Someone predicted that cults will make a 'huge comeback' in 2022, sparking a funny debate

Are cults making a comeback?
Things have definitely taken a turn for the weird in America over the past few years. So much so that I’ve had many a morning where I wake up with the John Lennon song, “Nobody Told Me” stuck in my head.
“Strange days, indeed. Most peculiar, mamma,” Lennon sang on his posthumous hit.
There’s been political unrest, ecological disasters, that weird monolith that popped up in the Utah desert and super credible-looking UFO videos.
Oh yeah, there’s also that pandemic thing that’s still going on.
The sheer absurdity of it all prompted comedian Caleb Hearon to tweet "i think cults are about to have a huge comeback" on Wednesday and a lot of people agreed with him.
i think cults are about to have a huge comeback— caleb hearon (@caleb hearon) 1641447813
It's been said that people often join cults to soothe their fears and anxieties. If that's the case, then Hearon may be right. A recent study found that there was a 26% increase in anxiety worldwide in 2021 due to the pandemic.
To make things even more interesting, there are many who feel anxiety about the pandemic ending because they don’t want to go back to normal.
Hearon's tweet kicked off a great discussion on Twitter on whether or not we’re already in the midst of a cult renaissance.
We've already got the clothes down.
Target has the outfits ready pic.twitter.com/rzrRm3IXDp
— Victoria West 🌈🌻🐝🐾🐶🐱 (@VictoriaEWest) January 6, 2022
the seeds are there https://t.co/5NVmFRu7sR
— ᴛ - ᴍ ᴀ ᴄ ᴛ ɪ ᴏ ɴ (@teemaction) January 6, 2022
Yeah, but if the fashion is this good, sign me up. I am not doing that prairie dress garbage even if it is in style. I want that nutso, futuristic Zardoz dancing around a glowing orb and chanting stuff.
— Heidi (@bleedingblueapp) January 6, 2022
Is the internet already a cult?
We need to bring back old school cults. I’m tryna join a sex commune not a Facebook group.
— Kori W. (@slowbonemahomes) January 6, 2022
Is it happening already?
I definitely think communes will, and yeah, many will turn into cults. I see anti-cell phone communes becoming a big thing.
— Frank Herbie The Love Bug (@EverettWa) January 6, 2022
I mean, have you ever worked at a tech company?
— Amy Isikoff Newell (@amynewell) January 6, 2022
For real I went through the new hire orientation at Tesla years back when I was desperate for work and the it was the most cultish shit I’ve ever seen in my life. I quit before I ever started working in the factory
— ✊🏿James Highsman✊🏿 (@PoorHomieMar) January 6, 2022
The cult of NFT pic.twitter.com/geh9LoCAIX
— King Sized Comforter (@Supertainment) January 6, 2022
Some folks are down already.
should we get in early? what’s the play?
— MITCH (@mitchyytweets) January 6, 2022
It would be great if there was some sort of directory so we could all pick the one that's right for us.
— MakewiEatsSpam (@MakewiEatsSpam) January 6, 2022
Hope so, looking for a good way to offload all these velor tracksuits I've been holding onto...
— a.k.a your mom's pool boy (@thewhitedread) January 6, 2022
If you in Minneapolis and in a cult, I’m available. hml
— Mo (@MoDahga) January 6, 2022
They sound relaxing and homey at this point. Quaint, even.
— Vivien Jastrzebski (@VivienJastrzeb) January 6, 2022
Ready to join
— Zophister (@zophister) January 6, 2022
Cult leaders hit me up I’m lonely desperate and wealthy
— Andy Compton (@andycompton_) January 6, 2022
What cults are we talking about?
You thinking any legacy cults mounting a comeback, or are we talking all new players?
— Christopher Heiner (@Tenaciousheiner) January 6, 2022
Like waco cults or meet in the forst at midnight during a fullmoon for ritual cult?
— Kai Ashworth (@KaiAshworth) January 6, 2022
Let's do this.
What society needs more than anything right now is “family”. You can join mine if you’d like
— DrGodking (@DrGodking) January 6, 2022
After reading the responses it looks like Hearon wasn’t far from the truth. A lot of people raised their hands and said “I’m in” after thinking about the potential benefits that come with being in a cult.
While others claimed there are plenty of cults happening right now, it’s just that people don’t know they’re in them.
Steven Hassan, author of “Combating Cult Mind Control: The Guide to Protection, Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults” and a former member of the Moonies, no less, says that there are essentially four types of cults: behavior control, information control, thought control and emotional control.
He also says that just about anyone is susceptible to being the victim of a cult.
"If you think it could never happen to you, then you're the most vulnerable. Because nobody's impervious," he says.
If Hearon is right, there may be some super culty stuff happening all around us in the coming months. If you’re not down for the cult lifestyle, then it’s best to keep your eyes wide open for suspicious groups gathering in unlikely places.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."