onscreen.

Perhaps the emergence of the cult classic is a form of queer reclamation, of groups not often represented finding themselves on the screen and claiming these movies as their own.

However, to say that this is the only possible way for a movie to become a cult classic is extremely reductive.

If you ask for people’s favorite cult classics, you will get movies of all genres and all varieties. Maybe that is where it

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started, but since then it has become so much more. ‘Cult’ has become the culture for all of the weird and wonderful to be fully embraced despite their varied and often numerous flaws. Cult is devoted far beyond the normal “fandom” of films, something that can really only be attested to by looking at the individual experience of a cult fan. So, in order to show just how strong the cult classic subculture has become, I did just that: reached out on Twitter and asked for people’s favorite cult classics, and why.

“Ginger Snaps because it’s low budget and works it really well. it feels realistic in the way it portrays teenagers and it doesn’t take itself too seriously, plus I love the character building.” -@goiabada1111 “Rocky Horror bc it has an unapologetic trans main character and the music and outfits are just fantastic” -@snailconvertor “Mortal Kombat. As a comedy it succeeds on every level. It’s almost a parody of action films at points.”

-@RaleighBoyMayor “Little Shop of Horrors and Coneheads. Both movies had EXTREMELY funny people/premises that were used to kind of tell a deeper meaning about society.... with coneheads being a fictionalized take on the immigrant experience and little shop using extraterrestrial life to critique capitalism, its as if the subjects threatening america’s image is not digested well? either that or because the movies are just really campy.” -@fuckeryadvocate

“Speed Racer. i think i like it because i’m a huge fan of animation and this is like an adaptation of something that’s originally animated and it actually leans into the animation influences through its anime-style effects.”

-@kikikrazed As one can see, there’s no coherent “type” of movie in any of these answers. All were box office failures or smallscale films, all in touch with their campy side. Beyond that, they have very little in common. And yet, they are all cult movies. In that case, maybe that means that our love for the cult classic does not stem from a specific type of movie, rather it stems from something that was initially rejected that we come to love and adore. It stems from something outside the usual Hollywood binary of failure/success. They’re willing, in ways that sometimes fall flat or are sometimes too adventurous, to try things that we don’t always see on screen.

Cult classics are not loved for being masterpieces, but because they become more than movies. They become communities; movies that you show to friends because you can’t believe they got made, you can’t believe they exist and sure they’re flawed but you love them so much. Perhaps these flaws make them more real to us, and more accessible: even within often fantastical plots, their flaws can feel less like the Hollywood veneer and more like a product of intense devotion by its creators. No matter where they came from or why we love them, the cult classic will always be here to stay.

Conor Cadigan is a second year Writing for Film, TV and Emerging Media major who thinks cult classic films are definitely worth the hype. They can be reached at ccadigan@ithaca.edu.

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American Horror Story: Cult

Retrospective

Because Glee wasn’t culty enough // by Gigi Grady, Staff Writer; art by Adam Dee, Art Editor

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f you asked anyone, I am sure they would remember exactly how the night of the 2016 election went for them. In the case of the sixth season of “American Horror Story,” aptly titled “Cult,” reactions were heavily mixed. Kai Anderson applied blended Cheetos to his face and matched it with black eyeliner to celebrate, while his sister Winter sat in disbelief after dropping out of college to follow Hillary Clinton on her campaign trail. What follows that night is disturbing, especially in regards to how real it could become.

On the surface, “American Horror Story: Cult” is about Trump versus Clinton. Continuous watching will tell the viewer that this story is centered around how far someone will go to get what they want. As much as some audience members called this season a satire, a history of people like Jim Jones and Charles Manson using fear to manipulate whoever wants to listen does exist and cause damage. So, how far off is it really?

The season starts off with Donald Trump’s presidential win, inspiring Kai to run for local office. Chaos ensues as it becomes clear that Kai will stop at nothing to achieve the highest level of power. He knows he needs to start small in order to rule the world.

It is important to realize that without Trump’s win, it is likely that Kai would not have run for office at all. Trump’s tendency to speak offensively and without a filter gives Kai incentive to realize that he, too, can speak offensively and without a filter. Even further, he can now openly be racist and homophobic while also holding a position of power.

After Kai speaks at a town meeting and things do not go in his favor, the horror begins in a Michigan suburb. People are murdered in their homes and trucks begin spraying an unknown vapor through the neighborhood at night. Ally and her wife Ivy’s son are even tricked into believing his guinea pig was blown up in a microwave. All the while, Kai is rounding up a crew of willing and vulnerable followers with their own individual motives. They began to terrorize the town dressed as killer clowns, which was most likely a reference to 2016’s mysterious clown sightings that were occurring all over the world.

As the show goes on, the viewer realizes the catch: Kai speaks and acts differently depending on who he is recruiting next, telling them everything they want to hear. This tends to be how cult leaders build a following. They find a way to appeal to each person, counting on their vulnerability. This aspect of Kai is taken directly from Trump who, despite a history of racist remarks and controversies, has insisted that

he is “the least racist person that you’ve ever encountered.”

More recently, after Trump called COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” and “kung flu,” Asian Americans reported many targeted incidents that ranged from verbal abuse, property damage, and physical assault. The reason Trump insists he’s not racist in spite of these incidents coincides with Trump’s desire to maintain his presidential power, as he knows he can only do this if he has support from those who vote for him.

One of the cult members, Nicole Kidman-loving Meadow Wilton, joins the cult after being manipulated by Kai. The way he speaks and gives compliments surprises her, and after realizing he is the first person to act this way towards her, she falls in love with him. She becomes so obsessed with helping Kai achieve his goal that she is in a prime role in his plan, which ultimately gets her killed.

A successful clear cult leader at this point in the series, Kai never loves Meadow, who represents the stereotypical cult recruit. He does not care much for most of his recruits, in fact. He continuously makes them empty promises and recycles the same old compliments in order to play into each person’s insecurities. Meadow married her gay best friend Harrison after a pact they made in high school. Kai senses that she desires a man in her life who would be in love with her in return. As Meadow’s dedication increases to an unhealthy level, he pretends alongside her, making her believe he loves her just as much.

In the episode in which Meadow ends her life due to her dedication for Kai, the cult stages a shooting during Kai’s speech, with the sole and sick intent of increasing his popularity. This episode, titled “Mid-Western Assassin,” aired on October 10, 2017. Nine days earlier, a gunman opened fire on the Las Vegas Strip and killed 58 people while injuring 850. Following what is considered one of the deadliest shootings in recent U.S. history, producers decided to air a heavily-edited episode out of respect for the victims. The proximity between the episode and the Las Vegas shooting, however, remained eerily close, with the episode mirroring the almost unbelievable state of the country.

It is no secret that Donald Trump has made many vulgar and inappropriate comments about women in the past, and continues to do so today. One example of many is the following quote of his during ABC Primetime Live: “I have really given a lot of women great opportunity. Unfortunately, after they are a star, the fun is over for me.” Another example is from the New York Magazine when Trump said, “Women, you have to treat them like shit.” Between the comments

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made about his daughter Ivanka’s figure and the jokes about dating a 10-year-old girl in 10 years, there is no shortage of examples. Despite this, the “Women for Trump’’ group is alive and well, believing that “the women problem is a myth.” Even in the 2020 election, 55 percent of white women voted for Trump. In a similar manner, Meadow puts Kai on a pedestal and worships him until the moment she dies when, at the end of the day, her life is easily disposable to him. He could not care less about her.

The series calls back to many cult leaders throughout history, such as Jim Jones and Charles Manson. Radical feminist Valerie Solanas gets her own episode, which outlines her shooting of artist Any Warhol and the creation of her “SCUM Manifesto,” standing for the Society for Cutting up Men. In the series, the self-published manifesto is the start of Solanas’ own cult. The main idea of Solanas’ story in the episode is that she is both underestimated and undercredited. Her cult makes their own kills, which mainly center around men and others’ involvement with men but are claimed by the Zodiac killer, who is assumed to be a man.

Even in real life, her name was constantly misspelled, both in the New York Times and on the police report recording her death. With many fictional additions, SCUM is introduced to the characters in the show and is even revealed to still be in existence in 2016.

It is now 2020. This past month, Joe Biden became the President-elect, setting up the departure of Trump in January. The present day is already mirroring the events of

the season finale, in which cult survivor and feminist Ally Mayfair-Richards is rising to power in the Senate. Kai is dead, our heroine wins and all is well, right?

On the surface, “American Horror Story: Cult” outlines pre- and post-Trump. However, reaching the end and seeing cult survivor Ally make it into a position of power should make you think otherwise. Considered one of the more underwhelming endings of an AHS season, the last scene shows Ally putting on her red hood, alluding to her having joined Valerie Solanas’ cult. She looks in the mirror for a moment before the season ends. What makes this ending so unsettling are our own assumptions. We can only imagine that the soon-to-be “reigning cult” is one that is committed to killing men. What would have followed?

“Cult” is not about Trump versus Clinton. It is about those who dedicate themselves to people who promise to make things better for those like them. However, at least in the case of politicians, this is rarely the case. Even Winter from the series leaves college to give her support to Clinton, regardless of various reports stating that The Clinton Foundation paid women 38 percent less than men.

Incorporating real-life people like Charles Manson, Jim Jones and Valerie Solanas may seem over the top, but by how much?

Gigi Grady is a third-year journalism major who started reatching “The Glee Project” after “AHS.” You can reach them at ggrady@ithaca.edu.

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& e s C o o r ns P

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To wear a dress, one first must not.

One must sit in the corner of the classroom silent in khakis and a fluorescent green top.

Become expressionless, be the blank page, or the equivalent of a chair in the corner.

The next morning, put on the dress.

Look in the mirror and smile for once.

Then watch the transformation from chair to beauty.

How To Wear A Dress

by Kristen Gregg

Walk into school with head held high.

Twirl in the dress and watch everyone just pass by.

Know that this dress is simply another article of clothing.

Realize that a dress does not breathe, nor does a chair.

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Interlude

by Greta Unetich

A sliver above and interlude of Heavenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; A sound from beyond memory mourns out loud in the dark and silver-storming night.

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SAW DU

ST

Shy Cult Leader Speaks Out Doesn’t know how to take compliments // by Eliel Safran, Contributing Writer

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he image of cult leaders in the collective American consciousness is a clear one. We know them as being charismatic, self-aggrandizing and manipulative. While it cannot be denied that these traits really do describe many fringe religious leaders, they aren’t always true. Selfidentifying as “nothing special,” modest cult leader Frank “Lord Sunlight” Richardson wants to set the record straight.

Unlike his 600 loyal followers, Richardson asserts that he “doesn’t really see what all the fuss is about.”

“I don’t know,” Richardson told me awkwardly, looking down at his feet. “I’m not really good at taking compliments I guess; I get so weird about that stuff. When they’re all like chanting: ‘Lord, we love you! We give our eternal souls to thee as sacrament!’ I just like, freeze up.”

Meeting with Richardson, you would never guess he runs a sizable religious community. Most recently, his organization made the news for threatening to kidnap and convert American actor Steve Buscemi. Richardson is short and a bit awkward. During our interview, he repeatedly apologized for interrupting me. He told me he accidentally gained his following and that, despite feeling strange in the position, he tries to live up to expectations with the standard trappings of a cult.

“I’ll be like: ‘Hey, I know this is weird, but can you maybe give me, like, your life savings? Perhaps cut ties with your parents?’ I try to give out acid sometimes. I approach the group: ‘Hey guys, this might be a stupid idea, but I was

thinking, um, maybe we could get in touch with our past lives by doing some, uh, LSD? No worries if not; dumb of me to even ask.’”

Richardson stressed that despite his status as the modern incarnation of the ancient god Sol Invictus, sent to Earth to save it from the coming Dragon Apocalypse, his life can get boring and meaningless just like everyone else’s.

“Sometimes, I feel like I’m just going through the motions,” Richardson said as he kicked at a loose carpet edge with his foot.

“I wake up just like everyone else, hit snooze on my alarm, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my wife, kiss good morning to my husband, slaughter a chicken, ya know, mundanity. I’m just trudging through the motions, really.”

When I asked for a final message to our readers, Richardson emphasized that, at the end of the day, he’s really just one of them.

“I’m just living my silly little life and putting on one sandal before the next, like everyone else, until I die and Jesus Ralph-Michael-Christ’s mischievous cousin, Willie the Time Monster, shovels me off of this earthly air-hockey table and carries me gently into the Beyond World with the other Aardvark People. Just like everyone else.”

Eliel Safran is a first-year film, photo and visual arts major who hopes you liked reading this or whatever, it’s probably weird, sorry.

You can reach them at esafran@ithaca.edu.

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Who Can You Trust to Hold Your Drink?

Keeping your kool-aid safe at the cult meeting // by Gretchen Buchmann, Contributing Writer; art by Adam Dee, Art Editor

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t’s that time of the week again. Grab your keys and we can head down to the local cult meeting. Last week they went around recruiting at a few parks late at night, so hopefully you’ll see some new members. Big things on the agenda tonight—I bet they’ll sing some of the favorite hymns, initiate the new members by pushing them to the brink of death until they have a religious encounter, or maybe build a shrine! Hey, there might even be some kool-aid!

The street looks busy tonight, almost everyone will be attending this meeting.

The dimly lit house is packed with members, how exciting! Make your way to the back of the room, where the refreshments are laid out. Nice! They have all the snacks tonight. Look, there’s even some kool-aid, just like I thought. There’s enough for a cup for every single person in attendance. How convenient.

Sure enough, it looks like they’ll be gathering around so we can all sing together soon, are you ready?

Wait, are you serious? You really have to use the bathroom already? We just got here! Make sure you have a buddy with you. Quickly though, you don’t want to miss anything. I don’t suggest you put the kool-aid down though, you can’t get another one.

Let’s have a look around, who can you trust to hold your kool-aid?

My friend Peggy is in the middle of the commotion, dancing to some upbeat cult hymns. I wouldn’t trust her, not because she’d let someone touch it, but because she’s so forgetful she’d probably drink it instead. That’s someone else’s kool-aid silly!

My other friend David is here too, but he’s in the corner having a pretty intense conversation with a scared looking child. Must be a new recruit. You shouldn’t bother him, and he would probably forget and put it down. You don’t want anyone spiking your kool-aid, that could be dangerous!

Hey, my writing professor... my writing professor? What is she doing here? Oh well, she can hold your kool-aid any day. She would drop kick anyone who tries to touch the cups.

But wait. It does look like she’s helping collect donations, so maybe you should look for someone else. I don’t know if I would want her to know we’re in the same cult anyway.

I’m trying to think, who else do you know here that could help us?

Who are you pointing at? Amy Coney Barret? No way!

You know she’s a transfer from the People of Praise, where she used to be a literal “handmaid.” I don’t think she can be trusted with anything. Especially not our kool-aid. Or our reproductive rights.

There’s gotta be someone else... woah! Do you see that? Tiktok star Tony Lopez just walked in the door! I can’t believe he’s here! That being said, you should run in the complete opposite direction. You’re not underage, but I still feel like he would be up to no good. He will be getting nowhere near your kool-aid.

I’m starting to think this is pointless. How are you supposed to trust anyone to stop your kool-aid from getting drugged? You know what? Maybe you should just wait to go to the bathroom until we’re back home. For the time being... bottoms up!

Gretchen Buchmann is a second-year writing major who has been brewing her own kool-aid to appease the dark lord.

You can reach them at gbuchmann@ithaca.edu.

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Combating Overstimulation from the News With a Series of Bath Bombs Onus on olfactory overstimulation // by Laura Ilioaei, Contributing Writer

I

THACA, N.Y.-- Somewhere in the midst of the suburbs in East Reynoldsburg, Ohio, rested a rectangular, creamcoloured building. Omitting the Doric columns at its entrance, it had heavy contemporary flair. This was the Bath and Body Works headquarters, and its teams were constantly on a mission to innovate on sweet, sentimental, sappy, saccharine scents that would entice higher profits. As of 2020, the PR team found itself overstimulated by a heavier workload.

One worker inhaled a fragrant powder before bitching that when happy hours came back into workplace culture, she would never look at a bottle of Corona the same way ever again.

Her coworker asked her to pass the bath salts, as she was buried in excessive amounts of news media and needed something to take the edge off. It was then that she shot up in her seat with an exclamation of Eureka! Consequently, everyone else in the room thought she was hallucinating.

But she ignored the haters. She presented the idea: what if bath bombs were made such that they fizzed out into news articles that kept people updated on current events?

It solves the issue of not being able to read newspapers or phone articles in the bathtub.

Given the ingenuity of the idea, it was quickly patented and within a week shelves that had been empty for weeks (due to the fact that stores could not keep up with consumer demand for hand sanitizer) were now overflowing with Info Bombs. While Bath & Body Works restocked the bombs every week, they had forgotten to acknowledge how in this current Digital Age, even new news often becomes

antiquated in less than a day. Fortunately, the secret formula of the bombs relaxed consumers so much that they really didn’t care when their Info Bomb content was about how suspenseful the election was when the results were already in. They didn’t even care to acknowledge the pruning of their fingers until the tub water went cold.

Business was not all a bed of fragrant florals, though.

The competition quickly became rather LUSH. Somewhere in the midst of Poole, Dorset, of the UK, was a humble black coloured building with LUSH’s logo blatantly plastered at its entrance. Determined to maintain international acclaim, the PR team was chowing down on the ends of their pens nervously at how Bath & Body works had compromised their bath bomb sales in the U.S. How would they step up to the plate-or in this case, into the bathtub-and do better?

At one point, someone stood up and remarked that LUSH had a more artisanal feel to their products. Couldn’t they just continue making bath bombs, but they’d replace news articles with memes and target it towards cynical Gen Z kids so that Bath & Body couldn’t sue them?

It was worth a shot and worked temporarily. However, Bath & Body Works struck back with a “new & improved potent formula,” with their new bestselling bomb, Valerian Valium, flying off the shelves. Consumers raved about how it calmed them like nothing else, and made them able to sleep afterwards with dreams of rolling lavender fields surrounding them. They couldn’t have cared less about some outdated headline about the genesis of an epidemic.

Laura Ilioaei is a second-year English and communication studies major who just found out there’s a pandemic. You can reach them at lilioaei@ithaca.edu.

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buzzsaw asks why...

we don’t talk about the fact that the Girl Scouts are essentially a cult?

Let’s be real here folks; I need you to trust me to understand this story, and you cannot trust unless I am completely transparent with you. Yes, I was a girl scout for 13 years. I did the camping, cookies, endless repeats of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and rocked a khaki vest like nobody’s business. I have since reformed, and am finally ready to speak about life on the inside.

The beginning of any scout meeting consists of repeating your dedication to the cause, and chanting in unison the promise to “live by the girl scout law.” One of the commandments of this law is to “be a sister to every girl scout.” Sorry, but I’m pretty sure the members of the Manson family referred to themselves as “sisters” as well. Keep those tiny hippies away from me.

This practice never seemed strange to me until the day we all had to bring a bag of nail clippings to “burn for the eternal fire of Juliette Gordon-Low.” We were told only clean nails would be accepted, and Jenna of course forgot, submitting her clippings with remnants of whorish pink nail polish on them. Her family moved away suddenly after that, which was strange.

They say her cries can still be heard floating on a warm Savannah breeze.

Not to mention parents don’t bat an eye when sending their children off to the scout “camps,” to be pumped full of marshmallows and dangerous ideologies. I don’t think I’m wrong to have a natural distrust of large groups of unmarried women together in one place. From my experience, they use this time to learn dangerous skills like starting fires, pocket knife use, and polishing up their chants which they then sing for the night. It is through this ritual that they create the “bonds” that allow their control to spread.

In their evil brilliance, they have found the way to keep Americans from asking any questions: give them cookies. Those little capitalist bots use chocolate-coated espionage to worm their way into every household from coast to coast. With about half of the scouts in the world participating in the cookie fundraiser, and each of these girls on average selling around 100 boxes of cookies, that comes out to a yearly total of $380 million in profits. That’s half the net worth of Simon Cowell being pumped into the weaponizing and training of little girls to fight for the glorious scout militia.

Rumor has it, Thin Mints are laced with hallucinogenic drugs that are meant to “open the mind to the power of the girl,” and if you record the sound of chewing a Trefoil and play it backwards, it will reveal the recipe for the cookie the FDA deemed “too dangerous for those weak of heart.”

The scouts even have their own hierarchy within their organization. Daisies will always be chasing the high of becoming brownies, and once a scout has received their gold awards, they become an official high master of scouts. These rare achievers will then gain access to the full power of the mind, and we should consider ourselves lucky if they use this power for good. It’s scary how quickly absolute control can corrupt the soul.

Wake up people! Never forget that empowering young women will be the downfall of the world as we know it. Save yourself from this fate and years of emotional scarring, and sign your daughters up to do pageants instead.

Your editor who just received her conspiracy patch, Sarah Borsari

Photographic evidence of a young Sarah forced to participate 35 being in a satanic ritual

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